Hello:

I have an 04 FX4 Supercab, thinking of either the RETRAX or Roll N Lock bed cover, I really don't want a cap like a leer or anything like that, I want to keep that "pickup truck" look, and want something tougher and more permanent than a soft tonneau cover. Pros and cons of either? Installed I'm looking at about $1000.00 for either one. Thanks!

 

I am not s soft bed cover guy either; But my '05 I just got allready had TRUXEDO cover on it and I love it. It is technically a soft cover, but with the underrail and suspension system they use you get the look of a hard cover with the flexability of a soft cover. Its great because if you just want to pick up a couple pieces of lumber or say conduit, you can just roll the cover back a little and let the items stick out the back over the tailgate. You can also roll it forward and put it back in seconds; No snaps, or support bars to deal with. I think Ive seen them for around $300-400.00. If you have your heart set on a hard cover thats cool, I just figured it was worth checking out the TRUXEDO's with the the single latch snap system.

 

i've got an armour lid hard shell cover. its tough, fairly light, and easy to install. cost me about 900CAD... i really like it.

 

+1 for the Truxedo. I installed a $400 Truxedo Lo Pro QT and am very satisfied with the quality and versatility. The cross struts are integral with the cover so rolling it open and closed is simple. I was going to say it's a snap but it uses Velcro on the sides so there are no snaps. The spring loaded tensioning system keeps the cover taut year round. It's stood up to Vermont snow loading with no problem.

 

I installed a Retrax on my '06. It is soooo nice! I had a soft cover on my '97 and I didn't like it. Couldn't snap it back up when it was cold and it was a pain when something would slide toward the cab and I had to crawl in under the cover to get it so I didn't have to unsnap it, (I didn't have the type that tilts up). I also didn't want a hardcover because there have been many times when I was away from home and needed to throw something big in the bed.

The Retrax has been the perfect bed cover for me. I've had it a couple years now and haven't had any problems with it. The canister does take a little room up in the bed, but I haven't encountered any issues with it yet. You could always get a bed extender to get that room back (and more), which is what I plan to do.

 

Ive had good luck with the Access but my buddy has a truxedo and it is, i would say, just as nice. Both are about the same price and have the same features EXCEPT the newest thing that i saw on the truxedo. Their new QT design, the whole cover can be removed in about 2 seconds with the frame work staying attached to the frame. Im kind of jealous about that. I got my access from capandhitch.com for $450 ish a year or so ago.

 

Removing the rolled up cover by releasing two spring loaded clips is handy. I took it off when I was getting mulch that was dumped in using a front loader and just as quickly reinstalled it when I was done.

 

I know your not a fan of soft cover but , Truxedo is the way to go !! "CHECK THEM OUT BEFORE YOU DECIDE"

 

Here's another Truxedo (Lo Pro).

 

Rusty, does the lo pro, leave all of the bed rails unused?, could you put on a back rack (headache rack) and bed rails on with it? any chance you have elevated view from the back looking down at it?, Thanks,, Tom

 

If I pasted right, this is a view of the right side tonneau rail that the cover rides on. The beveled lip is Velcro that mates with the Velcro on the cover when it's rolled back. This is a photo I took during installation and the cover wasn't installed yet. There are other views in My Photo Album under "Tonneau Cover Installation".

 

Guys,
Good day one and all, I haven't pulled the trigger yet but if you google Peragon they do a nice low cover....
Rod

 

Thanks, Rusty