The open-air nature of a pickup truck’s bed can be a disadvantage. Not only is your goods exposed to the elements, but it also risks being misplaced if it isn’t properly secured. Truck bed covers are an excellent way to address this problem. Even a simple tarp may be used to cover the bed of your pickup truck, but tonneau covers provide additional advantages.
What is a Tonneau Cover?
Tons of benefits come with a tonneau cover. They serve as a form of weather protection, security, and improved aerodynamics. Your pickup truck acquires all the benefits of conventional trunk space with a tonneau cover.
Tonneau covers come in a variety of materials and styles, including metal or fabric, can be locked for safety, and may easily be pulled aside. The majority of tonneau covers have something in common: they’re simple to install and provide a number of advantages.
What Are the Benefits of a Truck Cover?
The fact that each truck cover has its own set of characteristics and advantages isn’t anything new. However, these are the sort of changes you can anticipate from any tonneau cover.
Weather Protection
The most apparent advantage is protection from the elements. If you leave tools from your most recent project in the back of your vehicle during a sudden rainstorm, they’ll be safe. It’s simply nice to know that they’re secure.
Tonneau covers not only protect an empty truck bed, but they also keep it protected. Many vehicles are rusting before their time. In a truck’s bed, rust is likely to develop fast. The bed of the truck is scratched by transporting gravel or tools. Water sitting in the seat after rain or snow causes corrosion. You may never know how quickly rust will form if you combine these elements.
It’s also comforting to know that when you need it, you’ll have a dry place to store your belongings.
Increased Security
When you leave your goods in the open, they are not only exposed to the weather, but also to curious eyes. You’ve already given your stuff a layer of protection by hiding it. Locking tonneau covers provide additional security for truck owners who transport valuables with them.
Tonneau covers, on the other hand, serve at least as a deterrent. When there’s no assurance that they’ll find what they’re looking for in your truck, fewer individuals are willing to take a chance.
More Options for Cargo Transportation
Pickups have the most cargo capacity, but their beds are rarely used to carry groceries or small, light items. The reasons for this are self-evident. There’s also the issue of highway speeds to consider when talking about weather exposure and theft. Everyone has seen a truck driver who failed to secure their load, and no one wants to be that guy.
It’s true that a tonneau cover transforms your pickup into a trunk. The inside will be spotless and safe. You may transport little things without them flying around your truck bed with the aid of storage organisers like cargo nets.
Tidy Appearance
Although the most significant advantages of a tonneau are practical, it also adds to a vehicle’s appearance. Covering a truck’s bed gives it a neat appearance, much like making a bed does.
Tonneau covers fit your truck’s bed like a second skin and are low-profile. This covered-bed appearance is more attractive than an open truck bed. This is especially true if you use your truck to transport materials such as mulch on a regular basis. A tonneau cover may conceal some of the mess rather than trying to completely clean the bed, which would be an impossible task.
Enhanced Aerodynamics
An uncovered bed can create an unpleasant driving experience, loud noises, and a lower fuel efficiency. The truck’s bed is filled with air like a pocket, generating drag and resistance. As a result, the journey becomes uncomfortable, noisy, and inefficient in terms of gas mileage.
Tonneau covers save gasoline, but the amount is minor. A SEMA research found that tonneau covers reduced drag by as much as 7.8 percent at speeds of 85 mph.
If you do a lot of highway driving, the money you’ll save over a year might pay for a tonneau cover. It’s not the most compelling reason to get one, and drivers who drive slowly may not notice any difference.
Soft vs Hard Tonneau Covers
There are two primary types of tonneau covers: soft and hard. Soft and hard covers have advantages and disadvantages that you should consider before choosing one.
Hard Tonneau Covers
While most people picture a single sheet of metal on a hinge when they think about hard tonneau covers, there is in fact a wide selection of them. Retractable, foldable, and rolling tonneau covers are among the most popular.
More protection is provided by hard covers than soft ones. Even in severe weather, they can keep your shipments safe. Despite the fact that a hard cover is quicker to put up, it generally requires more effort than a soft one.
A typical hard tonneau cover has a weight capacity of around 300 pounds. It’s critical to note that the weight rating refers to “evenly distributed” weight, not total weight. Sitting or standing a hard tonneau cover might cause serious damage. However, even a hefty snowfall is unlikely to harm it.
If you want to sit or stand in the bed of your truck, a tonneau cover that can be readily moved for bed access is ideal.
Soft Tonneau Covers
Although soft tonneau covers aren’t as protective, they can still endure regular use and abuse. They’re also less expensive and simpler to change as needed than hard covers.
In comparison to all-metal hard tonneau covers, these tonneau covers are “soft.” Heavy-duty vinyl stretched over foam pieces is generally used to make soft tonneau covers.
Installing a soft tonneau cover takes only seconds, and removing and replacing one is just as simple.
Tonneau Covers Types
The way a hard or soft tonneau cover opens and closes may be used to further categorize it. However, while there are some outliers, these are the most popular opening and closing methods you’ll encounter, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Retractable Tonneau Covers
Retractable tonneau covers are both elegant and functional. The most common material is aluminum, which folds up into a canister device and can be retracted. Most retractable coverings utilize a rail system to ensure a drill-free installation. They will operate as long as the rail system fits on your truck.
The cost of retractable tonneau covers is typically higher than that of fixed ones. Extra features drive up the price considerably. Remote control, low-profile design, and toolbox compatibility are all nice features to have.
Retractable tonneau covers are most likely to work with you if you require a bed toolbox. You’ll still have to double-check to make sure your tonneau and toolbox can be used together on the same bed.
Foldable Tonneau Covers
A Folding Tonneau Cover is a less expensive alternative to a retractable cover that provides all of the functionality. Both soft and hard varieties are available.
The major benefit of a foldable tonneau cover is that it does not need to be removed to utilize your bed. These covers fold into a neat stack and can then be fastened using “quick-connect straps” or tie-downs, which are generally made of three or more pieces.
The main benefits of folding tonneau covers are that they provide all the functionality and protection of a tonneau cover while allowing complete bed access.
They’re also simple to set up. Some folding tonneau covers claim to take less than six minutes to install. However, nearly all may be installed in about an hour and a half.
Rolling Tonneau Covers
The advantages of rolling tonneau covers are the same as those of folding tonneau covers. They’re available in hard and soft versions, much like folding covers. The hard kinds utilize aluminum slats that gather into a compact bundle.
It may roll up to take up less space than a folding cover depending on the sort of rolling cover you choose.
Hinged Tonneau Covers
Hinged tonneau covers are only offered as hard covers, and they must be perfectly fitted to your vehicle’s bed. Hinged covers readily lift up when you need access to the bed.
The drawbacks of a hinged tonneau cover are self-evident. A hinged tonneau cover is the least adaptable of all the opening designs. There’s no way to access just part of your bed or accommodate massive cargo.
Hinged cover designs are the most secure because they offer the greatest protection. Lockable hinged covers are easy to come by. Hinged tonneau covers are often painted in factory colors, since they’re sized for specific vehicles. This gives them a seamless appearance that many people enjoy.
Measurements for a Tonneau Cover
Always choose a tonneau cover that is made specifically for your year and model to get the best fit.
If you’re not sure how big your truck’s bed is, it’s easy to measure. From the inside of the truck bed, measure from the bulkhead to the tailgate’s interior edge. You could come up with a 5’4″ result. This would indicate that you have a 5′-5′ bed.
With regard to pickup bed lengths, there’s usually 1-2″ of wiggle room. To the nearest manufacturer size, you’ll need to round up or down.
Closing Options for a Tonneau Cover
You’ll need a method to keep your tonneau cover in position, regardless of how it opens or closes. Nobody wants their tonneau cover to open at an inconvenient moment. Being unable to access your truck’s bed also defeats the purpose of owning one.
Tonneaus Snap Closure
The most popular forms of tonneau were snap-closure covers for many years. They are no longer in vogue. A tiny stretch and retraction of a tonneau cover occurs as a result of cold or heat. This caused snaps to become less effective with time. If you reside in a location where the temperature swings are minimal, you may safely use a snap closure tonneau cover. But why? Overall, nearly every other type of closure is superior.
Tonneau Cover Clamps
The most popular way to secure a tonneau cover is with clamps. This is frequently seen on fold-up covers. The clamps neatly collapse into the panel they’re attached to, allowing for simple storage and no lost components.
Tonneau Cover Velcro
Most covers, when folded, employ some sort of restraint strap, usually buckled. Even at high speeds, these straps keep the cover from coming free.
Velcro fasteners are often referred to as “hook and loop” fasteners since “Velcro” is a registered trademark. Roll-up tonneau covers are most frequently equipped with Velcro fasteners. Fortunately, the roll itself helps to some degree with protection.
Tonneau Compatible Bed Accessories
A tonneau cover does limit your access to bed accessories, however there are still a lot of alternatives.
There are tonneau-friendly toolboxes. With the aid of a tonneau, some accessories, such as bed lights and cargo bars, acquire additional functionality.
What Is the Best Tonneau Cover for Your Needs?
There is, however, no “perfect” tonneau cover. Each solution has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Truck bed coverings are available in a variety of forms and styles for every purpose. Tonneaus come in a variety of forms and designs, with features to meet the needs of every driver.
Tonneau cover solutions for every truck maker and model are available. Now that you’ve decided which varieties would work best for you, look into what alternatives are available for your truck.
