| One of the more popular pickup truck upgrades or | | | | minutes to re-attach to the truck bed. |
| enhancements is a Tonneau Cover. Whether you are | | | | 7. How tall is your truck? If you have a lifted pickup, a |
| using your truck for work or leisure, a truck is not as | | | | roll-up, snap, folding or hinging cover will be harder to |
| functional or complete unless it has a tonneau. | | | | use since your truck is so tall. A hard tonneau, which is |
| However, a tonneau cover can be an expensive | | | | heavier, compounds the situation more. If your truck is |
| purchase and there are some important questions you | | | | lifted you may need to get onto the tailgate to operate |
| should ask yourself when you are considering buying a | | | | the cover. |
| tonneau. Questions to ask when buying a tonneau | | | | 8. The Bedliner delimma. Do you have this issue? |
| Cover | | | | There are 2 basic designed of bedliners; under the rail |
| 1. What is your main purpose of adding a tonneau to | | | | and over the rail. A pickup truck equipped with a under |
| your pickup truck? Are you looking for function, | | | | the rail bedliner will not have any issues installing a |
| security, looks, versatility or easy removal? | | | | tonneau cover. A pickup truck with an over the rail |
| 2. Hard or Soft that is the question? Hard tonneau | | | | bedliner, (this bedliner is wrapped over the bed rails of |
| covers traditionally cost more and offer more security. | | | | the truck bed on each side and protect the top of the |
| Soft tonneau covers generally are less expensive but | | | | truck bed), can be very difficult to install. Especially if it's |
| are more versatile. | | | | an inside the bed mounted tonneau, it squeezes the |
| 3. How often to you need access to your truck bed? | | | | width of the tonneau. If you have an over the rail |
| And to what extent? Do you need quick access to | | | | bedliner, than most over the rail mounted tonneau's will |
| the entire truck bed on a daily basis or just occasional | | | | work, but the installation will be trickier. If you have an |
| access? Both a hard and soft tonneau each answer | | | | over the rail bedliner, its best to check with the tonneau |
| this question in there own ways. Both hard and soft | | | | cover you want to buy to make sure it will can be |
| tonneau's are available in folding, retracting and hinging | | | | installed with an over the rail bedliner. |
| designs. Most offer easy tailgate access and select | | | | 9. Are you planning to use the top of the bed rails? Will |
| hard tonneaus also lock the tailgate when the cover is | | | | factory or aftermarket bed rail caps limit your choices? |
| locked. A hard retracting or soft roll-up cover can | | | | Some tonneau's are mounted inside the bed and some |
| quickly be opened for virtually full truck bed access, | | | | are mounted on the top of the bed rail. Most roll-up |
| without a need to remove the cover. Soft and hard | | | | covers mount on the inside of the truck bed and this |
| hinging tonneaus can be lifted open but require some | | | | allows you have access to the top of truck bed rail to |
| extra effort if you need to fully remove them. Soft | | | | add tie downs or bed rails (provide your truck has |
| folding tonneau's can easily be totally removed or | | | | stake pockets). Other tonneau's mount to the top of |
| folded forward for bed access. Whereas hard folding | | | | the truck bed rails and cover your stake covers if you |
| tonneau's can be folded forward for bed access but | | | | have them. As for bed caps, all tonneau's will work |
| are more difficult to fully remove. | | | | with factory bed caps and most aftermarket bed |
| 4. What's your budget for a tonneau cover? Soft | | | | caps. For aftermarket bed caps, if they are smooth |
| covers generally cost $150 to $550 where as hard | | | | stainless steel or molded abs you won't have too |
| covers start at about $500 and go up to over $2,000. | | | | many issues. However, diamond plate bed caps can |
| 5. Who is installing the tonneau cover? Most soft | | | | make it harder to install any style of tonneau whether |
| tonneau covers can be installed in 30 minutes to 1 hour | | | | it's an over or inside the rail mount. As this kind of bed |
| by someone with limited mechanical skills. Hard | | | | cap is generally thicker and effects the tonneau seals |
| tonneau's generally can be installed in 30 minutes to 2 | | | | and tonneau cover fit. If you have bed rails, bed caps |
| hours by someone with limited mechanical skills. | | | | or tie downs installed in your truck bed its best to |
| However, most covers work best only if they are | | | | check to make sure the tonneau you are looking to |
| properly installed. If you don't line up a rail correctly on a | | | | buy with work for you. |
| roll-up tonneau if may be more difficult to close. If you | | | | 10. Tonneau cover maintenance. How much are you |
| missed the correct seal placement on a hard tonneau | | | | willing to do? Every tonneau cover generally has |
| it may not be as water tight. Soft tonneau covers tend | | | | maintenance instructions. However, the more |
| to be more forgiving on the installation than a hard | | | | mechanical the tonneau, the more maintenance is |
| tonneau. | | | | required to extend the life of the tonneau cover. Soft |
| 6. Do you want to have the tonneau on your truck all | | | | tonneau's should have the vinyl cover cleaned. Each |
| the time or just occasionally? Most tonneau covers | | | | soft tonneau manufacture suggests various cleaning |
| are a clamp on style installation. This generally requires | | | | products and time period. Hard tonneau's depending on |
| a hand tool or two. However, soft tri-fold tonneau | | | | the style generally have cleaning instructions for the |
| covers install with hand clamps which allows this style | | | | top of the cover and retracting tonneau's has cleaning |
| of tonneau to be installed or completely removed in | | | | instructions for the rails and canister. |
| econds. Well, 30 seconds to unclamp and perhaps 2 | | | | |