Hey guys, some of you have retractable tonneaus. After years of having a canopy (topper) on Stinky, I think a tonneau is better suited for Frankenstinky - but I'd like to see how that would look. I could watch demo videos and read online brochures all day, but I would rather see yours and hear about your experiences with a tonneau on our Jurassic chassis. When it is retracted, are there any drawbacks - like easily damaged or reduced capacity in the bed? How does it do with the weather? How well does it keep its appearance up? How about reach when extending or retracting? Maintenance regimen? Anything I forgot to ask?

 

Hey Rich

I have a topper myself but always thought that if I did make the switch I'd go with one from Retraxone (I can't post a link). They aren't cheap but I've seen them in person and I think they are awesome. A lifetime warranty is always good too.

 

My neighbor had a couple and they look good. 1 key point to make from his experience, but first a quick story of the three covers he had: He bought a poly roll up, liked it but was concerned about security and wished he'd bought an aluminum version. Truck got rear-ended which wrecked the poly cover. He bought an aluminum roll up and found that he disliked it because it leaked water, was harder to roll up, would bind, etc. He then replaced it with another poly and life is good. FWIW.

 

Here is the one that I plan on.
https://www.peragon.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhM38q_Od3gIVkAOtBh02KwxjEA

 

I believe that mine is a 20 year old Retrax that the original owner had installed. It is all AL except for the cover itself, which is of unknown material to me, possibly vinyl. The material is still flawless and I have shown it no love in the five years that I've had it. Remarkably, after 20 years it is still going strong and functions well. I can stand beside either side of the truck and walk it back without it getting wedged or shimmying. The tension on it is just right that if I let it 'run' when I open it, it will casually coast all the way up to the front and dock itself. The lock had a cover on it to keep water out, which is long gone and once I had to warm it up to get it to function but it deiced quickly and functioned as it should. The cover lets a little water in at the back end but nothing serious, I figure it creeps down through the crevices at the gate. It eats up about 11" of the front and it prevents my dairy case of emergency supplies from going all the way up. The paint is showing its age on the AL but as you can see, I am not OCD enough to worry about it. The brush that hangs down to keep leaves and debris out is worn and needs to be worked on, they tell me that parts are not available for it so I'll have to rebrush it myself if I want it done. I keep a length of string trimmer string to shove up the drain tubes once in a while and a couple of times a year I also lift the lid and remove a couple of leaves and pine needles. Of course, the company may not even be around anymore and if they are I would expect the AL to be replaced with plastic at this time. I really like the thing and might even splurge the big bucks to put one on any future truck I might get. It can also be completely removed in about 15 minutes, since I freed up the mounting bolts.

Here's some pictures.

 

Due to us using our bed to carry wood, groceries or whatever when camping we needed a cover. I also have a 45 gallon fuel tank in the bed that I needed access to.

Because of the tank and the desire to use all of our bed space I decided against a hard cover and went with a soft cover.

Before you move to the next post, hear me out...

The Extang Revolution is not the typical soft cover. There are no snaps, no velcro, no flapping in the wind, no leaking and no drawbacks in my opinion.

Here is a link to the cover: https://www.etrailer.com/Tonneau_Covers/Extang/EX54720.html

The cover rolls up to sit just behind the cab and stays in place very well. It is about 6" in diameter when rolled and does not obstruct view out the back window.

When laid flat, it is held in place by some triangle shaped blocks with no moving parts to break or lube. There are 2 at front, 4 in middle and 2 in the rear. The rear latch system is easy to use and out of the weather.

The tailgate is accessible and 100% useable with the cover flat and over the bed.

My biggest concern was noise at highway speed and movement from the wind. Neither of those are a concern as the cover is tight and looks like a hard cover it fits so well.

I am very happy with it and would recommend it to a friend.

I have a few pictures posted on the FTE, but am unable to find them using my phone. If you take a few minutes on a computer you should be able to find them.

 

I had a Bestop for a while, mounted above the side rails. Was generally small when folded up, easy to remove but the parts weren't of the best of quality. Some plastic adjusters to hold it in place, small set screws that didn't lock very well and the velcro would slide out of the track where the cover attached down the side.

I did see where Truxedo and a couple other brands at least used a rivet to retain the velcro but ultimately never replaced and went with a small Rigid tool box in the bed.

 

Here's the Retrax on mine. The box it rolls up into does take up some space bit it's not too bad. The box is made from sheet aluminum though so secure heavy loads from sliding forward into it and mangling it. Ask me how I know.

 

Jeez dude, what a tease. I go to your album, and there's 28 pages of random pictures. I gave up after my mouse-click finger cramped.

 

I'm happy with the Peragon. It's aluminum panels can easily support snow which would be useful up in your neck of the woods. Took a couple adjustments to get the closing operation smooth, but since then it's easy to open and close. Push down on a panel toward the front and it folds up with a gentle push. To close you pull on a strap affixed near the tailgate. Like many others it eats up a foot or so at the front of the bed. The top can be removed without tools in about 30 seconds. The side rails remain on the bed and are kinda flimsy so you can no longer grab the bed side and haul yourself up and over. The rubber seals out most but not all water. The seal across the front at the cab was self adhesive, but that did not hold so the manufacturer sent me a tube of 3M sealant that did the trick. It's lockable. Made the truck noticibly more aerodynamic at speed. The black finish is very durable and they can color match your truck. That's all I can say about that.

 

I had a few moments between working and found them.

In addition to my small contribution, there are tons of videos of the cover at highway speeds and how it rolls up and works.

Again, very happy with it and glad I didn't get a hard cover.

Thread with som details: https://www.etrailer.com/Tonneau_Covers/Extang/EX54720.html

 

Vinyl makes me nervous, but that's not to say it's off my list. We get 300 days of sunshine here, and summer heat can reach a bread-toasting 110 degrees with the humidity of an alum shower. Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, Utah, and Nevada know what I'm talking about. I'm just curious how today's "vinyl" holds up.

 

I have a Retrax that I bought used, but it was purchased new in '02 or thereabouts - so it's 17 years old. I have had it on my truck for ~8 years - zero issues. I love it. It's mostly waterproof (as much as most covers are), it's lockable, quick to use. They are pricey, for sure.

The only issues are that it pretty much only stays closed and locked in the fully closed position. If you don't fully close it (like partly closing it on some cargo that sticks up), it will wander off to 'fully open' while driving. This may have been fixed on newer models. Also, the sheet metal 'box' in which the rolled cover sits is fragile (as noted above) and I just put a ratchet cargo rod in front of the box to prevent items from dinging it if they slide forward.

I cannot believe that this polycarbonate cover has no cracks or damage after years of sun, cold, etc. The rollers still operate smoothly, too. Feels like a well-engineered product, rather than a bunch of compromises. I have done zero maintenance and it's still shiny and looks nice. It comes with 6 or 8 machined aluminum clamps that grip the inside bed edge with a vengeance. I check the tightness on them every few years.

https://retrax.com/

 

Mint has the latch mechanism in the center of the rear and two lengths of AL that reach to the sides, which will lock it in about 5 different positions between open and closed. So...if I have to haul something that won't fit under the cover but have stuff in there that I don't want exposed I can open it a notch or two or three and it will stay there.

 

I can say in GA we get out fair share of sun too. I use 303 Aerospace protectant on tires, plastic and my bed cover. It still looks new, although it is a couple years old.

It is not a typical vinyl either, it is thick yet flexible and it has a woven webbing under it.

This is not the soft covers that we were accustomed to from years ago.

Just wanted you to be aware that the option was there. Good luck with your choice.