TC and Tonneau Cover?

[Crowe]

Hubby and I were cruising along the highway last night going from Lowes to Home Depot (I just LOVE Friday night date night! :B) and we passed a nice TC set up that got us thinking again. A question came up-will we be able to use a Tonneau cover if we have the TC? We use our current F150 (yes, we'd get a REAL truck for the TC) for a lot of hauling, etc., and right now have a cap. I know we'd have to give up the cap idea but is it possible to use a Tonneau cover when you are using the TC? Thanks.

[ILLTravler]

Anyone use soft topper?

[Redsky]

With a cap we can put twice as much in the bed of the camper. A tonneau cover would be of little use with my truck that I use to pick up plants from the nurseries and transport bicycles and move furniture. I added brackets for cross bars and supports for hauling our two kayaks to the roof of the cap.

With caps the aluminum ones are light enough for one person to take off. With a full size truck a fiberglass cap can weigh over 200 lbs so I used a hoist setup to take mine off the truck initially. If my garage entry was tall enough along with the ceiling I would have mounted a permanent hoist and taken the cap off an on inside the garage.

Now I go to the dealer where I bought the cap who charges me $20 a month to store it at his place and he takes it off and puts it back using their forklift.

[rabenfels]

have the truxedo - cover rolls up and comes off in max 2 minutes - rails stay mounted since they fit under my TC overhang. Rolled up cover goes in the truck bed next to the camper and is always available when TC is off the truck. Installing cover: Max 2 minutes. Works real well except that the tail gate is not installed if we use cover while camping away from home. Not a real problem: I have a net going across the back so nothing falls out / gets lost.

[hedge]

I have a Retrax, 4 clamps with 1 bolt in each and the entire thing can be lifted off the truck. Takes me a about 5 minutes.

[kerry4951]

Get one that goes on and off without using the clamp on side rails, or you might have to remove the rails each time. Taking the rails off and on is something I did not want to hassle with. Mine is a tri fold and its all on piece with no guide rails. Comes off in about 60 seconds.

[Grit_dog]

MKish wrote:
I have the Extang trifolding one also, but mine isn't the hard model. It goes on and off as easily as advertised. We haven't exposed it to freeze/thaw cycles but it's been holding up well in the gentle northern CA weather. Seems watertight.

We do have to remove it when we put on the camper but it's really that easy.

Got about 6 years on a $200 extang tri fold soft cover. It's been in extreme heat and had 3' of snow on it. Only take it off briefly to haul stuff. It has held up quite well. R&r in under 5 min.
I was skeptical of the plastic clamps but they are still fine after years of use and being operated many times.

[Crowe]

Thanks, all. Doesn't matter if we have to take the cover off, as long as it's not too difficult. This all gives me hope! REALLY missing the RV lifestyle! Spent the day in Maine today and couldn't stop wishing we were camping up there.

[oldtractors]

I have an Access cover. It is too tall for the camper and I have to remove the rails before installing the camper. They do have a low profile version and that may allow you to leave the rails and possibly the cover in place.

[MKish]

I have the Extang trifolding one also, but mine isn't the hard model. It goes on and off as easily as advertised. We haven't exposed it to freeze/thaw cycles but it's been holding up well in the gentle northern CA weather. Seems watertight.

We do have to remove it when we put on the camper but it's really that easy.

[MTRhino]

My cover is Truxedo brand and it has 2 simple slides at the front that releases the canvas and cross members leaving just the side rails. It takes 2 minutes to remove and 2 minutes to put back after unloading the camper.

[Crowe]

Thanks-it helps to know it's possible. We're in the "what do we have to give up" stage of deciding if a TC is the way to go. We've figured out the boats, bikes, and excess gear (we have a good trailer), the dogs will have to ride in the cab because of no cap on the truck (guess we'll have to deal with wet dog smell!), and our son will have to suck it up and sleep on the dinette bed or sofa bed or get a tent. Still will be at least a year before we make a decision but that helps a lot. At least we can cover gear in the bed of the truck when the camper isn't on.

[pa_traveler]

Just got the x-tang solid cover,like it,strong enough to stand on.

[Raften]

I have a fabric roll up. I can use it BUT I need to space the TC back another three inches to leave space for the roll AND I have to put a spacer in the bed to give enough clearance because the rails extend up about a inch above the bed rails. Most of the time I just remove it unless I need weather protection for stuff in the bed while the TC is off. No security that way since the tail gate is at home but keeps the rain off.

[cewillis]

I use this one when my camper is off. The mounting rail stay on, and the cover goes on/off with e little screws. Light weight and easily stored. (and it cost a lot less when I bought it in 2006)