Would like to install a bed cover. One that would either roll up or fold up. And locks!

Looking for some advice from those who have one. What brand, type do you recommend and if you don't mind, price paid.

Did you do the install yourself?

Thanks!

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I have a Roll-N-Lock with cargo bed divider and absolutely love it. However, my truck is heated garage kept. I would not recommend this if you live in a colder, snowy climate. If ice/snow builds up in the canister or the rails any rolling cover won't work well. Mine gets to thaw/dry out every night so it's not an issue for me. I think I paid around $1100 for mine, but it was a couple of years ago.

 

Thanks, we too keep the truck in the garage! But since I drive it to work in snowy weather, any issues with the weight of snow on the cover if it's outside during a storm? Not that we really get much snow in DE...

 

Retrax Pro; love it. Took the wife and I about an hour to install taking our time, super easy and built like a tank; by fart he best roll cover out there. You can also lock it at any interval you want and are not limited like the others. Pricey but worth it. Lifetime warranty makes up for it.

 

No issues with snow on it. I had a fair amount on it a couple of years ago and it was fine. Just brushed it off and away I went. I didn't try to open it though...probably would have had issues.

 

I looked at the video and see it's aluminum. I'd expect it could support a good bit of snow. I like that cargo management option, but I'm afraid with our fifth wheel hitch - which we leave in a good bit that we might not use it as much as we could.

Truck is getting the LineX in today, they also sell the covers, wanted to get a few opinions before I talked to them about a cover.

Thanks.

 

I use mine all the time...but I don't leave my 5th wheel hitch in often. Just when I need it.

 

I have the Bakflip VP and like it pretty well, my fifth wheel fits under it and when the tailgate is up it can't be opened. It's not impossible to break into but it will keep honest people honest.

 

This is the one we bought from our Ford Dealer and it works very well even with the fifth wheel hitch (although the lever had to be flipped over to point down rather than up)...

Tonneau Cover - Roll Up Styleside 8.0' | The Official Site for Ford Custom Accessories

Their pricing on it is $376 installed.

I watched them install and it took all of 15 minutes including adjustments.
Does not lock, but with the tailgate locked, it would be difficult to get into without cutting it...

Supposedly, it will take a lot of snow weight. The dealer had a pic of a 250# man standing on one.

It has a Ford Badge/logo right close to the tailgate in the center..

 

Randy

Cover looks great.

 

Thanks Pete!

 

Pace Edwards Jack Rabbit! It is coated aluminum. It rolls up. I love it. It locks in 1 ft increments. Had one on my F150 and got another one for my F350.

 

I know this is long, here are my thoughts. Your need or use case may be different. I added a couple of other options into my thoughts as well.

FWIW, I have had a Roll and Lock, Bak Flip II, Leer topper, and an Extang tri-fold hard cover on previous trucks.

I just found a used Jack Rabbit Full Metal roll-up which I am buying for my latest truck. The person decided they wanted a topper instead... and for $400 I don't think I can go wrong with it. He had it on the same truck I have and with the same tailgate step tailgate...

It boils down to what are you going to use it for. (needs). They all have positives and negatives.

Toppers (Leer, ARE): Limited in Height of Objects you want to carry, too heavy to easily remove (especially by yourself). Obstruct your vision all the time. You could put your animals in the back and with sliding windows you could sorta keep that back area temp controlled. Probably the most expensive option as well. No 5th pulling option either. Unless you remove it and store it somewhere.

Folding Covers - Some sit on top of the bed rails and some fit flush. Some will fold up against the back glass so you can use almost all of your bed like the bak flip. My extang you lose the last 1/3 of the bed because that panel is fixed. The folding panels all seem to break over time. Bakflip has to replace the rubber in the hinges and I actually lost a panel of the extang on the highway because the entire hinge failed. Both companies stepeed up and warranty replaced the broken items. Both were fairly easy to completely remove although the bakflip has rails. The extang was heavy because i have an 8' bed.

And if you want a toolbox/fuel tank combo forget about the top two.

I don't like vinyl/fabric only tonneau's - I believe there is a place for them, but they do not provide enough security for me. Not that anything is really "secure". BUT they do keep things dry, out of sight, and the wind out of the back of the bed.

Jack Rabbit / Roll and Lock / Retrax - Generally I like them - the problem is you lose a bit of bed space a the back, but not like my tri-fold. You can modify them to work with a rear toolbox or fuel tank. They run on rails. They are the most maintenance involved cover too as debris gets into the cannister that has to be removed. Water drains need to be kept clear. If you don't do this you get leaks. Not sure on the Jack Rabbit, but the roll and lock actually locks into the tailgate, you get an extra layer of protecting theft of the tailgate. 5th wheel on a long bed should work with this solution. Removing this, isn't difficult, but isn't something you want to do often. There are more moving parts to break with this option too.

"hard" Roll-Ups - Were not around when I went looking at covers before. Looks interesting and like they are trying to eliminate the negatives of a roll and lock cover with the removability of a hard folding cover.

Fiberglass bed height topper or plastic one - I don't like them because you are very limited in what you can carry in teh truck. Although the plastic one is light and easy enough to remove, where do you put it when you are out and decide to get something too big to fit underneath it. Some people NEVER do things like this so it is a non-issue. They rarely leak even if a hard sideways wind driven rain... However, since I do run into issues where I need the extra height, I don't like this option.

 

I am very happy with the Retrax, moved it from my 2008 to my 2013, I had one of the spring loaded covers before with a strap to pull it closed, that was a pain in the butt and hard to work with. The Retrax is a one handed operation and can be locked in any position.

 

I recently purchased and installed an extang encore.This is my first time using a sectioned cover.I like it so far.It keeps my bed dry and I have lockable access on both the tailgate and cab ends.