Marusho
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Today is April 17, 2019. As of now there are few hard tonneau options for the 5th generation Ram with 5'7" bed and Ramboxes.
I know there are other mentions of the Lomax on the forum, but this one is very detailed.
The Lomax line includes three aluminum tri-fold models. They are the standard-duty black matte product B1040059, the standard-duty diamond plate product B2040059 and the Professional series product B0040059 available in diamond plate only at this time. I purchased my Professional model on April 9 during a 23.5% off promotion, direct from Agri-Cover, for $914. At that time the standard model in either finish was $794. As I write this the direct price is 15% off MSRP. I was happy with my price. The price was no lower through a distributor and none of the distributors had an up-to-date listing of all of this line of products.
Here is why I chose this cover.
I had decided that I wanted a hard cover of the folding kind, and that I wanted to retain as much as possible of the bed's cargo space (so no roll-up cover).
I dislike putting 3M tape on anything. In my experience it never sticks to what you want it to , and is hard to remove when you want it gone. Lomax has figured out how to build a tonneau (at least for the Rambox model) that doesn't require you to glue anything to your truck (except for 2 square inches of rubber that can be omitted). Reports are that the cover is nevertheless as dry as any other.
A friend reported satisfactory dealings with Agri-Cover and that sealed the deal.
Color: Ideally I would have gotten a white tonneau for my white truck, but there is no such thing. Black was the logical choice, especially since black is in this year. But the Professional model was only available in bright diamond plate. The only difference between the standard and Professional models is additional bracing across each of the panels. I really wanted this additional stiffness because one place I have to park is under trees that can shed heavy branches. Also the added stiffness would be a benefit when folding the cover from one side. The only downside is that this bracing adds 10 pounds to the cover, raising it from 50 to 60 pounds. I'm no spring chicken and this additional weight will make removing the cover that much more of a chore, but I'll deal with it the few times I have to do so. Mechanically, removing the cover really is as easy as Agri-Cover's excellent videos show. Positioning it for re-installation is a bit fussy, but you'd master that too after some experience with it.
Continuing with my choice of color: I decided that I really had no business getting a black cover when a silver one was offered, despite the fact that black is all the rage. I often carry an ice chest in the bed, and other items that don't appreciate the heat. After having installed the cover I measured the temperatures and decided I had made the right decision. The ambient temp was 70. The white car was 77-85. The black areas adjacent to the cover were 93-113 and the cover was 73-78.
As I said, Lomax / Agri-Cover videos are great. I have a few observations about the installation process.
You must remove the Ram cargo rails. When you do so you'll find some dirt, so plan on spending a little time cleaning this up.
This is a good time to clean the pollen and bird dirt out of your bed. I got nowhere cleaning the liner with car wash liquid and a bristle brush, so I used Armor-All Tire Foam and a washcloth. No, it is not too silicone-y.
Agri-Cover's instructions do not say to de-grease the inside of the cargo rails before applying their 2"-wide foam seal, but I did so, with alcohol. I wasn't bothered by this application of adhesive since it wasn't to the body of the truck AND there is no chance of the gasket's coming loose since it is clamped between the cargo rail and the bed.
You must put holes in this foam seal for the 2 plastic pins that loosely attach the rails to the bed, and the 5 little bolts that do the actual work. The two plastic pins are there to locate the rails during assembly and you are to poke them through the foam. Plan on using scissors to actually make these holes. The five attaching bolts fit through large (about 12mm) holes and you are instructed to cut out these holes with a utility knife. Instead use a gasket hole punch and a block of wood. It works neat as can be and you should have these punches in your tool kit anyway.
During the assembly of the 2 cover rails to the cargo rails you will need a 7/16 and a 1/2 combination wrench, but I found that deep sockets and an extension were also helpful. The 10mm head Ram bolts that secure the cargo rails are long and will obviously come out quicker with a drill.
When reassembling the cargo rail with the attached tonneau rail, the additional thickness of the assembly due to the application of a foam gasket on the back, makes the two plastic pins bite less, so don't count on their holding the rail up. In fact I found that they needed pressing in place with a tool. I used a 3/8 socket extension bar and a hammer to gently send them home. Then the cargo bar would support itself while I put the 5 original screws back in.
The design is clever and looks like it will be long-lived. The only design flaw I can see (after installation but with zero actual experience with the cover) is that the rear of the two tonneau rails is uncharacteristically sharp. It should have been a bit shorter and had a plug fitted. Having a plug on the front end also would have prevented any water entering. Unless I scrape my hand on these rails I'll probably never think about this again.
Most web reviews suffer from the customer's writing it before he has any experience. They usually say they will revise it after they use the product, but never do.
This is not a review of the product so much as my impressions and a review of the installation process. If I discover anything you should know about this cover in the future I REALLY WILL UPDATE THIS POST. It should be obvious that I have no problem hitting the keyboard.
Consider Agri-Cover's Lomax, Access and other products. They seem to be a stand-up company with good designs. I do appreciate their actually building products for the 5th gen Ram with Rambox. An acquaintance has a factory cover for his '19 Rebel without Ramboxes, and it is clear that it wasn't updated for the '19, as it is too short. The Lomax fits perfectly. I think it looks nice too, even though is isn't black . . . .
UPDATE APRIL 20 2019: I contacted CS to ask what the two curved 6" rubber channels were for. They replied that yes, they are not documented, and they attach to the rear of the bed in the area in my photo below. They didn't say exactly where they are to be placed so I made my best guess. Somebody else on this forum asked the question but I was unable to find his post.
We had a significant storm last night and no water entered except for a few drops in the area that these seals are meant to protect. I only installed them after the storm so cannot say if they are 100% effective. Also I have no results of how much water intrudes when driving.
UPDATE JULY 28, 2019: Those 6" rubber things pictured above fell off, despite my having prepped the area with alcohol. They are certainly in the wrong place anyway since they are compressed and no longer form a channel, when the tailgate is up. I think I'll just let the rain come in unless somebody else works this out.
I know there are other mentions of the Lomax on the forum, but this one is very detailed.
The Lomax line includes three aluminum tri-fold models. They are the standard-duty black matte product B1040059, the standard-duty diamond plate product B2040059 and the Professional series product B0040059 available in diamond plate only at this time. I purchased my Professional model on April 9 during a 23.5% off promotion, direct from Agri-Cover, for $914. At that time the standard model in either finish was $794. As I write this the direct price is 15% off MSRP. I was happy with my price. The price was no lower through a distributor and none of the distributors had an up-to-date listing of all of this line of products.
Here is why I chose this cover.
I had decided that I wanted a hard cover of the folding kind, and that I wanted to retain as much as possible of the bed's cargo space (so no roll-up cover).
I dislike putting 3M tape on anything. In my experience it never sticks to what you want it to , and is hard to remove when you want it gone. Lomax has figured out how to build a tonneau (at least for the Rambox model) that doesn't require you to glue anything to your truck (except for 2 square inches of rubber that can be omitted). Reports are that the cover is nevertheless as dry as any other.
A friend reported satisfactory dealings with Agri-Cover and that sealed the deal.
Color: Ideally I would have gotten a white tonneau for my white truck, but there is no such thing. Black was the logical choice, especially since black is in this year. But the Professional model was only available in bright diamond plate. The only difference between the standard and Professional models is additional bracing across each of the panels. I really wanted this additional stiffness because one place I have to park is under trees that can shed heavy branches. Also the added stiffness would be a benefit when folding the cover from one side. The only downside is that this bracing adds 10 pounds to the cover, raising it from 50 to 60 pounds. I'm no spring chicken and this additional weight will make removing the cover that much more of a chore, but I'll deal with it the few times I have to do so. Mechanically, removing the cover really is as easy as Agri-Cover's excellent videos show. Positioning it for re-installation is a bit fussy, but you'd master that too after some experience with it.
Continuing with my choice of color: I decided that I really had no business getting a black cover when a silver one was offered, despite the fact that black is all the rage. I often carry an ice chest in the bed, and other items that don't appreciate the heat. After having installed the cover I measured the temperatures and decided I had made the right decision. The ambient temp was 70. The white car was 77-85. The black areas adjacent to the cover were 93-113 and the cover was 73-78.
As I said, Lomax / Agri-Cover videos are great. I have a few observations about the installation process.
You must remove the Ram cargo rails. When you do so you'll find some dirt, so plan on spending a little time cleaning this up.
This is a good time to clean the pollen and bird dirt out of your bed. I got nowhere cleaning the liner with car wash liquid and a bristle brush, so I used Armor-All Tire Foam and a washcloth. No, it is not too silicone-y.
Agri-Cover's instructions do not say to de-grease the inside of the cargo rails before applying their 2"-wide foam seal, but I did so, with alcohol. I wasn't bothered by this application of adhesive since it wasn't to the body of the truck AND there is no chance of the gasket's coming loose since it is clamped between the cargo rail and the bed.
You must put holes in this foam seal for the 2 plastic pins that loosely attach the rails to the bed, and the 5 little bolts that do the actual work. The two plastic pins are there to locate the rails during assembly and you are to poke them through the foam. Plan on using scissors to actually make these holes. The five attaching bolts fit through large (about 12mm) holes and you are instructed to cut out these holes with a utility knife. Instead use a gasket hole punch and a block of wood. It works neat as can be and you should have these punches in your tool kit anyway.
During the assembly of the 2 cover rails to the cargo rails you will need a 7/16 and a 1/2 combination wrench, but I found that deep sockets and an extension were also helpful. The 10mm head Ram bolts that secure the cargo rails are long and will obviously come out quicker with a drill.
When reassembling the cargo rail with the attached tonneau rail, the additional thickness of the assembly due to the application of a foam gasket on the back, makes the two plastic pins bite less, so don't count on their holding the rail up. In fact I found that they needed pressing in place with a tool. I used a 3/8 socket extension bar and a hammer to gently send them home. Then the cargo bar would support itself while I put the 5 original screws back in.
The design is clever and looks like it will be long-lived. The only design flaw I can see (after installation but with zero actual experience with the cover) is that the rear of the two tonneau rails is uncharacteristically sharp. It should have been a bit shorter and had a plug fitted. Having a plug on the front end also would have prevented any water entering. Unless I scrape my hand on these rails I'll probably never think about this again.
Most web reviews suffer from the customer's writing it before he has any experience. They usually say they will revise it after they use the product, but never do.
This is not a review of the product so much as my impressions and a review of the installation process. If I discover anything you should know about this cover in the future I REALLY WILL UPDATE THIS POST. It should be obvious that I have no problem hitting the keyboard.
Consider Agri-Cover's Lomax, Access and other products. They seem to be a stand-up company with good designs. I do appreciate their actually building products for the 5th gen Ram with Rambox. An acquaintance has a factory cover for his '19 Rebel without Ramboxes, and it is clear that it wasn't updated for the '19, as it is too short. The Lomax fits perfectly. I think it looks nice too, even though is isn't black . . . .
UPDATE APRIL 20 2019: I contacted CS to ask what the two curved 6" rubber channels were for. They replied that yes, they are not documented, and they attach to the rear of the bed in the area in my photo below. They didn't say exactly where they are to be placed so I made my best guess. Somebody else on this forum asked the question but I was unable to find his post.
We had a significant storm last night and no water entered except for a few drops in the area that these seals are meant to protect. I only installed them after the storm so cannot say if they are 100% effective. Also I have no results of how much water intrudes when driving.
UPDATE JULY 28, 2019: Those 6" rubber things pictured above fell off, despite my having prepped the area with alcohol. They are certainly in the wrong place anyway since they are compressed and no longer form a channel, when the tailgate is up. I think I'll just let the rain come in unless somebody else works this out.
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