soft tonneau recomendation needed

03Bowtie · April 14, 2004

I am going to be in the market for a soft tonneau for my '03 Silverado with the std. 6' bed. I would prefer the low profile type and preferably one that sits flush with the bed rails and not mounted on top like the traditional ones. One with lift springs/air shocks would be ideal. Any ideas or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. I don't want a fiberglass hard tonneau as I will be occasionally putting in pallets of material to haul and need something easily removable. Thanks!!

BlackSilver · April 14, 2004

I have a Truxedo low-profile soft cover. It sticks above the bed about 3/4". Very well made, and gets completely out of the way when you need to carry a tall load. Stands up well to heavy Minnesota snow.

Greg · April 14, 2004

I have another vote for the Truxedo. I bought one for my son's '02 S-10 when new and it has held up well for the last 2+ years with little care. The truck is always parked outside in Michigan or North Carolina and definitely not babied. I've also heard good things about the Access Cover featured in an ad on the left side of the page. I went with the Truxedo because of a local dealer and the hardware comes standard in black. (At the time, black hardware was an option for the Access Cover.)

gmcjoe · April 14, 2004

I have the GM Accessories soft tonneau

Also checkout Sport Master and TekStyle at www.stylinconcepts.com or your local truck accessory retailer

03Bowtie · April 14, 2004

Thanks for the quick replies guys!! I like the look of the Truxedo and it's nice that the cover rolls up with the bows all in one. Definitely a plus. I found a price at Stylin Concepts for $419 and was a little shocked at it being as high as it is. Definitely will have to clear this one with the wifey.

jsmith555 · April 14, 2004

Does the truXedo have rails that run left - to - right ala Extang covers? Is it one solid roll-up piece?

2000 GMC · April 15, 2004

Go with the Access Roll Up Cover. I've been happy with mine. It held up great with the wet heavy snow while we lived in Alaska. Used to have snow piled up on it that went over the cab and never had a problem.

burgundyz71 · April 15, 2004

Extang RT from truckexpressions for $298

Tommy'Z 6speed · April 15, 2004

You may also want to consider a Downey cover. I got one on ebay for $150 delivered. I wanted a hard folding or hard roll up cover but couldn't justify the price so I got the Downey just to see if it would meet my needs.

It's great quality and it totally removes and folds up (as opposed to rolling up against the cab back).

The other nice feature is the snaps. They are a self lubricating, nylon type material that are square on the ends and they snap into a track. Therefore, they can snap into any position along the rail track and they float as the cover expands and contracts due to temperature changes.

They are not a flush mount though. They are about 3/4 - 1" high and mount on top of the bed rails.

The rails/tracks are black, by the way.

Bruce03Silverado · April 15, 2004

I have the extang full-tilt on mine and I love it! I can tilt the whole frame up w/o having to take off the cover. I can take off the whole frame with the cover attached - just undo the gas shocks. You can also do it the old way and just unsnap it and roll it up - lots of options but I like the idea of tilting the frame up w/o having to worry about taking the cover off. Installed I paid $369.

www.extang.com

Greg · April 16, 2004

Does the truXedo have rails that run left - to - right ala Extang covers? Is it one solid roll-up piece?

From the Extang pictures I've seen, yes and yes. It looks like the Extang has a lower profile. When I bought in early '02, Truxedo and Access were the only game in town. Now there are a lot more choices.

Sierra04SLE · April 16, 2004

You won't go far wrong with Extang. I have the Platinum version, a good compromise between cost and functionality.

Bob

03Bowtie · April 16, 2004

Polxc5, thanks for the info!! I ordered the Extang RT last night from Summit Racing, then noticed the price you posted from TruckXpressions.com. I cancelled order with Summit this morning and saved myself $60.00 by ordering from TruckXpressions. The RT is pretty much exactly what I was looking for. I like how the bows roll up with the cover and how it is lower profile than the Truxedo. Also, it was quite a bit cheaper than the Truxedo. Thanks to everyone else for offering their opinions!!