subject: Pickup Truck Bed Covers -- 5 Tips For Picking Them [print this page] Pickup Truck Bed Covers -- 5 Tips For Picking Them
Is remote control something you want? That's another possibility with sliding retractable covers. With an electric tonneau, the cover slides to or fro at the push of a button almost as if you had a giant trunk with remote control. That's a real plus in certain weather and for just easy use. This may not be an option you choose, but it does make for an ultra-easy way to access the bed and use it under all kinds of conditions.
Read reviews online. No matter where you buy a cover, you can easily and quickly see many review comments from tonneau owners online. For example AutoAnything publishes many reviews that describe experiences with installation, durability, service and all kinds of odd problems that arise with bed covers. Check out the reviews before you buy.
If you don't want to spend a lot, soft covers offer much value. That's because they accomplish two tasks that most pickup owners are looking for. For one, the soft covers put both the bed of the truck and the cargo under cover and out of the weather. Secondly, by covering your cargo, it's hidden away and that accomplishes the first level of security for loads, putting them out of sight. Soft covers offer top value.
The fiberglass bed cover may not always be a tilting lid. Once you move up to looking at hard covers rather than soft ones, the options really increase. The classic choice for hard tonneaus might be the tilt lid such as is offered by Gaylord. A similar cover that looks like it might be fiberglass but isn't is the Undercover tonneau. This cover substitutes plastics for fiberglass and in the process builds an impact resistant cover that weighs only 58 pounds in the full size version. But the tilting covers have issues and that's one reason for other hard cover models.
Retracting tonneau covers often get the nod at the really premium choice for a bed cover. That's due partly to the cost but there are other reasons as well. A retractable cover is really at the core a sliding metal sheet of aluminum that moves forward and back as needed to close or open the bed to access. When not in use the cover slides into it's own storage can out of the way and out of sight as well. As secure as the hard covers that tilt or the tri-fold covers, the roll forward covers also permit easy access to the entire bed for using it any way you choose. Unlike tilt forward covers, the retractable bed covers put no limit on the height of the load carried either. Any cargo that fits the bed, fits the cover too.
One of the more popular pickup truck accessories, pickup truck bed covers offer more security as well as other advantages. Keeping cargo hidden away and keeping the bed out of the weather are only part of the story. The soft tonneau covers offer much for just a little cost. Hard tonneau covers on the other hand, increase security and offer other advantages as well. A special case in the hard covers are the retractable covers that slide a metal lid for protection.
Pickup bed covers come in all sorts of designs as there really are all kinds of variables to the covers. Some of the choices really add function and others are mostly cosmetic. In all cases the way you use your pickup makes a difference in what will be the best cover for your vehicle. From the least expensive soft tonneau covers to the retractable metal bed covers, tonneau covers are for many truck owners more than just a desirable option, they are all but a must-have pickup accessory.
