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Retractable Bed Cover?

hot37shot

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hot37shot Enthusiast

hot37shot

Posted
Posted

Hey there

Give me some ideas.... I need a retractable bed cover. I need to be able to put a dirt bike in my bed and be able to lock up my gear ( when the bike isn't back there) Currently I have a hard tonneau, and its a b-tch to remove to put a bike in the bed. Soo are retractable tonneau covers worth it? Oh, i have a 1999 Sierra 1500SLT

Shawn

iscsidude Enthusiast

iscsidude

Posted
Posted

Here are three ideas....

 

Pace Edwards (BedLocker or JackRabbit)

Roll-N-Lock

BAK (RollBak)

 

They seem to be the highest rated and you can find many reviews on this site or Google.

I had a Roll N Lock on my '95 and loved it. Truck was ripped off and recovered. They used a pry bar to separate the cover from the tailgate. No tailgate when I got the truck back, but I'll bet they had some @$#% words for me when they found it empty. That thing was solid high gauge aluminum. Anyway, the new Roll N Lock covers seemed very flimsy compared to what I had, so I just went with a folding cover (BAKFlip HD) this time around. Still not as solid as my original Roll N Lock but overall I'm happy with it. Just keep in mind the retractable cover needs to retract into a housing which will make you lose some bed space. Not sure how much of the bed your dirt bike requires.

 

Best of luck.

Nick The Great Senior Enthusiast

Nick The Great

Posted
Posted

I had a Pace Edwards on my 99. It required a 9" box at the front of the bed, I believe. I liked the cover a lot. I did have a issue where the keyed latch for the cover eventually seized up. After 5 Iowa winters, it was finally too much. But it didn't have a seperate latch and lock. The physical turn of the key is what pulled the rods out of the sides to allow it to open. Bad design, but I did buy the cheapest model at the time.

 

But any soft roll-up cover would do what you're looking for. I've also been eyeing the Bakflip covers, mainly because you can remove it and have 100% of your bed in a matter of minutes.

1990ss Enthusiast

1990ss

Posted
Posted

What's the difference between the Bedlocker and the Jack Rabbit? Looks like the Bedlocker costs alot more than the Jack Rabbit.

iscsidude Enthusiast

iscsidude

Posted
Posted

Best I can tell, the BedLocker is electric motor activated via Remote Control and the JackRabbit is spring actuated.

There may be other differences and others may chime in as to what they are.

 

Personally, the last thing I need is another remote in my pocket.

 

Now what was that line by Mae West ???

Something about a roll of quarters ???

  • 1 year later...
JB Z71 Enthusiast

JB Z71

Posted
Posted

May West ? Dude how old are you ? :D

 

Anybody have a current roll and lock care to review it?I am in the market for a cover. Right now zeroing in on protrac, roll n lock, and back flip.

90k2500 New Member

90k2500

Posted
Posted

First off - introductions - Newbe here, been lurking for some time - Now have a 2011 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab LT Z-71 - Blue Granite (but only when its clean & sunny out - I'm convinced it's actually gray)

 

I, too, am in the market for a retractable cover. I'm very frustrated trying to decide which one as well. It seems every cover has something about it that I don't like (besides the prices). Here is a link to Roll N Lock's comparison pdf. It highlights different features to help you to decide what's important to you. The last page seems to be an excellent start to comparing the different manufacturer's covers.

 

http://www.rollnlock.com/Portals/rollnlock..._MSeries_EN.pdf

 

Keep in mind that Roll N Lock put together the list, so it's a little biased. Example - The Retrax cover composition is listed as "plastic sheet", yes, but it's Lexan, so its not quite simply plastic. IMHO, that's better that Rool N Lock's "protective vinyl"

 

I really don't have a leader, but don't like electric (extra key fob, as GMC_2008 mentioned). I also don't want a bracket mounted to the tailgate that would keep things from sliding across when loading/unloading (Roll N Lock).

 

I prefer all aluminum vs. a vinyl overlay just because of maintenance & upkeep and would like the most weight capacity for loading things on top if needed.

 

Oh yes - VERY IMPORTANT - the amount of bed length lost when the cover is completely open - that includes canister & any cover left sticking out. These crew cab EXTRA short beds are small enough as it is. I will have to try to shoehorn my atv & dirtbike back there soon. Having to trailer because the cover is 2" too long would cause heartburn & buyers' remorse long after the trip was done.

 

Anyone have a retractable cover who would measure the length of bed lost at the top of the bedrails?

 

Flash

(still working on a sig)

dataspng Enthusiast

dataspng

Posted
Posted

+ 1 on BakFlip - for a manual top it is great, used them on 2 rigs now with great results.

 

I sure wish I had put a BakFlip on my 2011, instead I went for a Paragon retractable and I personally dont like it now that I've had it several months.

Knowklew Enthusiast

Knowklew

Posted
Posted

I will be buying a Retrax when my income tax refund gets here.

 

I have read a ton of good reviews, and it looks super easy to install.

90k2500 New Member

90k2500

Posted
Posted
+ 1 on BakFlip - for a manual top it is great, used them on 2 rigs now with great results.

 

I sure wish I had put a BakFlip on my 2011, instead I went for a Paragon retractable and I personally dont like it now that I've had it several months.

 

 

If you don't mind, what is it that you don't like about the Paragon?

 

Steve

dataspng Enthusiast

dataspng

Posted
Posted
+ 1 on BakFlip - for a manual top it is great, used them on 2 rigs now with great results.

 

I sure wish I had put a BakFlip on my 2011, instead I went for a Paragon retractable and I personally dont like it now that I've had it several months.

 

 

If you don't mind, what is it that you don't like about the Paragon?

 

Steve

 

 

Sure – This is just my opinion and installed on my truck – I am not a cover expert, just a consumer.

 

The Positives:

 

Looks great, good price, customer service is great, packaging and shipping well designed, finish is great and all the parts fit without modifications even with aftermarket rail caps installed.

 

What I don't like:

 

Even though they tell you it's not 100% water proof it allows a lot more water in than it should (in my opinion and compared to a BakFlip and soft cover I've used on other trucks before). The center of the bed stays dry but the edges near the rails and tail gate get soaked, even with a tail gate seal kit and the company shipping me a different bed seal kit. My rail cap kit covers the pocket holes so it's not getting water in through there.

 

Difficult to open if you are short or have short arms. Mostly a complaint from the spouse. She is not tall enough to reach over the bed and push far enough down on the panel to get it to open.

 

If you drive with it open / folded for any distance on rough roads the tabs that hold the bearings that run in the sliders will bend. We believe it is from the weight of the folded cover bouncing in the tracks. Mostly the last panel, not a big deal to bend back, but eventually will break off and the panel will need replaced.

 

Does require drilling to install on the 1500 and 2500 NBS trucks.

 

It is still installed on the truck and although these things do bug me its not bugging me enough (yet) to pull it off the truck and spend the $$$ for another cover.

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