How do you order one and from who? what do you look for? what is good and not?

 

I used to go to trade/vendor shows and talk with the reps. Nothing beats hands on experience.

Brands I like are Extang,Truxedo, Pace Edwards, and Under Cover. Extang has a lot more adjustment than people think, the snaps are offset and slide so they can be flipped for more/less tension and ease of snapping the cover down, the bows are also adjustable, two positions. I stick with them for the Black Max, it's a basic snap down with no frills
and is comparably priced with more features than the competitors for that kind of cover.

Truxedo is the next better cover. I like their spring loaded pistons and latches better than the competition. Their velco is industrial grade and easily replaced, I did an upgrade once, but in 7 years never had a problem with it.

Pace Edwards is a great cover, I find their install is much easier than Roll-n-loc, but Roll-n-loc is a top quality cover too. I have the bed locker now, but I have also had the original roll up and Roll-n-loc's original.

Under cover is the only hard cover I would consider owning. Fiberglass covers usually have a piano hinge that makes you remove all of the frame to take it off, are in the 60lbs weight range, require waxing, and will eventually crack and scratch. I like Undercover's plastic cover better than the other, mostly for the engineering and looks. They put a lot of effort into some of the brackets and the cover lacks unnessisary shapes and bumps. The under side is reinforced, and I've seen pictures a rep had of a 400lb man jumping on one. It's a nice cover if you want a hard cover.

Nothing against the others, but my hands on has lead me to this list.
I've had to replace several sportsmaster rear bars and you must remove one of the rails to give them a serial number before they can help you. Other than them, I've don't have anything negative to say about the rest.

 

For where to get one, try locally, keep you dollar near home. Plus the boxes are quite big and expensive to ship.

 

I have many to choose from, and also offer a free shipping on most of them.

 

I have had an Access Roll-Up tonneau cover on my 2004 Ranger for 4 years. The truck is always parked outdoors, and the tonneau cover is still like new. It was easy to install, and is easy to roll up & down. The velcro on the sides has held up very well, as has the entire cover. I bought it online (don't rmember where, but there are a number of online dealers who sell them). Since this is the only tonneau cover I've ever had, I can't comment on how it stacks up against other brands.

 

Do some research, look at other peoples and see what will work best for you. I have been selling alot of Tri-Folds, people really seem to like them. I also think they are the best. Shop around a little bit and if you have questions I or anyone here will be happy to help you out.

 

I like the extang vinyl with snaps although my last one was a little loose.

 

I have a Top Deck on mine. It has shocks to help lift not the piano hinge. I like it. I put the Auto lock tonneau actuators on it

 

Most all hard tops come with shocks, but it's the non-removeable hinges that I hate. They require you undo the frame to pull the cover. Undercover's hinge has two key-ring type split rings that hold the cover on the rear brackets, so you pop those and the shocks loose and the cover slides off. It makes life easier, esp on the install.

 

I have had 2 soft vinyl snap covers installed on my truck and they both worked fine at keeping out water. Although there is a little water in the bed from time to time, I believe that it could come from around the toolbox. The reason for the 2 seperate covers are that I lost the tailgate rail of my SportMaster/ TonneauMaster cover and apparently they have went out of business, as they have not returned phone calls or emails in over 2 months. I just replaced my cover with a Berlin hinged cover, that snaps and also opens on a hinge about 8-10 inches back from my toolbox. This cover appears to be of an even higher quality than the SportMasters cover that I was perfectly fine with until I lost the tailgate rail. The added convenience of the hinged opening is fantastic though and the total cost of the custom sized cover was $250.00 including shipping was more than worth the money. The product arrived at my home in 2 days (UPS). The cover installed in approx 20 minutes with only a 3/8" & 7/16" sockets. The only improvement I could suggest is clearer installation instructions. I had no problem with the installation, as I had already previously installed a similar cover, but a novice might get a tad confused. I don't work for the company, but thought everyone should know about a product that seems to work great and won't break your budget. I bought the cover through Ebay and the seller was very helpful, knowledgeable, and made sure we had all the correct measurements before completing the order.

 

I have the Truxedo low pro and it works great.

 

I've used Access covers for about 10 years and love them. The original one I bought is still on my 92 chevy I sold to my dad and still is holding up great.

 

access is the only way to go I just had a literider installed a month ago same as the access limited just smaller buckles to hold it rolled up like that matters, a slightly different lock mech. and no cargo hooks it was like $120 less than the limited but i thought was a good deal oh and they do hold up very well but remember no armorall only 303 protectant for the lifetime warranty to stay in effect oh mine cost 400 out the door

 

i have a bak flip cover and i love it. so far it is 100% water proof and the convenience to get to the bed is great