Pickup bed covers

[Zuidy]

I just bought a 2022 F350 long bed. I’ve had different types of bed covers in the past on short beds, folding and retractable. I was wondering what covers everyone was using for long beds and their thoughts on which works best?

[muckinfuss]

Since my truck is a work truck, I use a roll up from Truxedo. Price was good. Speed to open is fine. Gives me total access to the whole bed when I need it for items that are above the bed. The top fabric is available for replacement without buying the whole thing over again, which I had to do once. Third truck with one. Works for me.

[cadman_ks]

We have a LOMAX tri-fold on our 2020 Chevy 3500HD SB, and we really like it.

The one nice thing about it is that it is completely removeable, and when removed, the bed rails are nearly flush with the top of the truck rails. That way, we don't have any issues with the nose of our fifthwheel hitting when we're going thru a dip. When it's removed, you also have full use of the bed, all the way to the front. The ability to have a completely free bed was one of the things that drew me there, as I sometimes put my dirtbike in the back. With a roll-up cover, you end up losing that 8-12" of bed space at the front.

It's also very sturdy, and is probably 95% waterproof. Water only gets in when it's raining really hard.

There is really one drawback, and that is if you want to remove it, it is fairly heavy, like 85 pounds. While the weight is an issue, it's more about the awkward size and shape of it that make it hard to remove.

If I had it to do over again, I would buy the same one again, I like it overall that much...

[Jagiven]

I bought a used RAM long box last year. It came with a tri-fold. I hate it! There is no easy access to the front 1/3. It is not hard to remove, but it really is a two person job, due to the size. I have plastic tool box up front and to get to it, I have to get creative, but it is not very hard to access. I looking at replacing it with an Access Rollup cover this spring. I have one on my old Dakota, and I like it. It is not perfect, but gives really good access to the front of the box, and is fairly water tight.

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

I bought a used RAM long box last year. It came with a tri-fold. I hate it! There is no easy access to the front 1/3. It is not hard to remove, but it really is a two person job, due to the size. I have plastic tool box up front and to get to it, I have to get creative, but it is not very hard to access. I looking at replacing it with an Access Rollup cover this spring. I have one on my old Dakota, and I like it. It is not perfect, but gives really good access to the front of the box, and is fairly water tight.

I have SB, and I'm sure that a LB cover would even be heavier. They are heavy for sure, and that's a definite drawback.

Some are easier to remove than others, and the LOMAX is incredibly easy to remove. Doesn't require any tools, just a latch that is easily undone...

[Marcm157]

I use Bak covers. They are a trifold solid surface but the final 1/3 against the cab is hinged so it folds up against the back window giving full access to the bed. Great customer service and a very good cover...

[Old and soft]

After a cover on my short bed truck for 13 years, I put one on my longbed replacement. First long trip in the longbed, I was done with sliding on my belly, or unsnapping and re snapping my cover. Bought a fiberglass shell and a sliding tray. Easy peasy. But I do own a 16' flat trailer for hualing larger items that won't fit under the shell.

[Troutbound1]

I have a retrax cover for my f250

[CAG]

This is another of the "often asked" questions that can be found by using the search feature at the top of the page.

[CAG]

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ons-66820.html

[Zuidy]

Originally Posted by CAG

This is another of the "often asked" questions that can be found by using the search feature at the top of the page.

I’m sorry to have offended you, asking a question that I could not find an answer to doing a search. Maybe if trolling is your hobby I guess you have achieved your goal.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by Zuidy

I’m sorry to have offended you, asking a question that I could not find an answer to doing a search. Maybe if trolling is your hobby I guess you have achieved your goal.

I am sorry I offended you with some advice. You obviously missed the entire point of doing research and had you looked back at many of my posts you would find a history of helping. Had you used the search feature I mentioned you would have found your answer since I found it pretty easily for you.

[Shackrat]

I've pretty much had every cover that exists over the past 27 years of owning pickups. I've had a cap, fiberglass tonneau, plastic tonneau, tonneau's with snaps & tracks, and a tri-fold.

A lot of people seem to like the BakFlips. I had the MX and I hated it with a passion.

Worst. Tonneau. Ever.

It was heavy, especially on an 8 foot bed. I mean almost impossible to lift from the side of the truck, and man did that thing leak like the cover wasn't even there.

I went though two of them... The first one lasted less than a couple months. It leaked horribly and the gaskets along the sides started tearing at the folds. They sent me a second one with a modified gasket. The second one leaked, but not as much, at least not right away.

For a couple years I treated the gaskets with the same stuff I use on the slide out seals. That helped, but by the 4th year they were all ripping out pretty badly. So bad they would bind and the cover wouldn't sit flat without a little fist-persuasion.

As I closed out my 5th year of the MX, The leaks got so bad the screws holding the latch and release cord by the tailgate rusted out and the entire assembly fell off. A month or so later, the screws on the latch on the 2nd rusted out leaving that entire assembly hanging too.

Aside from longevity, the cover tends to dent very easily. Especially when you're towing your 5'er and it's folded to the first fold. There are little foam pads to absorb the energy, but after 5 years there were clear depressions from driving around with the cover folded up.

Last November I traded the F-250 for a F-350 and went with the Ford-branded Retrax Pro MX (non-motorized). I cannot comment yet on the longevity as I've only had the tonneau on the truck for 3 months. But the convenience is already apparent. First, I can give the tonneau a firm push and it will roll all the way to the front of the truck. No struggling to try to lift the weight of 3 folds of the BakFlip at nearly eye level and no any need to crawl into the truck to open the cover. I can roll the cover back into nearly any position, so if there's rain while I am towing, I can secure the cover pretty close to the hitch.

And it's pretty water tight dry.. I've yet to see any water intrusion except around the tailgate. When spring gets here I'll be adding a tailgate gasket to help seal things up better. It's the priciest tonneau I've ever had, but so far it's well worth the money.

[Zuidy]

Originally Posted by CAG

I am sorry I offended you with some advice. You obviously missed the entire point of doing research and had you looked back at many of my posts you would find a history of helping. Had you used the search feature I mentioned you would have found your answer since I found it pretty easily for you.

I had looked back at many posts and did not see anything that pertained to long bed covers.

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by Shackrat

I've pretty much had every cover that exists over the past 27 years of owning pickups. I've had a cap, fiberglass tonneau, plastic tonneau, tonneau's with snaps & tracks, and a tri-fold.

A lot of people seem to like the BakFlips. I had the MX and I hated it with a passion.

Worst. Tonneau. Ever.

It was heavy, especially on an 8 foot bed. I mean almost impossible to lift from the side of the truck, and man did that thing leak like the cover wasn't even there.

I went though two of them... The first one lasted less than a couple months. It leaked horribly and the gaskets along the sides started tearing at the folds. They sent me a second one with a modified gasket. The second one leaked, but not as much, at least not right away.

For a couple years I treated the gaskets with the same stuff I use on the slide out seals. That helped, but by the 4th year they were all ripping out pretty badly. So bad they would bind and the cover wouldn't sit flat without a little fist-persuasion.

As I closed out my 5th year of the MX, The leaks got so bad the screws holding the latch and release cord by the tailgate rusted out and the entire assembly fell off. A month or so later, the screws on the latch on the 2nd rusted out leaving that entire assembly hanging too.

Aside from longevity, the cover tends to dent very easily. Especially when you're towing your 5'er and it's folded to the first fold. There are little foam pads to absorb the energy, but after 5 years there were clear depressions from driving around with the cover folded up.

Last November I traded the F-250 for a F-350 and went with the Ford-branded Retrax Pro MX (non-motorized). I cannot comment yet on the longevity as I've only had the tonneau on the truck for 3 months. But the convenience is already apparent. First, I can give the tonneau a firm push and it will roll all the way to the front of the truck. No struggling to try to lift the weight of 3 folds of the BakFlip at nearly eye level and no any need to crawl into the truck to open the cover. I can roll the cover back into nearly any position, so if there's rain while I am towing, I can secure the cover pretty close to the hitch.

And it's pretty water tight dry.. I've yet to see any water intrusion except around the tailgate. When spring gets here I'll be adding a tailgate gasket to help seal things up better. It's the priciest tonneau I've ever had, but so far it's well worth the money.

I've used nothing but BakFlip covers for years and never had one leak. Understanding they are not 100% waterproof I never expected that. I would get some drops inside usually after washing the truck.

I had one defective VP model and Bak Industries replaced it outside of the the warranty period with an upgraded model.

I agree they are a bit heavy but manageable. I think they are a great option and a solid product.

[JB13502]

Originally Posted by Shackrat

A lot of people seem to like the BakFlips. I had the MX and I hated it with a passion.

It was heavy, especially on an 8 foot bed. I mean almost impossible to lift from the side of the truck

I had the MX4 on my 2018 3500. Agree 100% that on an 8 foot box, the last fold is extremely heavy; I often would just climb up into the bed to open the final section. And yes, I ended up with the dents from the rubber bumpers. That said, it did exactly what I needed it to do. Flipping it all the back made it SO much easier to load the generator and firewood, and kept it dry when flipped back down.

GM changed just enough with the 2020 model year that it didn't fit quite right on my '23 Dually. My son bought me the BakFlip Fibermax for Christmas... Night and day from the MX. I can actually fold up all 5 sections from the outside of the truck - and that's with the dually hips getting in the way. I think one of the biggest differences is going from 4 sections to 5. I've only had it on the truck for 3 months but am very pleased with it thus far.

[TWP723]

Extang Tri-Fold has served me well for years. No complaints.

[meandmylabs]

I use the soft topper. Basically it’s a canvas truck cap that folds up like a convertible top. Takes less than 5 minutes to convert. I pull a fiver now and I just fold it when towing and put it up after unhooking at the campground. Mine is on a 6.5 bed, not really long bed but the 8’ ones work the same.

[JB13502]

Originally Posted by Zuidy

I just bought a 2022 F350 long bed. I’ve had different types of bed covers in the past on short beds, folding and retractable. I was wondering what covers everyone was using for long beds and their thoughts on which works best?

I really think that it depends on your needs. I've had nothing but long boxes since my 2000 GMC. The tri-fold soft tonneau covers worked very well for keeping things dry when not hauling the 5th wheel, and never got in the way folded up with an 8 foot box. We do a fair amount of dry camping during the summer and carry firewood and an inverter generator. The tonneau cover makes a great tent for storing the generator and wood so that it isn't totally soaked upon arriving at the destination. But, it can be a PITA stacking the wood under the tonneau and sliding the 96 pound generator in and out.
Because I find value in the dry storage of the folding tonneaus, I never saw any value in the retractable so I can't comment on them.
I eventually ended up going with the hard folding BAK Flip series for 2 reasons:

1. I find it easier to load gear up against the bulk head with the tonneau cover folded out of the way.
2. We get some pretty heavy snow falls around our parts. The canvas can have a hard time supporting 12-18" of wet, heavy snow (and yes, I do clean the tonneau cover of snow when clearing the rest of the truck.) I am VERY pleased so far with the BakFlip FiberMax, but cheap they ain't!

[JB13502]

Originally Posted by meandmylabs

I use the soft topper. Basically it’s a canvas truck cap that folds up like a convertible top. Takes less than 5 minutes to convert. I pull a fiver now and I just fold it when towing and put it up after unhooking at the campground. Mine is on a 6.5 bed, not really long bed but the 8’ ones work the same.

Meandmylabs... congrats on your first post!!! Only took you 11 years to come out of hiding!!
(Sorry, I JUST couldn't resist )