Who here has a camper shell on their F150? I want to get one, but not sure what direction to go. So if you all have any input, or pictures would even be better, please pass along what you have. THanks

 

Check my gallery. I have before and after pics of my '06 SCREW FX4. The shell is a ARE Z-Series. I paid about $1600.00 for it. Well worth it. I also would make sure that you get the carpeted headliner in the shell and the fold down front window. The carpet knocks down the headlight glare and the window makes it easier to clean the two windows.

I would also consider the LEER top. That was my other choice but the ARE had a $100 rebate at the time of purchase, so that's the way I went.

Mike
'06 SCREW FX4

 

Don't buy a Leer. I've got a Leer topper on my 2005 F150. The first one had an issue where the rear latches did not engage without slamming it shut. I had it replaced by the place i bought it from (they were great in returning it etc) The second one was not much better. The fit around the tailgate is not good, it leaks and I still need to fandangle the hatch to get it to close.Leer is unresponsive to the problem.

 

I have a Leer on my 05 SCREW. Best money I have spent to date on my truck. It looks great and is well built. Check out my gallery for pics.

 

I had a Leonard/Leer top on my SD Love it.

 

I had a ARE on my 01. Looked pretty sharp- check out my gallery. I did have some issues with it. The rear door began to come loose where the fiberglass was riveted. Also the sides where pretty flexible. There were hairline cracks developing around the side windows. The window frames looked like they came from the junk heap, with nicks and chunks both inside and out. Many but not all were touched up with paint. They also leaked- which was fixed by the shop that did the install- Someone at the factory had drilled the drain holes on the wrong side. Plugged the holes with silicone and drilled new ones.

The customer service dept. for ARE was receptive to replacing the window frames if I sent the original ones back. When I tried to deal with the rivets loosening up the shop wanted a couple hundred dollars to remove the rear door and send it back to evaluate whether repair / replacement or claim denied. I decided I could do the repair much cheaper on my own.

Check out some of the camper shell websites and they usually have a picture of the shell on a Ford. Once you get an idea of what you like you may want to go to the local shop and look at one yourself(kick the tires, so to speak).

I've had three different shells, all different mfgs, that leaked near the back of the bed. I found the carpet on the inside will wick moisture hanging around the tailgate- Often the carpet would be wet up to a couple of feet from where the water was getting in. The solution I used was to spray the carpet with a water repellent product(scotch guard) around the areas the water was coming in. This stopped the wicking action and kept the water intrusion to a bare minimum.

I don't have a cap on the current truck and miss it. I want to try a flat cover but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I would absolutely insist on a fold down window in the front of the shell as you will never get the windows properly cleaned without it -there is simply no room between the trucks back window and front of the shell.

Good luck with whatever you purchase.

Tim

 

i've got the Leer base model on my 06 Screw and love it and the paint match was 99% perfect and guaranteed no leaks and a perfect fit....it ran me about $1150 but the next 2 models up are around $1500 then $1800.

 

We have Covermaster camper shells on our work f150(3). They work great and we have had them on previous vehicles and they work very well and are very tough ( The get pretty abused ). I believe the last one we bought for one of the f150's was right around $1000 out the door with installation.