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Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Tonneau covers: What type to choose? 
140 messages, Last post on Apr 05, 2001 at 9:49 AM
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Post your messages about Tonneau covers below. Happy Motoring!
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The website for the GT Classic is www.gemtopmfg.com. You can buy it from them or an authorized local dealer which is listed on the site. The prices are listed. I paid a little over 700 for mine installed. I have had it for 3 years now. I have never had a leak. My wife washes the truck and she uses a high pressure hose nozzle (I know bad, but she is willing to wash the truck so who am I to stop her) no leaks. It isn't flush as in below the surface like some. It sits right on the surface level. It has a rubber gasket all around. Sometimes it seal so tight opening it is like opening one of those flip top jars with a rubber seal. To install it it has several holes drilled. 6 holes along the side rail, 3 for the hinge and 3 for the strut bracket and 2 in the tailgate for the latch. The top weighs about 100lbs. It does come off pretty easy. Unhook the struts put them in their slots, lay the top down slide it back a couple of inches then lift off. Just don't do like I did and take it off in the hot sun (ouch!!). |
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purchased a '99 ford f150 last week and love it! I want to put a soft tonneau on the bed so i can still haul stuff in the bed (after all that's why i got a truck and traded in my car  but get increased mpg. what kind of recommendations would you make for a soft tonneau? i am looking at tonneaus from extang and penda because of their warranties. also would like to know if you recommend snapless or snap kinds. i have heard that snap kinds can be hard to snap in cold weather but don't get much cold where i live (northeast louisiana) but get lots of heat. also would be interested to know what i could expect to pay and how well your soft tonneau has held up through the weather. thanks in advance for your help and replies 
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I have one and it is a soft snap type cover, but it is hinged - so you usually would not unfasten the snaps - just lift the whole cover from the rear like a hard tonneau cover. You can remove the cover completely by undoing all of the snaps. The rear rail is spring mounted - so you can still work the snaps in cold weather. I did not get the snapless type soft cover because I did not think that the rubber strips would hold up well in either the desert heat or cold weather. I have had mine only about 3 months, but it has been throught freezing temperatures OK. I used 303 protectanct a couple of times and it brought back the black color nicely. I recommend rail covers with no stake pocket holes (I used BAK brand) and an underail bedliner(I used Bed Rug). The disadvantage of the soft cover is that you cannot lock your gear, but you can get locking containers to go over/above the wheel wells to give you some locking storage. I just put some 2x8s in the lumber slots to create storage compartments. I don't plan on storing valuables in the bed - just want to keep stuff out of the elements when I am driving. |
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| thanks for the advice tusconjwt! I found a place in Las Vegas that will sell me a berlin tonneau for $179 w/o hinge and ship it to me free. this is another make i am seriously considering. if anyone elso out there has a berlin tonneau, i would like to hear how you like it. thanks for your help! | |
| I ordered from them but the order never went through. After about 3 weeks, I got the phone number and was told that the website was not working properly the company could not get it fixed. They were not able to accept credit cards. I would call them before you place any orders. Also, why would you not want a hinged cover? It sure is handy to lift the whole top in one motion to put items in the bed. Snaping and unsnaping will get old real quick - an extra $100 well spent, IMHO. I would check out nettruckcap and tntserve. | |
| thanks for the warning the Las Vegas place is Ultimate Tonneau. I will probably use NEtruckcap if i decide to get the berlin. | |
| The hinged soft tonneaus can get torn off at the higes if the cover gats away from you on a gusty day. It acts like a huge wind sail. The convenience has got to be great if you are careful. | |
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Some soft hinged tonneaus have big brackets that seem to lock onto the truck bed. I have never had the cover blow up or off at highway speeds, but a hurricane force wind would be another matter. The Berlin cover has straps about 8 inches long that snap on to the rear clamps which I think are designed as a safety feature. I only snap them up when driving for an extended period on the highway. I think if you keep the snaps all snapped up the wind won't be very likely to pick up the cover. Some tonneaus screw/bolt to the truck, but I did not want that. I have lifted the cover in a 35-40 mph wind and it was a handful - I just didn't let go of the frame. I did add extra truck cap rail tape around the edges of the bed and tailgate to make sure that it was air tight. I think keeping air out from under the cover is the best protection against losing the cover in a high wind. Of course, you can go with a hard locking tonneau for a lot more $ and deal with the limitations for tall loads. My thought was that I could lose the whole tonneau several times before I approached the cost of a good painted hard cover. Each to his or her own.
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| The wind problem was only when the truck was stopped and you were opening the lid. I guess the light weight cover is a lot easier to get away from you. I have a fiberglass one and I like it, but it has drawbacks when I want to use the whole bed. I always liked the flip top soft tonneaus but the dealer that sells them in my area apparently has had a couple bad experiences and warned against it. I have never had one of these units nor have I personally known anyone who has had one that was wind damaged. In theory, they seem to be the best of both worlds. Next time around I likely will try another softy. They are versitile and inexpensive. | |
| I recently sold the clam shell type hard tonneau cover that I had because I didn't use in the warm months and in the cold months it got in the way of hauling large objects. I am looking at the Berlin Tonneau cover as well as the Penda Custom Cover with Sure Fit System. The Berlin model has a spring in the side rails at the back to allow for easier snapping in the winter months and the Penda has a spring cam mechinism as well. Price for each is around $200.00. Berlin covers have been mentioned on this site before but has anyone bought or have delt with Penda???? | |
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