tonneau covers that work with the multifunction tailgate?

[securityguy]

The 2021 bracket is complete. On our website, you have the option to now pick the 2020 or 2021 variation. Here is a link:

5th Gen RAM Truck Bed Replacement Brackets - Install A Tonneau Cover

Replace Stock Truck Bed Brackets To Allow A Tonneau Cover To Be Installed. USA Made Steel Right Angle Bracket. 5th Gen RAM Truck Bed Replacement Brackets.

rightonbracket.com

Looking forward to hearing the feedback!

-Pete

Pete, everyone is looking for pics of each where you point out the differences as many of us have the 2021 and there are no issues and that OEM bracket part numbers from 2020 to 2021 are exactly the same so no variation in the factory bracket. This still makes no sense to most all of us on this forum. Please Obiwan, enlighten us all

 

[BigBucks21]

Has anyone successfully installed the Bakflip MX4 on their truck with the MFT and no Rambox? I understand the current OEM brackets will not allow the install and from what I can tell from previous comments, the RightOn bracket will not provide enough clearance for the Bakflip MX4 either. I have to believe there is a way to make this work. My neighbor is a professional welder and I would be very interested trying to make a bracket that would accomodate the Bakflip MX4 (mostly because I'm an engineer and I enjoy these kind of challenges..) If nobody has been able to make this work to date, does someone have a little more detail about the specific issue(s)? Maybe some pics of the interference?

Thanks in advance

 

[davidn0021]

Has anyone successfully installed the Bakflip MX4 on their truck with the MFT and no Rambox? I understand the current OEM brackets will not allow the install and from what I can tell from previous comments, the RightOn bracket will not provide enough clearance for the Bakflip MX4 either. I have to believe there is a way to make this work. My neighbor is a professional welder and I would be very interested trying to make a bracket that would accomodate the Bakflip MX4 (mostly because I'm an engineer and I enjoy these kind of challenges..) If nobody has been able to make this work to date, does someone have a little more detail about the specific issue(s)? Maybe some pics of the interference?

Thanks in advance

I believe someone in this thread or some other thread had one custom made that was 1/4" thick with a cross brace at 45 degrees at the bottom to give enough clearance for the cover's rails. 1/4" feels a bit thin to me considering how bulky the OEM brackets are and how they're designed/engineered. Even with 3/8" thick RO brackets, I feel a cross brace is needed to lesson any sort of flex these brackets may have and to ensure more rigidity for the bed, which probably helps keep it square/true so the MFT will still close properly. At least, that's what I'm guessing the FCA engineers were intending.

 

[Kooch80]

Guys - has anyone been successful with the RightOn Brackets and the BAK Revolver X2? I had that in my 2017 Sport and really liked it but now with a 2021 Limited w/MFT no ram box, appear the options are limited. I did ping BAK, they said why it would not work was due to the OEM brackets. Thanks

i installed an revolver X4 using right on brackets. i have a write up earlier in this post

 

[Scottygolf]

i installed an revolver X4 using right on brackets. i have a write up earlier in this post

Kooch - your post said you had issues when it closed with something not flush I thought? Was that resolved? Your image on your truck looks awesome, I have order the flat allen wrench screws already. Supports are next.

 

[Kooch80]

Kooch - your post said you had issues when it closed with something not flush I thought? Was that resolved? Your image on your truck looks awesome, I have order the flat allen wrench screws already. Supports are next.

to make it fit better i would need to trim both rails. I already had one side on when i trimmed the other rail to make it work. it works well enough that i chose not to remove the other rail. if i had known prior to installing i would just trim both rails before putting them on.
the cover is not water tight, comparing to the MX4 on had on my 2014 more water gets in. i would get a small amount with the MX4, with the X4 i get enough that i wouldnt trust stuff staying dry in the rain. overall i am still pleased with the cover. i did not like the way the MX4 blocked my rear window when up, i use my truck bed enough for that to be an annoyance.

 

[BigBucks21]

i installed an revolver X4 using right on brackets. i have a write up earlier in this post

Right, I did see that you were able to install the X4. I'm just trying to understand what would be the difference in clearances around the bracket from the X4 you installed to the Bakflip MX4 that I want to install. From what I'm gathering it seems to be related to a clearance issue on the thickness of the bracket. I understand that someone made one using 1/4" steel and an angle, which makes perfect sense. I am tempted to buy the MX4 and understand if I can design a bracket that will fit. My only holdup would be if I would be able to return the MX4 if I couldn't make it fit properly. Thus why I was looking for pic to understand where the interference was.

 

[Kooch80]

Right, I did see that you were able to install the X4. I'm just trying to understand what would be the difference in clearances around the bracket from the X4 you installed to the Bakflip MX4 that I want to install. From what I'm gathering it seems to be related to a clearance issue on the thickness of the bracket. I understand that someone made one using 1/4" steel and an angle, which makes perfect sense. I am tempted to buy the MX4 and understand if I can design a bracket that will fit. My only holdup would be if I would be able to return the MX4 if I couldn't make it fit properly. Thus why I was looking for pic to understand where the interference was.

I think the application would be similar. I think the rails are the same but I'm not sure. I had the MX4 on my 2014 Ram but it has been to long for me to remember if they are the same or not

 

[HAL9001]

I believe someone in this thread or some other thread had one custom made that was 1/4" thick with a cross brace at 45 degrees at the bottom to give enough clearance for the cover's rails. 1/4" feels a bit thin to me considering how bulky the OEM brackets are and how they're designed/engineered. Even with 3/8" thick RO brackets, I feel a cross brace is needed to lesson any sort of flex these brackets may have and to ensure more rigidity for the bed, which probably helps keep it square/true so the MFT will still close properly. At least, that's what I'm guessing the FCA engineers were intending.

This is an excellent point and perhaps the best explanation yet as to why the OEM braces are so massive. After my Retrax Pro XR arrives, I'm going to evaluate if it's possible to weld a cross brace onto the Right-On brackets in some way. It may or may not be possible. The Right-On brackets are well made and sturdy, but they most likely don't have the equivalent rigidity in all directions as the OEM brackets. A cross brace adds substantially more rigidity which is why you see them all the time in critical structures such as bridges and towers.

 

[securityguy]

This is an excellent point and perhaps the best explanation yet as to why the OEM braces are so massive. After my Retrax Pro XR arrives, I'm going to evaluate if it's possible to weld a cross brace onto the Right-On brackets in some way. It may or may not be possible. The Right-On brackets are well made and sturdy, but they most likely don't have the equivalent rigidity in all directions as the OEM brackets. A cross brace adds substantially more rigidity which is why you see them all the time in critical structures such as bridges and towers.

I have a Retrax...what you are proposing is a non-starter. The RO brackets are more than enough to prevent flex unless you plan to sit on the door while it's swung open. Some of you just worry too much

 

[jaydoc1975]

Do ANY retractable, hard folding, or hard rollup covers work with the MFT while still utilizing the OEM brackets? Kind of odd that Ram would design a truck bed that was completely incapable of handling one of the most popular add-ons in the truck world.

 

[securityguy]

Do ANY retractable, hard folding, or hard rollup covers work with the MFT while still utilizing the OEM brackets? Kind of odd that Ram would design a truck bed that was completely incapable of handling one of the most popular add-ons in the truck world.

I do believe there are a few roll-ups. RAM engineers didn't think this one through very well as your point is SPOT ON!

 

[davidn0021]

The only cover I know that works with it is the OEM soft cover, which has a rail-less implementation as they're basically just clamps. As for flex, I think it's more to keep the bed square/true so it doesn't warp to ensure the doors can still close. If you're carrying lots of payload or going through rough terrain, I can imagine some articulation scenarios where things could rack or flex and cause the doors to misalign. Although I would imagine it would be the same issue with a regular tailgate? Or maybe the extra weight of the steel brace for the doors would cause some warping of the bed if not properly reinforced?

 

[orgtech]

are there any known tonneau covers that work with the trucks that have the MFT without removing the braces? i reached out to Bak and they said the braces would have to be removed to install their product.

I have a 2021 Ram Limited with Multi Tailgate and Ram Boxes. I installed a
TruXedo Sentry CT. It uses the Ram rails and works great. Took a little time to line the holes up on their brackets. Real happy with it.

 

[HAL9001]

I have a Retrax...what you are proposing is a non-starter. The RO brackets are more than enough to prevent flex unless you plan to sit on the door while it's swung open. Some of you just worry too much

I really hope you're right but it begs the question as to why the OEM brackets are so oddly massive. It's highly unusual to add so much weight and bulk to a truck unless there was a valid reason. I think they also knew that they would interfere with tonneau covers, yet they still thought the brackets were necessary.

 

[securityguy]

I really hope you're right but it begs the question as to why the OEM brackets are so oddly massive. It's highly unusual to add so much weight and bulk to a truck unless there was a valid reason. I think they also knew that they would interfere with tonneau covers, yet they still thought the brackets were necessary.

My thoughts are this...as an Engineer, you always design a product around the most stupid people in the world that will do things that none of us could even imagine doing...like sitting or standing on the tailgate door when it's open. Unless you are one of those morons, which I know you are not, you should be just fine

 

[rightonbracket]

Attached is a photo comparing both brackets. The left one is the 2021, the right one is the 2020. As you see, the holes are slightly different. These hole alignments are pulled from the OEM brackets.

 

[HAL9001]

Attached is a photo comparing both brackets. The left one is the 2021, the right one is the 2020. As you see, the holes are slightly different. These hole alignments are pulled from the OEM brackets.

This doesn't make sense to me since there is no difference in the OEM bracket part # from 2019-2021 (part# 68414475AC). There is no different OEM bracket for 2021.

The 2020 Right-On brackets fit perfectly on my 2021. Given the hole alignments shown here, it looks like the holes were simply shifted more to the right on the 2021 version as shown in the photo. My guess is that it's just a different hole alignment interpretation from the same OEM bracket part number.

Both style Right-On brackets will probably fit all model years, the bracket will simply be oriented more up or down depending upon which one you choose. This is going to cause some confusion for those who need to order now that there are two variations.

 

[securityguy]

This doesn't make sense to me since there is no difference in the OEM bracket part # from 2019-2021 (part# 68414475AC).

The 2020 brackets fit perfectly on my 2021. Given the hole alignments shown here, it looks like the holes were simply shifted more to the right as shown in the photo. My guess is that it a different hole interpretation from the same OEM bracket.

I totally agree HAL. Makes ZERO sense as that 2021 bracket pictured would not have fit my truck either. Something is very weird here and @rightonbracket will be getting several returns based on that new hole configuration. There should be no difference in the brackets...period.

 

[HAL9001]

I totally agree HAL. Makes ZERO sense as that 2021 bracket pictured would not have fit my truck either. Something is very weird here and @rightonbracket will be getting several returns based on that new hole configuration. There should be no difference in the brackets...period.

My apologies, @securityguy, I edited my post after you quoted it. I first said I didn't think the new Right-On 2021 brackets would fit, but I edited that to say that the up/down orientation might instead be affected after more examination of the photos. Without actually trying the 2021 version, I can't say for sure if it would or wouldn't fit, but I do have my doubts. You are absolutely correct that there should be only one version since there is no difference in the 2021 OEM brackets and both you and I have first-hand knowledge that the 2020 Right-On brackets fit on our 2021 RAMs.

I would be happy to test out the 2021 brackets for Right-On if they sent me the new version to directly compare. I already own the 2020 brackets so I could photograph in detail the alignment of both mounted on the 2021 RAM 1500. I would send the 2021 brackets back after I was done. Pete, if you're interested in this, please PM me. It would go a long way to ending this confusion and make it a lot easier for your future customers to order with confidence.