Tonneau Cover advice

[ww874]

I bought my truck off the lot and it came with the factory tri-fold. My previous truck had a soft roll up cover which i liked alot and I was worried I wouldn't like the tri fold as much. I even considered replacing it with a soft roll up but I decided to live with it a bit and see how I liked it, and I'm glad I did. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
Soft roll up - Pro's
- always on the truck
-when rolled up allows full bed access
- can act as kind of a cargo cover in a pinch if load isn't too high
- my soft cover was able to be opened without opening tailgate by simply slipping your fingers under the rear seal and hitting the latch.
- provided very good protection and kept my bed very dry.

Soft roll up - Con's . (not many)
- bit of a PITA having to jump into bed and having to roll it up.

Tri fold - Pro's
- Easier to fold back and secure ( this is a very big pro)
- Easy to remove the entire cover ( 4 quick release latches and you're done)
- So far seems to provide good bed protection

Tri Fold - Con's
- when flipped back it doesn't provide full bed access.
- if you need full bed access, it has to be removed. (Not hard to do but now it's got to be stored). So if your going to drive several hundred miles to move your daughter back from school it stays at home. If your you're gonna drop off a quad for service and want to put it back on right away you can put it in the rear of the cab as long you don't have rear seat passengers.
- I have to open my tailgate to unlatch the cover, not a big deal but not as easy as my old cover.

Overall if I had my choice from the beginning I would have probably choosen a soft roll up again just because it's what I was used to. But the reason I haven't replaced the trifold is the more I use it the more I like just flipping it back twice and I'm done.

Hope this helps.

 

[Wild Bill Ram]

Here is my fiberglass tonneau cover nightmare. Ordered Raider Shadow FS SB and gave them my paint code. I ordered from a Raider dealer in northern Wisconsin...price was 1717.00 including installation. They gave me a free keyless entry as part of promo. When I went for my installation estimated at 2 hours it went on smooth until he tried to wire keyless entry. He tried to wire into tailgate release to no avail. At 5 hours he gave me my money for install back and said I should go to a Ram dealer because he didn't know how to wire it. I made an appointment at a Toys for Trucks shop figuring they had installed many of these and he estimated an hour and a half to wire. They had 2 guys working on it for over 2 1/2 hours before they gave up and couldn't figure out how to wire it. They had tried going back to wire loom on drivers side sill. I had to take it to Ram dealer for undercoating and gave them Raiders directions and told them to wire it in. When I picked up truck dealer had done nothing and said they didn't know where to wire it to,after telling them story ant telling them they needed to call Ram tech support. The Raider company is part of the TAG group. Their customer service is terrible and they were no help and could not provide a solution. All 3 installation attempts tried to contact Raider company to no avail. We have many grey days up north and now that there is sun I have noticed a paint mismatch between cover and Ivory tri-coat on vehicle. The wireless entry is the same as they put on all tonneau covers since Tag group manufacturers under many names. I have a ARE on my Lariat and it is 12 years old and functions perfectly. Raider told me to go back to original point of sale and he would determine if a repaint was necessary. I have a mismatched color on my $1700 cover that I have to lock with a key...2019 Ivory Tri-Coat Limited....STAY AWAY FROM RAIDER TONNEAUS AND THEIR AFFILIATED COMPANIES

 

[SColang22]

I bought my truck off the lot and it came with the factory tri-fold. My previous truck had a soft roll up cover which i liked alot and I was worried I wouldn't like the tri fold as much. I even considered replacing it with a soft roll up but I decided to live with it a bit and see how I liked it, and I'm glad I did. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
Soft roll up - Pro's
- always on the truck
-when rolled up allows full bed access
- can act as kind of a cargo cover in a pinch if load isn't too high
- my soft cover was able to be opened without opening tailgate by simply slipping your fingers under the rear seal and hitting the latch.
- provided very good protection and kept my bed very dry.

Soft roll up - Con's . (not many)
- bit of a PITA having to jump into bed and having to roll it up.

Tri fold - Pro's
- Easier to fold back and secure ( this is a very big pro)
- Easy to remove the entire cover ( 4 quick release latches and you're done)
- So far seems to provide good bed protection

Tri Fold - Con's
- when flipped back it doesn't provide full bed access.
- if you need full bed access, it has to be removed. (Not hard to do but now it's got to be stored). So if your going to drive several hundred miles to move your daughter back from school it stays at home. If your you're gonna drop off a quad for service and want to put it back on right away you can put it in the rear of the cab as long you don't have rear seat passengers.
- I have to open my tailgate to unlatch the cover, not a big deal but not as easy as my old cover.

Overall if I had my choice from the beginning I would have probably choosen a soft roll up again just because it's what I was used to. But the reason I haven't replaced the trifold is the more I use it the more I like just flipping it back twice and I'm done.

Hope this helps.

another con for soft is durability and security. I use to go soft until they got broken into twice buy someone cutting it open. Also the sun beat on them and after a few years they looked real worn out. I don't think I'd ever go back to a soft one.

 

[SColang22]

I'm a big fan of undercover trifolds.

 

[Mjrosay]

I'm a big fan of undercover trifolds.

Which one do you like? I thought they were similar to the Extang?

 

[HKP7PSP]

I'm a big fan of undercover trifolds.

How secure are they compared with the BakFlip units? I've seen where folks can get in with a bent coat hanger. Looking at the Undercover personally though.

 

[SColang22]

Which one do you like? I thought they were similar to the Extang?

How secure are they compared with the BakFlip units? I've seen where folks can get in with a bent coat hanger. Looking at the Undercover personally though.

This is the one I'm currently using because I wanted a trifold. Its not as secure as a hardtop but still more so than a cloth. I've always been impressed with undercovers quality. I think backflip is fairly similar. Judging by the cost point id say its a wash between the two. I've never dealt with Extang so I can't give an opinion on them.

UnderCover Ultra Flex Tonneau Cover | RealTruck

Get the UnderCover Ultra Flex Tonneau Cover from RealTruck fast with free shipping in the lower 48 United States. Our team of product experts, extensive image galleries, and legendary customer service make it easy to get the right part the first time.

realtruck.com

 

[Mjrosay]

This is the one I'm currently using because I wanted a trifold. Its not as secure as a hardtop but still more so than a cloth. I've always been impressed with undercovers quality.

UnderCover Ultra Flex Tonneau Cover | RealTruck

Get the UnderCover Ultra Flex Tonneau Cover from RealTruck fast with free shipping in the lower 48 United States. Our team of product experts, extensive image galleries, and legendary customer service make it easy to get the right part the first time.

realtruck.com

Very nice - I have rambox, so the options are limited.

 

[SColang22]

Very nice - I have rambox, so the options are limited.

Yea that's tough. I wasn't a super fan of the ram box because of the bed space it took up. It wouldn't fit my hunting gear with the Ram Box.

 

[J4U]

I looked for a long time and finally went with the Lomax tri fold and added the adarac ladder rack system.

I needed the ability to cover the contents and put ladders up at the same time. The ladder rack's remove and install in about 5 minutes so I don't have to have them on all the time and very sturdy.

I also like that I can remove the cover and put in back of truck for spur if the moment needs. Otherwise if I'm carrying tall loads I'll take it off and put in garage.

Very happy with the two together! 5'7" bed

 

[Ramit392]

retrax is most awesome bed cover there is bar none IMO.

 

[Jako]

another con for soft is durability and security. I use to go soft until they got broken into twice buy someone cutting it open. Also the sun beat on them and after a few years they looked real worn out. I don't think I'd ever go back to a soft one.

I have the extang black max on my 2001 and the cover lasted 10 years, current cover since 2011 with no real maintainence. The cover doesn't look bad for 8 years and I believe I could restore some "luster" with appropriate conditioner. I put same cover on my 2019 Ram. I have the snap variety. Cover is an issue depending on temperature (snapping cover closed) and could be an issue if you want quick access or constantly remove cover or require security.
I do not remove cover regularly or leave material in truck bed. I chose the snap style on the 2019 due to the locking tailgate denying access to the truck bed and with the hope that someone wanted access would just unsnap the cover.
No issues with someone cutting the cover open. Live in the northeast (NYC) and truck has been in driveway or street since new.

Would a thief be more tempted to break into a more secure cover, unsnap the extang to check contents, slice the extang (quick and easy) or figure there is nothing there worth their time with that type of cover? I don't have an answer but no problem since 2001. I also like having the ability to remove the cover and put it in the cab or leave it in the bed when I need the full bed. Price was acceptable for around $250. It is no Lomax or Bakflip but it can still be more than adequate depending on your needs.

 

[SColang22]

I have the extang black max on my 2001 and the cover lasted 10 years, current cover since 2011 with no real maintainence. The cover doesn't look bad for 8 years and I believe I could restore some "luster" with appropriate conditioner. I put same cover on my 2019 Ram. I have the snap variety. Cover is an issue depending on temperature (snapping cover closed) and could be an issue if you want quick access or constantly remove cover or require security.
I do not remove cover regularly or leave material in truck bed. I chose the snap style on the 2019 due to the locking tailgate denying access to the truck bed and with the hope that someone wanted access would just unsnap the cover.
No issues with someone cutting the cover open. Live in the northeast (NYC) and truck has been in driveway or street since new.

Would a thief be more tempted to break into a more secure cover, unsnap the extang to check contents, slice the extang (quick and easy) or figure there is nothing there worth their time with that type of cover? I don't have an answer but no problem since 2001. I also like having the ability to remove the cover and put it in the cab or leave it in the bed when I need the full bed. Price was acceptable for around $250. It is no Lomax or Bakflip but it can still be more than adequate depending on your needs.

Not saying it’s not adequate. Just adding to his list of cons

 

[Rampat]

Anyone have any negative run ins with Lomax? I’d really rather have the full access of the Bakflip MX4 but everyone swears that the Lomax is better and it is much cheaper.

 

[SpeedyV]

Im in the same boat, want a soft cover trifold, could buy from dealer, prices vary but are from $700 installed. Anyone get the factory Ram tri-fold? Reviews? Oh, 5’7 bed length...

I have the factory soft tri-fold for RamBox, and it's fine for my needs. The support bows seem to be well made. Search the forums and you'll find old threads about moving the clamps to have it seal to the bed a little better. I've seen a few for sale on the forums as well.

 

[ClancyO]

I had a hard fiberglass (low profile) on my titan and loved it. Mostly watertight, pretty secure and still removable by one person (with some effort & skill!). Obviously I think we want/need a tonneau for the dry/security, but if you need the full bed for mulch/stone/motorcycles - whatever - ease of remove/replace and how much bracketry remains after (temporary) removal factor in for me. And for that reason I'm strongly considering the Gator Hybrid. It's self contained, sits on top the rails, and fairly lightweight, yet rigid. Best yet is > $600..

 

[Mjrosay]

I have the factory soft tri-fold for RamBox, and it's fine for my needs. The support bows seem to be well made. Search the forums and you'll find old threads about moving the clamps to have it seal to the bed a little better. I've seen a few for sale on the forums as well.

Can you post a pic? I wanted to see the color of it in the real world. Thanks!

The way we know who makes the hard fold, do we know if the Mopar soft is also rebranded?

 

[SpeedyV]

Can you post a pic? I wanted to see the color of it in the real world. Thanks!

The way we know who makes the hard fold, do we know if the Mopar soft is also rebranded?

I can't tell you whether it's a rebranded part, although I seem to recall a thread on this way back last summer. Here are a couple of pics:

 

[cotonymopar]

if you are looking for the a great rollup one, Access covers make the limited edition one, and I have had one on all my trucks I have ever owned (97, 03, 12, 19) you can cover items, it locks, and if you are out and need the access of the full bed, it rolls out of the way...

 

[SpeedyV]

if you are looking for the a great rollup one, Access covers make the limited edition one, and I have had one on all my trucks I have ever owned (97, 03, 12, 19) you can cover items, it locks, and if you are out and need the access of the full bed, it rolls out of the way... View attachment 23429

I would second this for someone looking for a roll-up. My previous truck had a 15-year-old Access cover that was just starting to show some age. In many years of ownership, I only had to replace velcro strips.