is it true tonnneau covers improve fuel economy? which ones are good? will it work with a weatherguard chest thats flush (slightly below) the bedrails and have access to the bed rail tie downs? truxedo lo pro seems like it might. thanks

 

Do not save fuel. They are neutral at best. I use one (soft) to keep things dry. (Extang Tuff Tonneau)

Most will allow covering in bed flush tool boxes. I like the soft cover because I can roll it up on the spot when I need to.

Sam

 

I have a hard ARE tonneau cover. I cannot say I saw a MPG change before/after. It sure helps for securing things in the back. Not so much if you a 5th or haul larger cargo.

 

looking at the truxedo lo pro qt. anyone have any experience with it? i basically want it to keep the bed clean and dry, but be able to use the bed for serious stuff if need be

 

I'm looking at a Roll-N-Lock pretty hard right now. I think they are really nice. They had one on display at the Line-X shop that sprayed my bed.

 

I will take a look. Factors for me are ease of installation and removal, minimaly intrusive installation hardware, integration with my tool was chest, and of course quality, and price.

 

I use a bakflip F1 hard folding cover for my 2012 F250 and had one on my 2006 F250 as well.

It folds up and takes about 2-3" of your bed space at the front.

I had my 800 can-am 4 wheeler in it and had to do an emergency stop and it jumped the 4X4's I had in place to block the wheels. It hit the cover that was folded up and put a pretty good dent in it. Flipped it down and you couldn't see anything on the other side. They are tough covers.

 

It isn't cheap...like over $1200! Until you see it in person, it is difficult to comprehend how well made it is. The owner of the shop had one that he claimed was 2 winters old (big deal up here) and it looked new. With the tailgate open, he climbed on top of the cover and jumped up and down and the cover didn't bend, buckle or lose shape of any kind. It is pretty nice and lockable.

 

I have the standard truxedo and love it. I do wish I spent the extra money for the low pro though.

 

I have a low pro and love it. As far as working with a chest... Only if there is a gap between the chest and the rail. The low pro clamps under the rail with two Velcro strips coming down the sides inside the rails. Does keep everything dry, and the "honest" thieves out.

 

i do have a gap around my box of about 4-5 inches or so....

 

Not sure about the mpg savings even though we could use some of that Chem E 'learnin' to work with boundary layer theorem and flow dynamics to calculate it...
but not why I got it

A few things helped me make my decision:
1) Didn't like the exposure of 5er hitch and other things I may through in there.
2) Not knowing what I wanted for the long haul
3) ease of use
4) No need for high security in my case

led me to the Tonnopro tri-fold cover...
Amazon.com: TonnoPro Tri-Folding Soft Truck Bed Tonneau Cover- 09-12 Ford F150 6.5' Bed: Automotive
it goes in and out in < 5 minutes (only four clips that easily latch under your bed lip with no damage to vehicle)
was < $300
allows a bit of protection of the first 3rd of my bed even with the 5er hitched up so I can carry some things in front of the hitch
is low profile
Not a requirement for me to stand on my bed cover

Seems to hold up to car washes well so far...
and after our recent hail storms have seen some expensive hard covers that didn't fare too well but to each his own...

 

After re inspection it appears i only have a couple inches at best around my box with the lid closed. And i definitely dont want a cover that starts aft of the box. Anyone will a similar set up out there?

 

I also have the bakflip F1 and it works great

 

BakFlip HD on mine.
Works great.
Folds up nicely to use my fifth wheel hitch.
Can be totally removed in less than a minute by myself if you need to take it all the way out/off.

_