Hi all.

Just bought a 2009 FX4 without ever having driven one or even owned a truck before. However, I plan to use it well; and it'll make a fine companion for my '96 Cobra. As soon as it gets shipped to me, that is.

Meanwhile, I'm getting some accessories together. I live in a city so I want a hard folding tonneau. They cost a boatload, and when looking at negative reviews I see the same gripes about them leaking or somehow sucking. Would anyone like to weigh in on this? Some of these look like the same product: https://realtruck.com/c/exterior-acc...d/ranger/2009/

Thanks!

Gavin

 

I had a Lund Hard Cover Version, one piece but with the Lift Cylinders the weight wasn't a problem, it was Locking, and it made locking thing up a little easier, but it is fiberglass and it can be broken into.

Mine didn't leak, I would think if it did it would have towards the forward sections but I never saw water and I used to drive the Highway all the time, the cover was a PITA to take off for cleaning things up but two people can do it. ( Guess thats one of the reasons we have wives).

The lock on the one I had was poor at best but it did secure the cover, and the lock-cover is junk, tha broke off within the first year; oil the lock up once in a while and it works a lot better !

Sometimes I wish I had one on this truck but there are two drawbacks, 1) when you want to just throw something in the bed, you need to open the Cover, maybe unlock it, and 2) It would be hard to find a Tool Box to fit under it.

Can be a PITA but useful when needed.

If I didn't have a Bed Tool Box I might have a Hard Cover.

One more thing, the folding type, a lot more seams, a lot more areas for water to get in.

Before buying, check the warranty, ask about returns and get a pice of paper that says you can return it if it leaks.

Ltr

 

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm not super concerned about leaks; the folding aspect is important to me in case I need to remove it and stow it in the truck. The Tonno Pro ones are aluminum covered in vinyl, which seem like a decent idea to combine hard construction with water repellency; but based on the reviews it seems their product is brought down by shoddy materials.

 

Not worried about leaks..., Cali may have a lot of sun shine but when it rains it RAINS, as you know !

I can understand the idea of removing the top for quick storage, that's where mine fell flat.

As far as materials, I think the whole poor quality thing is too much.

Good Luck

 

I don't think that is going to happen.

If it's as wide as the outside of the truck, how will it fit inside the truck ?

 

Excellent question, and one I did consider. Depending on how wide the sections are, it might fit diagonally at the back of the cab, behind the seats. Maybe not, but that's the only way.

But even if it won't fit there, it can still be folded all the way up and out of the way for full use of the bed. Not true of a rigid hard cover.

Meanwhile, do you guys have any recommendation for a full-body soft cover? I want one of those too, preferably not costing a fortune but also not blowing off in the wind.

 

Soft tonneau covers you say?
See what extang.com has to offer. It's what was on my truck when I bought it. After 15 YEARS the vinyl has only shrunk a bit.
I contacted extang and they said they still support their products and can replace the soft top whenever I like for ~$100.
AND there are shops around who carry their products so they're not some tiny operation.


edit: Just reread your post. See if Big Sky Car Covers has one for you. We got one for "Mom's Saab" and a) there was a choice of 5 materials and b) the middle one we selected was A+.
Just hope they do trucks.

 

Thanks George! Checking them out now.

 

I have 2 soft cover type. If you want theft proof it's gonna cost a bit more. I have a roll up and a tri fold. Much prefer the trifold. Roll up you have to attach rails to the bed sides, cover will roll up to about 6" (close to the cab) Not sure if cover buy it's self is actually removable or not. Bought the Ranger used with it already installed and have never removed. It does leak but I think the side rails are the issue.
Main thing I like about the tri fold is there is nothing attached to the truck. It is folded, you lay it on the front of the bed, reach under an hook 2 latches to under the bed rail. unfold it, hook 2 latches at the rear. Close the tail gate, done! If you want to haul stuff, it will fold 2/3 and travel that way or release the front latches and lift off. Not heavy. I've been out found stuff, remove cover, load bed an just added folded cover to the load.
The one thing most all agree on is in daily use it's nice to be able to haul simple things and there covered, outa sight outa elements. And if you got a tail gate lock, fairly secured.
What ever you decide, Good Luck & Happy Truckin !

 

I have a hard cover Tonno Pro. it flips up twice and you snap it down with 2 small clips.I have had it about 7 years.I had a issue with one of the clips breaking and they shipped me a new cover at no charge.It will support 350 pounds on top. The only leaking I notice is water running down the sides and back after a car wash. They have no lock so I bought a tailgate lock. If I remember it cost around $450.It is easy to remove by yourselfand install is easy..

 

Thanks guys! I ended up getting the Gator FX. So far I'm impressed with its quality, with the exception of two aspects.

First, they pre-applied a set of spacers to the rails, but all other spacers that came with the kit were NOT pre-applied. It turns out that they aren't needed for the Ranger, so when you have the whole thing installed you'll find that you can't open the tonneau because the latches won't retract far enough to disengage... because the spacers moved the rails too far in. So you get to uninstall the whole thing and peel the spacers off the rails, and reinstall everything.

Second, the props that hold the folded-up tonneau against the back cab window are stowed in plastic clips that attach them to the bed rails when not in use. I was concerned that any cargo you put in the bed of the truck will quickly damage these props and/or clips, and that turned out to be true. I was moving innocuous household items and something bumped one of these, and now the clip is somehow bent out of position so the prop won't snap into it. Worse, you can't remove it to repair or replace it, because it's on a metal tab that's riveted to the rail. So now the props just flop around at the side of the bed until I have time to fabricate some solution.

I haven't subjected the cover to rain or even a wash yet, but I'm not expecting water-proofness. Also, I don't have a tailgate lock, because I've never seen one with a decent review.

 

I have a "Undercover" tonneau bed cover (one piece) on my 2006 Ranger XLT that came with the truck
8 years ago when I purchased it and have had no troubles with it except have to replace the gas struts and that was fairly cheap at $7 ea.
I have several colapsing / buldging disks in my back and I can take the cover off fairly easy and the struts fold up into clips on the cover
so when its removed the struts go with it. Granted it's not folding but, it also doesn't leak into the bed.

 

To follow up on my Gator FX: The problem I reported with the clips for the props turned out to be no big deal; they were simply knocked out of position. I was able to manually move them back into position and they've been fine since.

So, overall, it's a good (albeit heavy) product.