Looking for Tonneau Cover Recommendations

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1Wolf

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I'm thinking about adding a Tonneau cover to my 2017 Gen 2 SCREW and I'm not exactly sure where to start. What would you recommend and why? What are the positives/negatives.

I don't want to have to drill any holes or mount anything in a way that might scratch up the truck or wear through the finish. No holes. No invasive modifications or drilling. I also don't want any sort of "bodywork" style solution like those big heavy fiberglass ones that are painted to match and such. Thats really way too much for my needs.

The vast majority of the time I don't haul anything in the bed of the truck. Its rare that I put anything back there. I'd like the thing to be virtually invisible when viewing the truck from the profile or back. Those tonneau covers that are "thick" look strange to me as they seem to increase the height of the bed.

I don't care for the flimsy velcro types that need to be rolled up or tied down.

My main use of the tonneau cover is to cover my gear when I go to the range. I do alot of shooting on the range and bring alot of rifles (Though I always put the rifles in the cab), steel targets, spotting scopes, ammo, gear, etc. etc.

Other times, my wife and I are moving stacks of tubs to and from our storage locker as we are preparing to move. So when I do use the bed of the truck, many times I do use the entire bed.

After some quick peeks around the forums here, I see the Bakflip MX4 mentioned alot. And maybe thats the ticket. I'm not incredibly familiar with it beyond looking at their website but it looks like you'd have to drive around with your rear window blocked if you used the whole bed. Or maybe one of the other Backflip models is the ticket? I'm not real keen on the rolling ones.

How does it hold up to snow? I live in the Chicago area and so we do get quite a bit of snow from time to time. Will it sink and bend? How does it hold up to alot of sun and heat in the summer? Will it crack and fade badly?

Any thoughts, opinions, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 

Gerald

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I can fully appreciate your situation. I've never used a cover in the past and decided I wanted to put something on my Raptor for all the camping gear when we go off-roading/camping. Other times I really don't have anything in the bed that needs protection or security. I like the look of the tri-fold type (Bakflip) that install flush with the top of the bed and from what I understand doesn't require any drilling. But I really didn't care for the aspect you mention when you want to use the bad and fold up the cover and completely block the rear window. The Retrax types that retract back into a canister looked pretty good. I believe you can get those that don't require drilling for installation. But since I don't have a strong need for a tonneau cover, the price wasn't very attractive. Peragon makes an interesting cover that you look at that is similar to a tri-fold, but the folding (accordian style) happens inside the bed and doesn't block the back window when folded up. During Black Friday deals, I found a soft cover for $278 from TruXedo. I thought I'd give that a try since it wasn't a bad investment. Reviews on Youotube were good for what it is. It doesn't provide any security at all, but it does provide a pretty good weather type protection. Like you I didn't want to drill any holes in the bed and this fit that bill. I just installed it this week so I haven't gone through a rain yet to see how well it keeps the water out. But with the foam pads all around, it looks like it wil do a great job. The installation really couldn't have been much easier. Although the instructions provided were not the best. Just a couple of confusing points that took some time to understand what was needed. Here is a photo of the cover installed. Not to bad IMHO.

Tonneau - From Above.jpg
One of the Youtube reviews showed the condition after 3 years exposed to the sun and it still looked great. I put a C2V3 coating on mine and will do that 2-3 times a year to help protect it from UV. Anyway, it's a tough decision on what to get since there are so many options out there. Just wanted to share my perspective in case any of this helps.
 

P4mnceBlue82

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WooPig

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https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/lomax-ultra-low-profile-tri-fold-bed-covers.69327/

This is what I have and LOVE IT! Installs in minutes and and can be removed in seconds. I've had covers on all my trucks. Extang, a few different models of Bak industries, and a few others. Def my favorite so far! Compliments truck well also!

x2 for the Lomax

had mine for about 2 months now and really like it so far. I like that it’s easy to totally remove from the truck, it doesn’t take up any bed space like the roll up covers do. Easy install as well. And super low profile

image.jpg
 

Badgertits

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My recommendation would be an Advantage hard hat tri-fold cover. Don’t have one now but had one on previous trucks. It’s lower in price point than some of the bakflip low profile ones, more secure, & 100% watertight. Personally even tho they give the low-profile look I’d avoid the hard folding ones that use their own inside rails on the bed & require drain tubes. I had a gator version which is same manufacturer ultimately & the panels got water penetration & after freezing the AL panels were separating from the composite core. The weather stripping between the hinges of the panels also started deteriorating/pulling away over time making it even more prone for water penetration.

This advantage cover I had used 4 adjustable hard plastic lockdown clamps @ each corner of the bed, the tailgate end obviously made for the locking handles to be used regularly but the rears could be loosened up fairly easily (sometimes would require a screwdriver to use as leverage initially getting em off if I hadn’t removed in long time) I could take it off in 5 mins easy for full bed access. Has AL frame w/ heavy vinyl/composite panels underneath the vinyl top so it stays flat & smooth unlike the rolling soft type & provides more security (you’d need a legit saw to get into it) & allows you to put some weight on top when closed - maybe like 40 lbs or so w/o sagging/damage. On one of my GM trucks I had it on long story short truck got totaled & the tailgate wouldn’t unlock & I tried a crowbar to get this cover popped off for access to the tools I had left in the bed before it went to salvage yard & I couldn’t get it off, had to borrow sawzall from tow yard to cut into one of the panels and crawl in.

https://realtruck.com/p/advantage-h...MIsb3nmNOh5gIVTR-tBh2vUgiHEAQYASABEgJEifD_BwE
 

dblack

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I also have the Lomax. Haven't had it long at all, hasn't even been in the rain yet, but I do like the looks of it. It is pretty light and manageable with one person if you want to completely remove it.

78811731_10108274665595885_8825181860746231808_o.jpg
 
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