Retrax PowerTraxPro MX interfers with Rambox

[Welfare357]

I don't think it's the height that's the problem. The cover just doesn't extend far enough back so the seal engages the tailgate. Just make the damned cover and tracks and inch or so longer and it would not only cover the gap that's now present but it would more or less seal.

How well do your Ramboxes open? My guess is you must fight with them.

Yea, you have to force them to open, and it scares me to do it. The pop and crack is bad.

 

[Dog Hauler]

Well, Welfare357 was correct. The entire assembly needed to be lowered. Which I did and now the rear seal comes into contact with the tail gate. But calling it a seal is a little generous. At best, water will now get past the seal and dribble down the inside of the tailgate then drain out without getting anything in the bed wet. And that's not to mention the gap on either side of the seal that Retrax doesn't even try to seal. (Then there's the huge ~4" long x 1" wide gap at each outboard edge of the tailgate that come right from FCA, no extra charge.)

So here's where things stand with my electric Retrax:

• My mods sealed the sides of the Retrax and eliminated the interference between the Retrax side seals the Rambox. So far so good.
• The rear Retrax seal will keep out some of the water but only as far as it extends. There is about a 1.5" gap on either side of the rear seal that has no seal at all and water should pour in there pretty impressively unless attended to. I have a plan for that.
• The front Retrax seal - I don't know about that one yet but will soon. It looks like there is some hope it will seal.
• The factory gaps...I have a plan for those, as well, so we'll see

Regarding the two issues with the Retrax cover that I fixed already...water intrusion past the side seals and interference between the side seals and Rambox lids...Retrax just isn't interested in putting out a better product. The supervisor I was talking to at Retrax said I should call Corporate with my ideas. I'm not going to screw around with that. If they aren't interested any more than that in putting out a bed cover that doesn't leak and doesn't interfere with Rambox lids, the heck with them. They must like dealing with unhappy customers.

Meanwhile, if anyone knows of a good seal to put around the tailgate to keep out dust, please pass it along. Thanks.

 

[macallien]

Man I'm not happy to here this. My Retrax finally arrives tomorrow. It was delayed 6 weeks to refit for the new RamBoxes. Looks like they failed. Mine is the manual version but essentially the same cover I think.

That shot of the open lid is frightening. How could that be acceptable? These aren't cheap cover$.

Thanks for posting those and I'm very interested in your solution to the seal.

Hi! Did you already install your retrax? Any issues with the Ram Boxes or water?

 

[NHREBEL2]

Hi! Did you already install your retrax? Any issues with the Ram Boxes or water?

I did install it and am now very happy with well it works. I needed a retractable cover that could stop/stay anywhere along the track.

I did have to modify the bed rails in order to allow the RamBox lids to open freely. Took an afternoon to do it.

As others have said, Retrax customer service was useless and not interested in my issues. Referred me to the online retailer I got it from for a return. I wasn't interested in a return as this is the cover that works for my application. So I came up with a solution and am very happy with the cover just not the company that made it.

I have a hard time recommending an expensive product that doesn't fit out of the box, but it works well for me now.

 

[Dog Hauler]

I did install it and am now very happy with well it works. I needed a retractable cover that could stop/stay anywhere along the track.

I did have to modify the bed rails in order to allow the RamBox lids to open freely. Took an afternoon to do it.

As others have said, Retrax customer service was useless and not interested in my issues. Referred me to the online retailer I got it from for a return. I wasn't interested in a return as this is the cover that works for my application. So I came up with a solution and am very happy with the cover just not the company that made it.

I have a hard time recommending an expensive product that doesn't fit out of the box, but it works well for me now.

Unless you have a vastly different Retrax from my Retrax retractable cover, it sure as heck doesn’t seal on either side nor in the front or back. With modifications, I have the sides sealed and all but eliminated the interference between the Retrax seals and the Rambox.

But the front and back “seals” leak like seives even though I lowered the entire unit as someone suggested. I’m working on those leaks and expect to get things sealed up, including the huge factory gaps at the corners. I’ve had other things to deal with so have stalled out on that a bit.

 

[NHREBEL2]

Unless you have a vastly different Retrax from my Retrax retractable cover, it sure as heck doesn’t seal on either side nor in the front or back. With modifications, I have the sides sealed and all but eliminated the interference between the Retrax seals and the Rambox.

But the front and back “seals” leak like seives even though I lowered the entire unit as someone suggested. I’m working on those leaks and expect to get things sealed up, including the huge factory gaps at the corners. I’ve had other things to deal with so have stalled out on that a bit.

Mine is the manual MX cover which sounds like it may be a little longer than yours. It seals on the tailgate about as well as any of the rollup covers I've had over the years. As you said the problem isn't the seal but how the tailgate interfaces with the sides of the bed. Last storm I had snow piled in the corners just above the hinges. Thats a Ram problem. I haven't had water coming in on the front seal or the modified side seals.

 

[carpecervisi]

Has anyone installed a PowertraxPro MX recently? I wonder if Retrax has addressed any of these issues.

Well, one can hope. I just pulled the trigger on one from Truck Alterations (another huge recommendation for Luke). I'm hopeful I'll get it in time to install over Memorial Day weekend.

DogHauler, what mod did you do for the interference with the RamBoxes?

 

[macallien]

I have installed it with no problems. When you fully open the RamBoxes it does "fight" the rubber seal and makes a clunking noise. Not a big deal for me. As far as water in the can, very little most from the tailgate gaps.

 

[carpecervisi]

Well ****.

I got my 90244 in and seem to have the same problems as many others.

1) the driver’s side rail end cap cannot fit into the OEM rail
2) both rails have a significant gap between the top of the bed and RamBox lid

Can the OEM rails be lowered enough so the top seals can sit flush?

I guess I’m dead in the water, I’m not taking a Dremel to that end cap, not considered how much this cover cost. ****in holiday projects.

 

[carpecervisi]

Just to follow up and admit I’m a dumbass. I didn’t look closely at how the Retrax rails slid into the OEM ones and completely missed the upper channel fitment. As you can see from the picture, the Retrax rail was just sitting on top of the OEM rail. I assumed that if the Retrax clamp fit into the OEM rails, all was good. On closer inspection, it was obviously wrong.

I still don’t like the interference with the RamBox, Retrax’s response was “well it did that on the older model too, feel free to trim it”. And like others, the tailgate seal is just barely touching the tailgate and won’t seal anything.

Still, it’s way better than the POS I thought I was stuck with. Thanks all!

 

[macallien]

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[bigwidge]

Sounds to me like Retrax needs to get their s*** together. They make a good product for most, but are seriously failing in the '19 Rambox department.

All in all, it sounds like they are fully aware of the issue and are blatantly ignoring to improve their product. Looks like for now I'll be going with a Lomax or Bak.

 

[Brandon09]

I just installed my Retrax MX yesterday and aside from the poorly constructed assembly instructions ,I too have the same issues however, I loosened the entire cover and slid it back with one person on each side to close the gap from the cover to the tailgate, which helped quite a bit, and pressed downward on the cover to close the height gaps. In regards to the leaking that I have encountered, I ordered all rubber seals and will remove the cover and apply it between all trouble areas and snug it back down! This will be a weekend project and results pending along with an email response to the company

 

[bigwidge]

I just installed my Retrax MX yesterday and aside from the poorly constructed assembly instructions ,I too have the same issues however, I loosened the entire cover and slid it back with one person on each side to close the gap from the cover to the tailgate, which helped quite a bit, and pressed downward on the cover to close the height gaps. In regards to the leaking that I have encountered, I ordered all rubber seals and will remove the cover and apply it between all trouble areas and snug it back down! This will be a weekend project and results pending along with an email response to the company

Thanks for sharing! That's a beautiful truck- it looks like you take care of her. Can you touch on any of the issues around the Rambox? Does it hinder the opening of the boxes exponentially?

I reached out to Retrax on Tuesday about the issues everyone is having and I'll share that conversation below:

Me:
"Hi there! I’m very interested in the Retrax bed cover for my soon to be Ram 1500 with Rambox, but I’ve read quite a few complaints online about the Retrax not allowing the Rambox doors to open fully and leaking issues around the Rambox hinges and back tailgate. My question is are these problems being looked into, should I wait to order a Retrax until these issues are fixed?

Thank you for your time!"

Retrax's Reply:
"Due to the nature of the Ramboxes, they will not open 100%, but will open 90-95% of the way. They are constantly doing testing on the covers though, although I am not sure when or if anything will be changed on those.

Let me know if you have any other questions!"

From what I've read from these forums, 90%-95% is not accurate. And it ultimately seems like Retrax is completely happy with the model they have released as-is.

 

[snikoorbdoodle]

Unfortunately, I’m having the same issue. Wish I read this before my purchase and install, my bad. Installers were unable to fix the problems for me and my concern of the Ram-boxes being worn out led me to return the bed cover. Now I need to wait until a new design comes out. Too bad.

 

[tul9033]

Are there any proven covers for the Ramboxes? Lomax? Seems the BAK line are working for most.
I'm not paying $1800 and spending hours retrofiting the Retrax to make it kinda work.

 

[Ellisstrong]

Are there any proven covers for the Ramboxes? Lomax? Seems the BAK line are working for most.
I'm not paying $1800 and spending hours retrofiting the Retrax to make it kinda work.

My MX4 is just fine

 

[snikoorbdoodle]

No interference at all with the Ram Boxes when you open them? How about water leaking in? Thanks!


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[Ellisstrong]

No interference at all with the Ram Boxes when you open them? How about water leaking in? Thanks!


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Nope no interference and water only leaks in at the corner of the tailgate but not enough for me to even worry about a seal for that...

 

[lylemsharp]

Anyone tried these? https://www.pace-edwards.com/bedlocker-electric