Selecting Your Tonneau Cover
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Each type of tonneau cover has its own features and advantages. Some things to consider in making your choice include:
- Weather conditions in your area – if you live in an area with harsh weather conditions, such as constant rain, heavy winds, harsh sun or heavy snow, you will probably want to choose a more heavy-duty tonneau cover. Because heavy snow can weigh quite a bit, a hard truck bed cover is usually recommended for areas that experience harsh winter weather. In areas of mild weather, a soft tonneau cover might be just the ticket. Check the weather in your area.
- Security issues, such as the crime rates in the areas your truck spends most of its time during the day and/or where it is parked at night. A hard cover with a locking tailgate system provides the highest level of security. A soft tonneau cover offers the level of security that simply covering your cargo provides. In between, there are lockable and clamped-shut truck bed cover choices that provide medium security.
- Ease of operation and removal – Ask yourself a simple question: will you usually have assistance for removing your tonneau cover or will you be mostly on your own for truck bed cover removal? If you’re handling the tonneau cover yourself, then light weight, roll-up, folding and retractable might be the way to go. A lightweight (only 58 pounds!) hard tonneau cover is also an excellent option. If you have assistance, then a hard tonneau cover that provides heavy duty protection and security is a fine choice.
- Ease of installation - Soft tonneau covers are the easiest to install. Hard tonneau cover installation usually takes somewhere around an hour. Retractable truck bed covers require careful alignment of rails and frames, but can be well worth the extra installation time because of their ease of use over the life of the cover and your ownership of your truck.
- Full or Partial Access – if you regularly need to load and unload your full truck bed, then a fully removable or completely retractable tonneau cover is the way to go. If, on the other hand, you use your truck bed mostly for storage of tools and supplies, and partial access is more your style of daily use, then snap on or folding truck bed covers will work great for you. If you tend to store things toward the back of your truck, a hard tonneau cover might be a good choice.
- Load Size – if you regularly haul loads that extend over the height of your truck bed, a soft tonneau cover, such as a roll up model or retractable tonneau cover is probably the way to go.
- Look and Styling – different tonneau covers add a different styling to your truck. Depending on the look you’re after -- sleek or sporty, utility or high-style – one style of tonneau cover may appeal to you more than another.
- Budget – Prices on tonneau covers usually range from a low of just under $160 for a snap-on soft tonneau cover to under $1000 for a top of the line retractable truck bed cover. Only you know what your budget can afford and what tonneau cover features are most important to you.
All tonneau covers add value to your truck; increase protection, organization, safety and security; and improve gas mileage. Choosing which tonneau cover is right for you can be a challenge. If you’d like assistance in weighing your various options and deciding which tonneau cover is best for your needs, your particular truck and your budget, please feel free to call us at 1-888-244-5908, and we’ll be glad to help. At Truck Champ, we’re the Tonneau Truck Bed Cover Champs!
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The Truck Champ Tonneau Covers / Truck Bed Covers Learning Center
