FIberglass Tonneau Covers-any advice?
I just bought a '99 Chevy Silverado LT 2WD and I
am thinking about buying a matching tonneau cargo
cover for it. I've gotten brochures on the A.R.E.
and Century brands. Both are in the $725 to $750
range painted to match and installed.
I will mostly be using the truck for commuting to
work and light hauling and would like to have
somewhere to put golf clubs, fishing poles, etc.
without having to clutter up the back seat which is
used by my kids.
Anyone out there have any experience (good or bad)
with this type of accessory and any particular
brand?
am thinking about buying a matching tonneau cargo
cover for it. I've gotten brochures on the A.R.E.
and Century brands. Both are in the $725 to $750
range painted to match and installed.
I will mostly be using the truck for commuting to
work and light hauling and would like to have
somewhere to put golf clubs, fishing poles, etc.
without having to clutter up the back seat which is
used by my kids.
Anyone out there have any experience (good or bad)
with this type of accessory and any particular
brand?
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
out of Canada). It came in the color of my 1998 Dakota (black) so I didn't need to have it painted. It looks great, it's lockable & it's watertight. I had it installed by guys that do this for a living and it took about 20 minutes. There was no drilling involved. If you have a bedliner or plan on buying one it must be the under the rail type to have the fiberglass tonneau installed. If you already have an over the rail type bedliner it can still be done but the liner must be cut (not recommended). FYI-The tonneau cost me about $700. and would have been the same for a fullsize RAM or Ford's F150. Warning...if you plan to frequently haul stuff
that is higher than the bed walls or if you want to have something dumped into the truck from a
backhoe/payloader, the fiberglass lid is probably
not a good idea. Taking the lid off and putting it back on frequently will get tired real fast. Plus storing it when you have it off without scratching it is a chore.
I am also trying to get info on the Pace-Edwards tonneau which rolls into a cannister mounted at the front of the bed. It doesn't look as nice as a fiberglas cover, but would allow for cargo higher than the bed rails.
In all likelihood, I will install a Bedrug or similar liner at the same time as the cover.
http://www.calconcepts.com/SolidBedCovers/MultiSection/multisection.html
The AeroCover is a three section lift. The Scott Top is a two sectional side gull wing type lift and the Fold-a-Cover folds back like an accordion. I think the Fold-a-Cover is the one shown in the Chevy Silverado brochure.
I'm leaning toward the A.R.E. fiberglass tonneau cover. I like the fact it is installed without drilling and that its arms seem to allow you to lift it higher than most others.
http://www.4are.com/
I had a Guidon fiberglass tonneau cover on my previous truck. One advantage of them over the sectional, roll-ups and others is that when you lift the lid in rain or snow you still keep most of the water and snow out of the bed. The downside is trying to reach in and get things that slide toward the cab in.
Here is a link to where I bought it from:
http://www.salesco.com/truck/aerocover.htm
I'll post the results with it after I have it a
few weeks here in the snow, sleet and rain of
Pittsburgh.
Terry
It is made by Rugged Liner (www.ruggedliner.com). Turns out, if I had bought at "The Colonel's" (formerly Eastern Off-Road) where I had it installed, I could have saved $60. Story of my life...
Anyhow, I'll post on it's results in the weather as time passes.
Terry
Ed
I had an ARE lid on my 94 Z71 and had no problems. The new lid has a different design, lifter shocks plus hinge. The salesman at the camper place said that it was changed to prevent the extra stress on the piano hinge.
It does look sharp, matching the hood and better locking mechanism thatn my old top.
Jim
Has A.R.E. done anything about redesigning their cover to accommodate the black plastic tailgate protector on the new Silverado?
I had checked with the local A.R.E. distributor around Christmas and was told they would have to remove the protector to install the cover. That would leave 4 big holes in the tailgate from the mounting screws.
What have they done to address this problem?
With the prices A.R.E. charges, they really ought to include the tailgate protecter replacement in the package.
I have heard so many favorable comments about A.R.E., but I'm not sure I want to shell out over $850 for the lid, new gate protector, installation, tax, etc.
Seriously considering going with the Pace-Edwards or Roll-N-Lock type cover.
Jim
http://checkerpro.com/welcome.html
I am looking for some info on the so-called multi-piece cover. From the Silverado brochure, it looks like 4 hard vinyl boards which are hinged together. Anyone has this type of cover? I would like to know if it will seal water well and how convenient it is.
Thanks.
http://www.calconcepts.com/SolidBedCovers/MultiSection/multisection.html
The Fold-A-Cover looks like the same one in the Chevy Silverado brochure.
Thanks.
They look awfully similar to me (Fold-A-Cover and multi-section cover in Silverado catalog). The Silverado catalog doesn't give any info. Did you get it from the dealer. My dealer didn't know anything about it and the accessory brochure they had didn't have it. If you learn more, I'd like to know too.
said it probably can't seal water very well (as I
suspected). He couldn't find out further specs like thickness and mounting mechanism. Most (if not all) of dealers around here (N.E. Mass) don't have them in stock, so it's really hard to obtain any info.
Davydd, if you could get any info, please let me know. My email is tle@aware.com.
By the way, I think I'll go for it. Seems to be cheap and looks pretty cool too.
Thanks a lot.
I bought an Aerocover (www.ruggedliner.com and pictures at www.salesco.com) about a month ago for my Tacoma. It has three hinged panels that open and slide out quite easily if you need to haul something tall. I took it to the car wash and sprayed the rails and seams of the cover very well to clean off winter's salt and slime. When I crawled inside the bed to check, there were only a few drops of water from the high pressure hose, but nothing that would have damaged anything (except maybe paper sitting in the drops).
It's worth checking out. E-mail me if you have specific questions.
Terry
gischpel@hotmail.com
I got that cover a while back, I like it a lot. It look good and keeps the back dry, it would be better with more pictures and directions for installing. that me know what you think.
Now I have a spare tail gate flare for sale. Thats the only thing I did not like about the ARE, the flare was replaced with a stock protector, looks ok but not as ggod as the flare. The piano hinge is better than my last top as are the locking mechanism and the lock itself. Not I can fill the bed up with my boat trailer stuff.
Jim
Does the A.R.E. lid lock the tailgate?
The lid fits over the tailgate and locks it.
Jim
I called Fold-A-Cover and some dealers around North East of Mass. They told me that the cover
will be 90% water tight, and no drillings is required like Davydd's post. It's also strong enough for one to stand on top. The price is about
$677.00. One dealer said that he could give it for
$600.00 if I'd prepay for it. What prices do you get?
Sorry, the price on my previous post must be for
a soft cover.
Tung
http://www.calconcepts.com/prices2.html
But then again, by the time you pay shipping and installation it could very well be $600 plus via a dealer.
90% water tight is ambiguous. So I asked exactly what that meant. They said if you powerwash at a self-wash you will get some water leakage. Not clear about a normal rain.
The rail mount and panel installation is drill free but I think there might be some drilling to attach the locking devices.
Are the tonneau's lockable? Easy to remove? Easy to access stuff at the forward end of the bed? I have a 1998 Ram SB with a cap but am considering switching to a tonneau to improve visibility. Does anyone recommend a brand that looks good on a Ram?
Thanks
Jerryg4
The liner I installed myself last night, the Pace cover should be in sometime next week.
With the roll top, you can easily access stuff in the front of the bed and also haul stuff that's taller than the sides of the bed (the #1 factor against one-piece tonneaus that hinge in the front. Hard choice since the fiberglass tonneau painted to match is the more attractive choice.
I bought my soft tonneau that has lifters that lift it just like the fiberglas...This cover can be removed from the truck in 1 minute . Unhook the lifters by pulling the pins...lift the cover right out of the ez hinges on the front and it is off. I really like it. See it at www.checkerpro.com
The panels are maded of black painted dimpled aluminum both sides with about a 1/2" hard sandwich material between. There is some drilling required to attach the two side rails. The panels rest on a vinyl seal along the rails.
Fold-A-Cover is a company located in Grand Rapids, MI. When I called them they said the local dealer is the Chevy Dealer. My understanding is the technician at the dealer had installed a few covers before mine. They estimated 4 hours. I don't think they took that long considering what they charged for installation. The Chevy Dealer sells it for $595 plus tax and labor. I've seen cheaper pricing mailorder online but don't think I would want to attempt to install it myself.
It has a low, flat profile and appears with panel, vinyl seal and rails to appear about one inch thick.
I figure most of the time I will only lift the rear panel to load groceries and the cab forward panel to store tools. Occasionally I will fold back all the panels to haul a large item. The advantages of the Fold-A-Cover over a fiberglass shell is that you can haul tall items and get at items that are toward the cab without having to unload stuff in the way. Compared to a rolling shutter type cover is that it is a hard shell and you don't have to open it all the way to get at items stored toward the cab.