Learn me pickup bed covers

In reply to MrSmokey :

Bed covers do not increase fuel mileage. Against all logic, they cost you extra fuel if you use them.  Same with running with the tailgate down or off. Or using one of those mesh tailgates.  
It's been tested to death. Most scientifically by Myth Busters, who hated doing it because it's really boring and they don't get to blow anything up.  They actually did it twice.  
I ran my own test and confirmed it, so I stopped using mine.  Yes, a nice one I bought.  
What happens is an air bubble is formed by the tailgate being in the up position. That allows the majority of air to go up and over the cab and stay above the bed blending in with the air from beneath the truck .  
 

With a cover, air over the cab causes turbulence behind the cab, and then again behind the tailgate. 

Old thread alert.

Funny, but I never gave a thought to fuel economy when I got my bed cover.  The advantages of using the cover far outweigh any small hit the mileage might take.  I doubt the cover would push my 9 mpg down to 8, but I can keep stuff in the bed, keep it dry, and not have to show what's in the bed to anyone who looks.

I put an Access roll up cover on my truck in the summer of '05.  Its finally started to get to the point that it needs to be replaced.

Mr_Asa said:

I put an Access roll up cover on my truck in the summer of '05.  Its finally started to get to the point that it needs to be replaced.

I had a similarly excellent experience with the Access cover.  Top notch.

I went with a Gator tri-fold soft tonneau. It latches into place but is quite easy to remove the entire thing if needed in about 10 minutes.

For $329 shipped it was a total steal. Going on 3 1/2 years now without a hiccup.

Mine is the hidden snap no name Amazon one. The stepside came with absolutely useless hardware,  and i had to make it work. However, for $115 and going on four years with no issues or appreciable wear or deterioration,  im buying another for the new truck. 

So I know that this is a canoe thread, but this just happened, so... 

Keith Tanner said:

Truxedo roll-up. Lifetime warranty and after 9 years and a couple of seriously high wind situations (like semis blowing over) I’m starting to think about replacing it. It gets completely out of the way when you’re not using it and is quite waterproof when you are. I’ve purchased several for different trucks and haven’t regretted one. 

I finally called Truxedo about the wear to my cover. They sent me the parts to make it new again. 10 years after I bought it.

Any love for Weathertech?

LanEvo said:

Any love for Weathertech?

They make bed covers?

Have the weather mats in my Colorado and they are less than stellar.

In reply to kevinatfms :

Yep: https://www.weathertech.com/products/pickup-truck-bed-covers/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpc6Zy4yD7AIVB7bICh2QiwwiEAAYASAAEgLMMfD_BwE

So yay or nay Y'all ,,,,do they or don't they....mpg???? or who effen cares???.....as along as it looks good???

I know, old thread.  I had an Access cover that lasted through two company trucks, roughly 12 years.  It would hold up quite a pile of snow too!

Keith Tanner said:

Truxedo roll-up. Lifetime warranty and after 9 years and a couple of seriously high wind situations (like semis blowing over) I’m starting to think about replacing it. It gets completely out of the way when you’re not using it and is quite waterproof when you are. I’ve purchased several for different trucks and haven’t regretted one. 

Another vote for the Truxedo. Cheap, easy to use, weather tight. Mine's 7 years old and still working great. 

ultraclyde said:

I put a vinyl tonneau cover from Access on the long bed F250 I had - it came with aluminum extrusions that clamped to the bed rails and had an aluminum extrusion at the rear that latched down. The edges of it velcro'd to the siderails. You could roll it up and secure it behind the cab in no time and it was completely out of the way. Once I RTV'd the seam between the side extrusions and the bed rails it was completely weather tight. It was also cheap - I picked it up for about $200 with Amazon Prime free shipping. My 80lb dog jumped up on it and walked around a couple times (the goober) and it didn't collapse or show any ill effects. Worked great in all weather I encountered in Georgia.

The new pickup came with a Roll-N-Lock brand retractable cover. It's not water tight, the roll up box takes up bed space, and it's sometimes a PITA to keep closed on rough roads. If I'd spent the $2k on it new I'd have been pissed off. It is somewhat more secure, you'd at least need a large screwdriver to break the lock instead of just a pocket knife to cut the canvas, but in every other way the cheap vinyl roll-up was superior.

I'm still using this cover on a second truck- so I've had it on about 80k miles or more after he did and it still looks great. And it lived in south Florida for a few years. It's a great option if you don't go with a camper top.