Hey guys, I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy a tonneau cover for my truck. The college I go to is a seven hour drive from home and it would increase my gas mileage. Can you guys list some other pros and cons of having one?

G

 

Pro: Your gear is covered from the rain, sun, etc.
Pro: It saves on gas (not much; but enough that I saw a difference)
Pro: Prying eyes are less likely to see & grab stuff
Pro: It looks cool (IMHO)

Con: Hard covers (fiberglass) are a real PITA to remove, store, and replace when you need full bed access (that's why I went with a soft cover)
Con: Some over the rail soft covers will inhibit access to the stake pockets, namely the front one
Con: One more thing you have to do to get full bed access
Con: More $$$ to spend

My personal preference is the Truxedo soft cover. It can be removed & installed in mere moments, with the support rails built in and velcro attachments. Unfortunately, I purchased a SportsMaster (supposedly a high end model) before I knew of the Truxedo. The cover is snapped into place. This makes it a pain to remove & put on. The rails are removed separately. It only takes 2 minutes or less to go through the whole process, but I would rather have something quicker. Also, the material the tanneau is made from has a tendency to shrink in cold weather. This is very troublesome when trying to cover the truck in winter. I'm telling you all this because the Truxedo has none of these problems. But you pay for the convenience -- Truxedo's are in the $400 price range. They are the best, though, IMHO.

Good luck to ya' Gremster. Oh yeah -- welcome to the site!

 

I have a flush hard cover on my Ranger and I'm happy with it. With the quick release hinges I (by myself) can remove it quickly and place it in my garage and putting it on is just as easy. A soft cover does hide the bed contents, but any punk with a knife can get to them with ease. I could detect no difference in gas mileage.
Dono

 

I have a mounain top cover and love it. It only weighs 80lbs and is easy to remove. Check it out at www.mounttop.com. I got one without the rails. I don't know about gas mileage. I bought it the day after I got my truck. But it keeps my tools dry and most of all, safe.

 

try the turxeido( right spelling?) it has the support rails in the tonnue cover so all u have to do is roll it up and u have full acces to ur bed. and it dosent leak getting one for my ranger. but its kinda expencive. 250+ for a ranger and more for an F-150. i am 17 and still in school and a student pilot, so its the next major thing in getting for my truck, my brother got one for his turd of an s-10 and he loves it.

 

I've had good luck with the EXTANG brand of covers. I prefer the sliding snap on a rail setup.

 

I highly recomend the Access Roll Up cover. It's a fantastic designe, easy to use, easy to adjust. It's a secure as a soft cover can be. You can set it so you have to open the tailgate to release the cover. No bows, the support bars ar flat and roll up with the cover. Stake holes are left exposed so you can still use them for tie-down if you need to. I'm a happy customer!

 

Check out the tech. articles, there is 1 about putting a tonneau cover on a Ranger. I have the same cover as shown in the article and love it. Because it is hinged access to the bed is a lot easier than if it was just snaps. I considered a hard cover but I'm just to damn cheap.