Tonno Cover Help

bigland · August 29, 2009

First I want to say hi to everyone as this is my first post here. I just purchased my first truck yesterday! I am super happy coming from a SUV.

I know I need a tonno cover. I've spent about 3 hours searching and am a bit overwhelmed.

What I need is a tonno cover that can be retracted somehow (not a solid single piece), but more importantly I need one that seals very very well. I live in an isolated area that involves a 7 hour-ish drive on a dirt road (I've heard this leads too very dusty things in the bed).

Would I also need to purchase some sort of sealing kit for the the tailgate? What is a good kit for that?

Thanks for the help!

Matt_ · August 29, 2009

Wow... where do you live that theres a 7 hour drive on an unpaved road? (TX?)

What type of cover do you want? there's soft roll up cover, hard retractable covers, hard fold up covers.... Almost any "style" cover will seal the bed very well as long as you get a quality one.

bigland · August 29, 2009

Wow... where do you live that theres a 7 hour drive on an unpaved road? (TX?)

What type of cover do you want? there's soft roll up cover, hard retractable covers, hard fold up covers.... Almost any "style" cover will seal the bed very well as long as you get a quality one.

I live in Labrador, Canada. The drive is not a nice one, but it's necessary to get out of here!

There is quite a bit of snow where I am, so a cover that could withstand a bit of snow would be nice. How does a hard retractable cover work?

jrod332 · August 29, 2009

There are many options. I just put on a Laredo cover. Ran me about $400. rolls up and has the velcro sides to pull it tight. Seals very well. The side bars have sealant on them that keep water from going in between the bed rails and the cover rails. As far as the tailgate sealant some companies may include that but if not than its only like a $20 extra. I was told the tailgate sealant will help with the dust because at higher speeds there is a vacum effect that will suck dust and dirt into your bed. I found while looking that you definately get what you pay for. The big differences are the canvas quality and durability. Also the tension system tends to be a little cheaper on the cheaper covers.

Matt_ · August 29, 2009

There is quite a bit of snow where I am, so a cover that could withstand a bit of snow would be nice. How does a hard retractable cover work?

Check out the Pace Edwards Jackrabbit cover.... that thing was great (i had it on my last truck). Awesome with snow too... took a broom to it and then any residual would get scraped off when i opened it up.

bigland · August 29, 2009

Check out the Pace Edwards Jackrabbit cover.... that thing was great (i had it on my last truck). Awesome with snow too... took a broom to it and then any residual would get scraped off when i opened it up.

I just looked at the Pace Edwards site. Looks like a nice cover. How much width do I loose from rail to rail because of the tonno hardwear?

Matt_ · August 29, 2009

Check out the Pace Edwards Jackrabbit cover.... that thing was great (i had it on my last truck). Awesome with snow too... took a broom to it and then any residual would get scraped off when i opened it up.

I just looked at the Pace Edwards site. Looks like a nice cover. How much width do I loose from rail to rail because of the tonno hardwear?

I don't remember off the top of my head... maybe an inch or two on each side...

bigland · August 29, 2009

I've looked at the Extang Solid Fold and like the look of that cover. Anyone have any experience with that?

Matt_ · August 29, 2009

I've looked at the Extang Solid Fold and like the look of that cover. Anyone have any experience with that?

I have the BakFlip HD which is similiar, but it allows full access to the entire bed:

bigland · August 29, 2009

I like your cover. How do you find it seals against weather?

SparkySparks · August 29, 2009

You might also want to get some weather stripping and seal up all the gaps under the rail and around the tail gate, they make kits for it or you can make your own. As far as covers go, I'm still trying to make up my mind.

Matt_ · August 29, 2009

I like your cover. How do you find it seals against weather?

It seals great. I have gotten water in my bed on a few occasions and I found that the culprit was basically due to how my truck was sitting; basically allowing puddles to form near the edge instead of draining off. Resolved this with a small bead of silicon under that rubber seal on top. So now if water "sits" there it has no where to go and either evaporates off or rolls off when i drive.

Edit: we've been getting absolutely hammered the past few days with rain, and its dry as a bone in there

bigland · August 29, 2009

You might also want to get some weather stripping and seal up all the gaps under the rail and around the tail gate, they make kits for it or you can make your own. As far as covers go, I'm still trying to make up my mind.

Thanks for the advice. My friends all tell me the dust is so bad, I will need to tarp or garbage bag everything or put everything is large rubbermaid containters.