Input on tonneau covers

BowtieEarl · April 13, 2006

I know this is a redundant subject, but I'm having a hard time deciding on a tonneau cover. My 4 main concerns are Waterproof, Keeps dust out, affordable, and durability. Any input on Brand, Model and Price would be greatly appreciated.

Note- I noticed RealTruck has a package deal with a Access cover, BedRug, and a Tail Gate lock. Has anybody bought this package? is it worth it?

2004GMC1500CC · April 14, 2006

I know this is a redundant subject, but I'm having a hard time deciding on a tonneau cover. My 4 main concerns are Waterproof, Keeps dust out, affordable, and durability. Any input on Brand, Model and Price would be greatly appreciated.

Note- I noticed RealTruck has a package deal with a Access cover, BedRug, and a Tail Gate lock. Has anybody bought this package? is it worth it?

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I REALLY like mine. It is very tough (I stand on it to wash the roof), practically water proof and very light. Not cheap though, but I wanted a hard cover for security purposes.

firstruck · April 14, 2006

I've had my access Toolbox edition for about a year now. I think under perfect circumstances it would be a "10", but the fit was not the greatest, mostly due to the saddle box position in my truck. Water resistant would be a better desc. , not watertight or proof. I get some small(very small) amounts of water after a rain. But from a dollars to doughnuts standpoint, It's priced right, looks good, EASY and VERSITILE to use. I loved not having to shovel snow out of the bed this winter!!! IIRC I paid $380 for it from my local truck shop, cheaper than onlione prices....

torx · April 14, 2006

I know this is a redundant subject, but I'm having a hard time deciding on a tonneau cover. My 4 main concerns are Waterproof, Keeps dust out, affordable, and durability. Any input on Brand, Model and Price would be greatly appreciated.

Note- I noticed RealTruck has a package deal with a Access cover, BedRug, and a Tail Gate lock. Has anybody bought this package? is it worth it?

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http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=47223

phire · April 14, 2006

I'd reccomend an aluminum cover from Peragon over a fold-a-cover for a few reasons. One, it's cheaper. Two, it's almost fully automatic with very little effort to open and close it within seconds as it uses gas struts to push and pull. Very innovative. It's 99% waterproof and can be made 100% with the extra weather stripping that's included. The directions are SO detailed and easy to understand, someone like me who isn't mechanically inclined had it installed in just a couple hours. Here's a link to a post I made w/ some pictures of it. It comes from the factory in powder-coated black, has a slight gloss to it. http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...ndpost&p=376237.

After a _LOT_ of searching and surfing and driving around to all the local stores... The Peragon cover had to be the best all-around bang for the buck. And, it's original and isn't something everyone has!

http://www.peragon.com/

Oh, btw lemme tell you why I chose it instead of what was local and everything else online... First of all, the price. Everyone wanted $600+ minimum for aluminum, didn't matter how lame and how many features it lacked. The Peragon is $499 and is way cooler. Also, the fiberglass ones... cost around $900, screw that. They may look nice but I actually prefer this $499 cover. It shares one of the same qualities as a fold-a-cover in the respect that you don't have to completely remove the cover if you need immediate use of the bed to haul very large objects. Just fold (or in my case, roll) it back. And also, there's no way I could ever live with a soft cover. Only way I would is if I had $50 to spend and was desparate for rain protection. IMO, you're wasting your money as the nylon will stretch, fade and wear out with time and thieves or punks just need a simple pocket knife to send your investment to the garbage. Anyways, google around and I bet you won't find anything as slick as the Peragon cover for the same price. I ordered from them and have one installed so I can personally vouch for their service and quality. Top notch if you ask me and I was skeptical (as anyone should be) at first but they made an extremely satisfied customer for life outta me.

BowtieEarl · April 14, 2006

I think I like the Peragon folding cover the best out of the hard folding covers. It seems to be a pretty good deal right now at $499. What did you have to do to make it waterproof? Weather stripping, etc. I also plan on getting a BedRug, will this interfere with anything?

phire · April 14, 2006

I think I like the Peragon folding cover the best out of the hard folding covers. It seems to be a pretty good deal right now at $499. What did you have to do to make it waterproof? Weather stripping, etc. I also plan on getting a BedRug, will this interfere with anything?

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Nope, the cover interferes with nothing and even works over drop in bed liners. It only has 4 main bolts that hold the rails and they're bolted to the 4 bed posts so no drilling is required. It'll pretty much work with everything you put in the bed. Also, if you ever DO need to use the 6 inches or so that it takes up while folded up in the front of the bed to haul a lot of big stuff, it pops out with 1 locking pin. Pop the pin (kinda like the button on a craftsman ratchet to release the socket) and the cover will slide right out.

Oh yeah you asked me how I took it from 99% to 100% waterproof... They give you more than enough weather stripping to complete the main job of installing the cover so when you snip off the excess, you can use that excess to plug up the leftover space down in the bed post holes which will drip some there during heavy rainstorms. It's rained a lot here since I installed mine which is a good thing in a way because I wanted to know just how waterproof this thing was and really, I only had minor drippage during the heaviest rain storm. No leaks any other time. But anyway, I just plugged up the post holes that weren't fully closed up from the bolt/washer assembly and then the rail-guide corners, I just shoved a little peice in there and it's been water tight ever since. The reason the rail-guide (where the wheels on the cover go) corners aren't fully enclosed 100% is because they've allowed you to easily pop the cover off w/o any hassle other than the 1 pin if you needed to take it off. But, personally I don't plan on taking it off anytime soon so the guide corners can stay plugged up w/ weather stripping for now.

Anyways if you've installed everything perfectly, there shouldn't be anymore leaks. Just take your time and follow the directions precisely to the T and you should have it up leak free in one afternoon. You could take a garden hose and spray the cover to test for leaks around the corners to see where you need to add more weather stripping instead of waiting for rain, too. The cover itself is waterproof as it's built w/ stripping already on it that compresses when the cover is closed so there really isn't much to do to finish waterproofing it.