Truck Bed Cover - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Frank - Dawn · RV-Dreams Community Member

Truck Bed Cover

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Not familiar with that product, but a retractable cover is a good idea. I have a tri fold hard cover that when folded up perfectly accesses my fifth wheel hitch and when closed, protects the air bags in my BD3 Hensley Hitch from sun damage. Also provides relatively secure storage of ladders, drop cords, etc. that I carry in the bed. I'm a big fan of the hard covers (mine is a pebbled weather proof vinyl that I can walk on which is handy when washing the trailer), but aluminum and fiberglass are also good. Not a fan of the "soft" covers but that's JMO.

-- Edited by RonC on Monday 25th of July 2016 08:33:35 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 27th of July 2016 07:50:06 AM

Howard · Host

We started out with a custom cover from an awning/boat cover company. It had a hole in the middle and zipped up around the kingpin so we could tow with the bed covered completely. It wasn't waterproof and it wore out over time so we then went with a RetraxPro cover. Not cheap (similar to GatorTrax) but we loved it. I think you'll be happy with either the RetraxPro or GatorTrax, but we only have experience with the Retrax.

Now we have a Utility Bodywerks Hauler Bed. Way, way more expensive, but wish we had done that in the beginning.

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

The most common issue I've seen written about on the various forums is the back part of the pin box hitting the Tonneau rail(s) during tight turns. It's a matter of how high the hitch/king pin combo is set, how wide the rails are, and the angle of the pin box as it goes up to the trailer frame.

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

As others have noted…check the clearances. We started with the hard trifold cover and had serious issues with it hitting the bottom of the bedroom when hitched. Might just have been a problem with our particular combination…2012 F450, TrailerSaver hitch, and New Horizons 5ver…but insufficient clearance is a problem with newer trucks. One of the reasons we finally switched to the RAM 5500HD/hauler bed combo. After the hard cover got sold I had the soft Truxedo Lo Pro rollup cover for 2 travel seasons…it had plenty of clearance but obviously isn't as secure as the lockable hard one was. It did serve to keep stuff in the bed out of sight/out of mind and somewhat drier than an open bed.

The retractable ones typically aren't an option if you have an aux tank installed.

Bobc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Has anybody done a bed cover for a hauler bed? Ours collects water and a lot of dirt?

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

>>Hauler bed cover

Not that I've ever seen. I have a cover for our hitch but the rest of it is open and the 5500HD does have a bit of a down angle on the bed even though the truck appears level so water puddles in the front near the aux tank. It comes out nicely the first time you move of course…and the air suspension can be dumped…that gives me about 4" of drop at the rear axle and that's enough to get it to run out if I'm not moving the truck.

Bobc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Water in the bed is my biggest concern. I wish at the time I got the hauler bed that I had them put in some drain holes. To much work to do it now. I would have to move the aux fuel tank I think yo do it safely

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

If we're ever back in the Valparaiso area…I might look into having CC add a couple of drain holes to ours. Not sure if they can get to the forward corners behind the tank without removing it though…I would have to check with to see if it's even possible and wouldn't make a special trip to get it done.

I'm wondering if during winters when it's just parked whether it would hurt anything to just leave the air suspension bottomed out on the internal bumpers or if that has any effect on the lifetime of the system. I'm going to check into that as well because otherwise the water will just sit puddled around the bottom of the aux tank.

Dave and Denise · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'll ditto with Howard on the Retrax cover. I have used them on my trucks for over 13 years now and when I need another I know where I will go.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

With my new 2016 Ford F-350 dually, I have 8" of bedrail to trailer clearance with my tri-fold cover. Good security with functionality and at a very reasonable cost. Works for me.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Bobc wrote:
Water in the bed is my biggest concern. I wish at the time I got the hauler bed that I had them put in some drain holes. To much work to do it now. I would have to move the aux fuel tank I think yo do it safely

Bob ... we built a high end custom home in 2001 and (not surprisingly) there are a few things we would do differently, if we did it again. You bought the top end of the towing and trailer scale, and it's hard to get it perfectly right. Enjoy your rig ... everybody could do it better the second time around. But few get to enjoy what you already have. Smile, it could be much worse.

vannchan · RV-Dreams Family Member

RonC wrote:
Not familiar with that product, but a retractable cover is a good idea. I have a tri fold hard cover that when folded up perfectly accesses my fifth wheel hitch and when closed, protects the air bags in my BD3 Hensley Hitch from sun damage. Also provides relatively secure storage of ladders, drop cords, etc. that I carry in the bed. I'm a big fan of the hard covers (mine is a pebbled weather proof vinyl that I can walk on which is handy when washing the trailer), but aluminum and fiberglass are also good. Not a fan of the "soft" covers but that's JMO.

-- Edited by RonC on Monday 25th of July 2016 08:33:35 PM

-- Edited by RonC on Wednesday 27th of July 2016 07:50:06 AM

RonC,

What cover do you have? I am interested in checking them out. Thanks.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have an Extang Solid Fold 2.0

Bruce and Robin · RV-Dreams Family Member

Frank - Dawn wrote:
We are trying to maximize the use of our F350 8 foot truck bed and tow a 5th wheel. Considering purchasing GatorTrax Tonneau Cover that will lock in any position along the rail. Any thoughts or recommendations? Check out this link www.gatorcovers.com/GatorTrax/Tonneaus.

I have a 3500 with a 8'2" bed. I just went with the Lo-Roll Tonno Pro. Works great for my needs, easy access, and is out of the way when moving equipment between the hitch and the front of the box. A friend of mine has had one for a few years and it is holding up.

https://www.tonnopro.com/cms/loroll

Lot of factors to keep in mind. Aux fuel tanks, locking tool boxes, etc. All a matter of preference.

Ron C. has helped me out a lot and does his research, as does Howard and others on this site.

Just my humble opinion!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Note to all:

Keep in mind that this is a 4-year-old thread, so some of the information in early comments may not be up to date, and some products that may have been mentioned may not be available anymore.

This is one of the reasons that Howard prefers that we start a new thread rather than revive an old one.

Terry