| From | Message |
Craig
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/01/2005
22:18:10
|
 Subject: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I got an '04 dakota with the "old" body style. It's blue, club cab (not 4 door), and I'm looking for a quality, MADE IN USA cover for it. I believe I"m interested in a soft snapless cover, or a folding panel cover. I really don't like the idea of drilling holes in my rails, but I guess if that's what it takes...
Also, does anybody have a way to protec the rails on my truck? (ie caps like what you see on most Fords). I didn't get the over the rail bedliner because they tend to buckle in the sun, but the under the rail liner doesn't protect the bed rails! :-(
Any suggestions here are appreciated.
|
sprayed
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/02/2005
01:34:17
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
Go with a spray-in.
Rhino linings, Line-X, etc
|
9RT9
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/02/2005
17:51:58
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
ARE makes a hard cover that clamps to the bed. It comes down over the rails for added protection. I have on on my truck now and it's been excellent so far.
|
Craig
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/02/2005
22:22:46
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I already have a mopar under the rail liner- dealer installed it as part of our negociations on my truck. Do you think I could get just the rails capped with Rhino liner or whichever spray on liner?
|
george35
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/02/2005
23:26:36
|  RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I went with the ARE on my '02 club cab. It looks good since they design their covers to match the specific models, i.e. they're not generic. It clamps on, and covers the rails. It is a solid piece fiberglass tonneau though, and may not be what you're looking for if you plan on removing it often.
|
Craig
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/02/2005
23:39:05
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
It does need to be removeable- the Snap-On tool truck driver that used to come to our shop had a fiberglass toneau on his dakota 4 door and it was a difficult task for 2 guys even to get it off. I haul dirtbikes form time to time, so removability is a priority. I want the cover for when I'm hauling more delicate things, and things that otherwise get very very hot in the Arizona sun, such as hand tools. ;-).
Also like the look of a covered bed. I wonder if it would pick up a few fuel-econemy points too--- I know my brother's Ford F350 did when we capped it, but I don't want to cap my truck- like I said anything I put on it needs to be removable, preferably by 1 guy.
Made in USA would be nice too- I know it's getting harder to come buy these days though...
|
ftblfrk
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/06/2005
10:52:50
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
You might wanna to take a look at the Access cover. It is the leader in pick up bed rollups. It gives you quality and access to your truck bed. It rolls up/down in seconds, stays as tight as a drum and gives your truck a great custom look. Even better it is made by people who have had experienced the elements. It will stand up to any weather you encounter I have the Lorado which is their Lo Profile cover. I would go to a dealer and check out the covers. Then decide plus if you should have any problems they will be able to help you with the warranty. Oh ya the cover has a Lifetime warranty! Good Luck
http://www.accesscover.com/Products/Toolbox.asp
|
Craig
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/06/2005
21:13:02
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
looks like about what I want... I like the lifetime warrenty.
I'll look into it some more- I bookmarked that link. Thanks!
If anyone has good experience with anything else I'm still open to suggestion- I won't be buying a cover for a little while yet- hopefully by the winter time though...
|
Lurkin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/07/2005
11:23:38
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I have an eXtang, the cheapest one made. I am happy with it. It's weathered well over two years and is still tight. It's a two minute operation to remove the cover and bows, it's light weight,,, and it was cheap ($165).
There have been times I wish I had the J-hook and not the snaps, but then I run into a situation where I want to partially cover the bed and the snaps work great for that.
|
yellowR/T
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/08/2005
13:12:33
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
i have a tonneau cover on my 1999 dak R/T and it looks great. although it is a hard and cost a little more i would definitly go with the hard top. mine is leer 700 series and i paid about $900.00 for everything.
that included installation, came painted to match the truck (with a life time warranty on the pain), all hinges ( with a year warranty on them), and carpet underneath.
|
Craig
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/08/2005
16:44:25
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I have no problem with a hard cover, but my experience has told me that they're heavy. If you can't take it off (or roll it up) with one person it's probably not much use to me. I still haul loads soemtimes that require using the whole bed and make a hard cover impractical. Ideally for drynesss I would agree with you that it would be a worthwhile investment though.
|
fh
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/09/2005
17:08:20
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I have a tri-fold cover, Lund Genesis in Cabela's is the type. It attaches underneath and requires no holes or permanent attachment. It works very well and looks great. It can be folded to 1/3 leaving the remainder of the bed open. I'm very happy with it.
|
modain
GenIII
9/09/2005
18:44:30
|  RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
http://www.urbanindustries.com/tonneaus.html
=========================================
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
|
Mac
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/16/2005
19:45:00
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I had a "soft" toneau cover on my 97 ext. cab and i liked it. The only thing that was mildly annoying was if I opened the sliding rear window you could hear it flapping. It was pretty tight but still flapped a bit.
I think it was a Le-bra brand. I had it for 5 years but exposure to alot of snow, rain, and Sleet/freezing rain, finally did it in. It started to tear and it was a bitch putting it back on. I finally shelled out the cash and bought a Leer cap for it and i absolutely LOVE it, but i understand thats not what your looking for.
I dont remember how much i bought my old toneau for but it wasnt really that expensive. Instalation was a breeze and when i finally took the mounting rails off to install the cap you would have never known the rails had been on the thing at all.
Good luck!
Mac
|
Craig
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/16/2005
22:42:53
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
Thanks for the tip, Mac and others. I am still checkig back to this post, so I'm collecting data right now. I'm in AZ, so sleet and rain and snow don't mean much to me, but UV resistance does. I suppose if you're really religeous about treating it with silicone though, anything will hold up.
I don't generally open my back window- with the extended cab I usually can't reach it! :-)
|
CoolPoolNorm
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/17/2005
04:50:22
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
I agree with Mac - I also have a LeBra soft tonneau (Wal-Mart for $150 up here in Canada) and it's survived -50 temps and feet of snow, plus roasting heat, and still looks great after 4 years. I can roll it up and fill the truck with all the crap I want to carry, or unroll it and put the truck into car shows and win trophies with it. It takes only a few minutes to roll or unroll it, and I don't have to take the whole damn thing off and find a place to store it if I want to fill the bed with cargo, either. I have a cousin who had a hard tonneau on his and when he bought a bunch of furniture, he had to leave the cap and drive 600 miles each way to deliver the stuff, then back again to pick up the stupid fiberglass cap - an extra 1200 miles for a chunk of fiberglass! Not a good thing in this time of $4.00/gal gas!
|
MoPowa
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
9/18/2005
18:15:13
| RE: Can anyone recommend a Toneau cover?
IP: Logged
Message:
Craig, I had a Snug Top hard tonneau cover (about $850 painted and installed) on my '97 F-150 and that thing was more trouble that what it was worth. It was pain to take off/put on (weighed around 80lbs) and it needed two people to handle. Also, I had to be very careful not to scratch the paint while handling it. If you often need to carry anything over 18” tall, stay away from the hard tonneau cover.
My brother had a Pace Edwards (about $1000 installed) on his Tacoma. First off, the canister took up a lot of space in the bed. The canister needs cleaning on a regular basis. My brother found this out the hard way. One time, while he was operating the cover, he noticed that it was not opening/retracting properly. He brought it back to the dealer and the dealer stated that my brother did not clean out the canister. Debris (leaves, dirt, dust etc.), collected over the past season in the canister. Also, it needed to be re-oiled. If you get the Pace Edwards or any type of retractable cover, it will require some maintenance.
On my '02 Dakota, I had an Extang Tuff Tonno III cover (about $300). I have to say that cover served me well. It was easy to roll up/down. It maintained its shape throughout the mid-Atlantic seasons. It gave me two trouble free years. I had nothing bad to say about it...until some a**hole took a knife to it. If you buy a soft tonneau, do not plan to store anything of value in the bed.
Last year I traded in my '02 Dak for a '04 and bought an Advance Folding Tonneau Cover (about $550) for it. There are many people on the different Dodge Forums that recommend this cover. So far, I had it on for over a year. This cover seems to be the best of the lot. It is very versatile and practical. I can fold the cover to put an over-sized object in the bed. If I need to use the full bed, I just unscrew the two screws with a socket wrench. It is very light (about 40lbs) and folds down to about 5" in thickness. Also, this cover locks the cover and tailgate. (You need to drill two small holes in the tailgate to secure the catch.) This is a nice feature if you have something you want to keep locked down and out of sight. Versatility, practicality, and price point were the main reasons why I purchased this cover.
There were a few notes that I wanted to add.
The majority of the covers, whether it may be soft or hard, will leak a little. It is not going to be a substantial amount of water but just a few drops here and there. To take care of the leak, just use a rubber-sealing gasket like the one from TrailSeal.
Do not worry about drilling into your side rails. All the covers that are on the market today use some type of clamp to attach the frame/hardware to the rails of the truck in order to install a (soft or hard) tonneau cover.
If you want to protect your bed rails, do what "sprayed" said and use a spray-on bed liner i.e., Line-X, Rhino Linings, or Armacoatings.
If you need more info on the Advance Folding Tonneau Cover, go to:
http://www.kcovers.com/index.html
http://www.advancecover.com/
Regardless if you do or do not go with the Advance Cover, check out the site below. They have a wide selection and great prices.
http://truckaddons.com/Catalog/bed_covers.htm
|
| | P 1 |
|
Post a reply to this message:
Username Registration: Optional
All visitors are allowed to post messages
|
