Frustrated With Tonneau Search...Perfect Tonneau?

[bzone3]

All 3 sections latch down, yes, on both sides. You can see one of them in the picture. For the tailgate seal, instructions call for two of the three "fins" to contact the tailgate. If somebody had a pry bar an wanted to get in, they would, otherwise it would not be easy for somebody walking by to simply get in. This arrived in less than 2 weeks here to Newfoundland, which is great considering it typically takes 2-5 business longer to get anything shipped here. Came from Ontario and seems like it was hot off the press. Aluminum shavings in the box and foam packing was still half soft.

Thanks for the information, one more question. Does the REV require drainage hoses?

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[OnceAnEagle]

Is there a hard tri-fold that allows you to easily remove it from the bed after you fold it up? I would like a hard tri-fold, but I haul bikes with a tailgate pad often and they won't fit with the last third of a tri-fold in place (and I'm not crazy about driving with the rear window blocked).

Lomax or Weathertech, which is a rebranded Lomax but less money last I checked.

TCUSA trucks covers usa american roll cover is the best retractible cover on the market. Retrax XR doesn’t come close. But Retrax spends all the money on marketing and distribution, so most people don’t even get to compare them, they simply jump the Retrax route because some middleman quickly offers them an attractive 100-200$ discount making the decision seem easy.

But if you research it carefully, you’ll see the differences in quality between the two and TCUSA will likely run about 300-400$ more without the toolbox but with slots for rails. I’m getting it 100% once my truck comes in.

Looks very well made but does it fit a 2021 F-150? No mention I could find of 2021 F-150 or bed length or cost or how to order except maybe call them or go to a dealer. No installation video on the site, which seemed more sales promotional than helpful but maybe that's me. I read through their generic installation instructions I found online and it seemed more complicated to install than others. 2 year warranty only for something this good seems odd. What is your experience with this product?

 

[MikeG]

I have the Weathertech Alloy Cover (rebranded Lomax). It does not fold up to the rear window like the MX4 but it takes all of 10 seconds to remove it from the bed entirely. They also claim you can fit it in the back seat of the SCREW when you remove it but I haven't personally tried this.

Overall very happy with it. Tonneau covers are not perfect, they all have their trade offs.

 

[Poalpo]

Lomax or Weathertech, which is a rebranded Lomax but less money last I checked.

Looks very well made but does it fit a 2021 F-150? No mention I could find of 2021 F-150 or bed length or cost or how to order except maybe call them or go to a dealer. No installation video on the site, which seemed more sales promotional than helpful but maybe that's me. I read through their generic installation instructions I found online and it seemed more complicated to install than others. 2 year warranty only for something this good seems odd. What is your experience with this product?

Yes, it fits both 5.5 and 6.5 beds on 2021. Im getting 6.5 version. Heres the install video

More complicated install because it is a better quality product than retrax. Examples:
Retrax cover has 2 brackets on each side, TCUSA has 3.
Retrax has 2 rain hoses only on the front, tcusa has 4 , 2 front and 2 back, for better water escape.
Retrax is single aluminum slats, tcusa are double for more strength.
Retrax box is like 11 inch inches tall, tcusa one is only 8, gives you more space inside your bed.
And so on, anywhere you look every single component is better quality.

What TCUSA don’t have is a promotional department like Retrax, that’s their only negative. But their customer service is top notch, my suspension installer told me a story about having to call them on a Sunday night and the owner got back to him the same night with answers. Retrax i heard the opposite, people don’t hear back for months on warranty claims.

Anyways, i did my research and my mind is made up. I recommend others do theirs before jumping on the retrax wagon.

 

[OnceAnEagle]

Yes, it fits both 5.5 and 6.5 beds on 2021. Im getting 6.5 version. Heres the install video

More complicated install because it is a better quality product than retrax. Examples:
Retrax cover has 2 brackets on each side, TCUSA has 3.
Retrax has 2 rain hoses only on the front, tcusa has 4 , 2 front and 2 back, for better water escape.
Retrax is single aluminum slats, tcusa are double for more strength.
Retrax box is like 11 inch inches tall, tcusa one is only 8, gives you more space inside your bed.
And so on, anywhere you look every single component is better quality.

What TCUSA don’t have is a promotional department like Retrax, that’s their only negative. But their customer service is top notch, my suspension installer told me a story about having to call them on a Sunday night and the owner got back to him the same night with answers. Retrax i heard the opposite, people don’t hear back for months on warranty claims.

Anyways, i did my research and my mind is made up. I recommend others do theirs before jumping on the retrax wagon.

Thanks. Very informative. My local Line-X is a dealer so I will swing by.

 

[OzzieSr]

Thanks for the information, one more question. Does the REV require drainage hoses?

Yes, there are two drainage hoses included.

 

[Fkn_fafa]

I went with TrailFX

I had a local shop show me, the latching mechanism on the Bak Flip are plastic where these are all metal. that sold me. Does not lean against back glass, has dual prop rods and a quick release to remove the whole cover. Also came with a 5 year warranty.

Ford Hard Trifold Tonneau Cover (21-22 F-150 - Bed 5.5') TFX3529 - TrailFX

 

[Bigtwin]

thatll look great on a roush, post photos!

I haven’t seen any of those on an f150 in my area yet. I saw one on a Dodge last week; the front and rear panels must not of been latched because it wasnt flat.

CJ912, All

So anyone considering a Diamondback, there's plenty of install videos on youtube. This install would have been much easier with another set of hands, but alone, double the install time. It is extremely robust. The hardware is HD as well. That said, this is NOT the perfect choice for everyone. I can predict it's shortcoming just within the installation. But it is very HD. It will serve perfectly for what I. need a cover for. Here's some pictures of the install last night.

 

[CaptainAmericaRob]

Love my 2011 5.0, but considering a 2021 Limited. A great tonneau cover is important, but I’ve been frustrated with what’s out there. Want high security, so won’t consider a soft tonneau.

Hard tonneau covers are basically three types: 1) roll-up, 2) hard folding (e.g., BAKFlip MX4), or 3) retractable (e.g., RetraxPRO MX). But each type has its own very significant drawback(s), at least to me:

1. Roll-up: blocks some of rear view. When rolled up, still intrudes horizontally into bed significantly (about 12 inches), taking up valuable bed space. Pretty much only fully open or fully closed. Aesthetically so-so.

2. Hard folding: when folded up, completely blocks rear view. Some wind resistance. Some lean on rear window.

3. Retractable: canisters take up a ton of bed room: about 12-14” horizontally, and almost as much vertically. There’s one that takes up less at around 8.5”, but not thrilled with quality.

The wheels in this semi-retired entrepreneur’s head are turning. Would love to hear you guys’ opinions on what you think would be the PERFECT tonneau cover? Features, specs, price, appearance, etc. How important is the ability to handle a significant distributed load? Is the option for T-slots (Yakima, etc.,) important? Warranty?

Is what’s out there good enough? For example a lot of people love the BAKFlip MX4. Is that because they’re totally fine with completely obstructing the rear view? Would that happy MX4 customer opt for something else that was much more “perfect?”

Really appreciate your input!

I totally feel your frustration lol... Also most all sit on rails that mount INSIDE the bed. I dont get that. I assume it's in case you want to put some kind of rack system that sits in the stake pockets, idk.
security is a concern, but frankly, soft tonneau's seem to be the most common type out there.
Personally I've never heard of anyone having anything stolen.
Ideally my perfect tonneau would be a hard roll-up that didnt block the rear view or take up bed space.

 

[RJL1400]

Love my 2011 5.0, but considering a 2021 Limited. A great tonneau cover is important, but I’ve been frustrated with what’s out there. Want high security, so won’t consider a soft tonneau.

Hard tonneau covers are basically three types: 1) roll-up, 2) hard folding (e.g., BAKFlip MX4), or 3) retractable (e.g., RetraxPRO MX). But each type has its own very significant drawback(s), at least to me:

1. Roll-up: blocks some of rear view. When rolled up, still intrudes horizontally into bed significantly (about 12 inches), taking up valuable bed space. Pretty much only fully open or fully closed. Aesthetically so-so.

2. Hard folding: when folded up, completely blocks rear view. Some wind resistance. Some lean on rear window.

3. Retractable: canisters take up a ton of bed room: about 12-14” horizontally, and almost as much vertically. There’s one that takes up less at around 8.5”, but not thrilled with quality.

The wheels in this semi-retired entrepreneur’s head are turning. Would love to hear you guys’ opinions on what you think would be the PERFECT tonneau cover? Features, specs, price, appearance, etc. How important is the ability to handle a significant distributed load? Is the option for T-slots (Yakima, etc.,) important? Warranty?

Is what’s out there good enough? For example a lot of people love the BAKFlip MX4. Is that because they’re totally fine with completely obstructing the rear view? Would that happy MX4 customer opt for something else that was much more “perfect?”

Really appreciate your input!

I had a hard top on my tundra and it opened in four sections. I can't for the life of me remember the brand though. But the last section was fixed so instead of it raising up and blocking the window like the new ones do it stayed flat, BUT the good thing was the whole thing was held on by two clamps underneath that you just just unscrew and then fold the whole thing up and take it off in minutes. Some of these bakflip and such it seems like you can't take them off if you want. So I too am frustrated.

 

[RJL1400]

CJ912, All

So anyone considering a Diamondback, there's plenty of install videos on youtube. This install would have been much easier with another set of hands, but alone, double the install time. It is extremely robust. The hardware is HD as well. That said, this is NOT the perfect choice for everyone. I can predict it's shortcoming just within the installation. But it is very HD. It will serve perfectly for what I. need a cover for. Here's some pictures of the install last night.

definitely looks stout! Love the red. Is that race red? Because the red's I saw didn't look as good as that so went with the rapid red instead

 

[OnceAnEagle]

I went to my local Line-x dealer today and he asked me a lot of questions about why I wanted a tonneau and what features etc. to include security. It came down to a hard flip that is easily removed fast but does not fold up to block or touch the window. For my 6.5 ft bed he can do a Lomax in Matt black installed and out the door with tax, for $950.00. He also carries Weathertech, which is the same cover but I need to ask price difference, if any.

 

[Bigtwin]

definitely looks stout! Love the red. Is that race red? Because the red's I saw didn't look as good as that so went with the rapid red instead

Thank you. Yes, That is Race Red. Second Ford I've had RR (see my profile pic). Changes hue in different lights. Bright sun, looks like the orangy, Poppeyseed Red of the 60's, in shade, early evening, the hue you see in the pictures. I do like the Rapid Red very much. Wish someone had a Roush available in that.

 

[Jimk2121]

Was checking out Stage 3’s site…. Good selection. Anyone know the difference between the Bak G2 and the MX4?

 

[GFDF150]

I went with an Undercover Armor Flex cover that has the top treated with Line-X. The install wasn’t too bad and I like the looks of it.