DIY Hillbilly Truck Bed Cover (Tonneau) for 2019/20 Ford Ranger.

P. A. Schilke

Well-Known Member
First Name
Phil
Joined
Apr 3, 2019
Threads
141
Messages
7,012
Reaction score
36,169
Location
GV Arizona
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger FX4 Lariat 4x4, 2020 Lincoln Nautilus, 2005 Alfa Motorhome
Occupation
Engineer Retired
Vehicle Showcase
1
For the sake of this argument or disagreement I will play the devil's advocate. :devil:
Just maybe by
Googling you might not find the real truth because Google has a bias for their
advertising clients or Tonneau vendors:question:


Folks Google on
Does having a truck bed covers improve gas mileage?
Does a Tonneau cover improve mpg?

One vendor even has a gas savings calculator ;)
https://truxedo.com/gas-savings-calculator

This link is along the lines of my thinking "now" - Discovery Channel's MythBusters blog :question:
https://autosneed.com/do-tonneau-covers-really-save-gas/
Hi Andy,

My $20,000 time in the middle of the night at Lockheed generated specific Aero Hp numbers...We always did three or 4 runs and averaged the numbers. Each run showed a increase of Aero HP.... You want to believe the opposite,...fine....I generated solid data...

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
Sponsored

 
OP
OP

DIYAndy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Threads
66
Messages
542
Reaction score
499
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
Ford 2019 Ranger XL
Occupation
Content Provider For SPAM
Vehicle Showcase
1
You want to believe the opposite,...fine....I generated solid data...
I believe you, (I was just pulling your chain), since you are an engineer from a company that has been making vehicles for over 100 years. ;)
 

jsphlynch

Well-Known Member
First Name
Joe
Joined
Oct 16, 2018
Threads
11
Messages
907
Reaction score
2,436
Location
WV
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger XL
Air flow is not intuitive and you cannot see its flow
This.

There's a Mythbusters episode where they used clay to create a dimpled effect all over the surface of a car, essentially turning it into a big golf ball. Intuition tells you that such a rough surface would impede airflow, thereby increasing resistance and decrease gas mileage. But intuition is wrong, and the dimples actually improved fuel efficiency by helping air flow around around the car.

Incidentally, Mythbusters also tested various bed modifications, and did some tests using a pickup model in flowing water to visualize the fluid mechanics (their budget obviously increased over the course of the show, but apparently not enough to get to use Lockheed's wind tunnel). They concluded that the cushion of air created in the bed was necessary to optimize airflow, and this was backed up by their MPG experiments with an actual truck. Kinda cool to hear that they were essentially doing a poor-man's replication of a Ford experiment, and that they got the same results.
 

jsphlynch

Well-Known Member
First Name
Joe
Joined
Oct 16, 2018
Threads
11
Messages
907
Reaction score
2,436
Location
WV
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger XL
DIY Hillbilly Truck Bed Cover (Tonneau) for 2019/20 Ford Ranger.

Due to the high cost of commercial Tonneau (In Ohio, we call them truck bed covers - no french spoken here) and a bet from the local bar room Ford Ranger owners, I decided to do a DIY design and build my own Ford Ranger truck bed cover for ~ 1/5 the cost and about less than a day's work (6 hours)!...
Cool project.

When I was buying my truck, I passed over another one in part because it had a factory-installed hard cover. I thought I had no use for one, and it was kind of an expensive extra.

On the second day of owning my truck, I was driving around with my wife riding shotgun and the three kids in the back, and my wife starts talking about how nice of a setup it is, as everyone fits so comfortably and reaching back to pass things back to the kids is so easy, and there's so much room in the bed for cargo...wouldn't it be nice to take the truck instead of our SUV on our planned ~4000-mile road trip next summer? Only drawback is that things are so exposed in the bed, so we need to have some sort of cover...

So anyway, I'm now in the design phase of a DIY hard cover. The overall design is somewhat different than yours, but I might have gotten some inspiration from some of the elements of yours. I can't find any indication that you've filed any patents on any of it, so I think I clear from a legal standpoint...
 
OP
OP

DIYAndy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Threads
66
Messages
542
Reaction score
499
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
Ford 2019 Ranger XL
Occupation
Content Provider For SPAM
Vehicle Showcase
1
I can't find any indication that you've filed any patents on any of it, so I think I clear from a legal standpoint...
Hillbillies don't file or get patents they just do it to get the job done;)
 
Last edited:


OP
OP

DIYAndy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Threads
66
Messages
542
Reaction score
499
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
Ford 2019 Ranger XL
Occupation
Content Provider For SPAM
Vehicle Showcase
1
Just in case you missed this but my cover design also serves for many alternative uses ...

So far, my DIY hillbilly truck bed cover (Tonneau) has five other alternative uses ...
1. Drone launch pad. ;)
2. Saw horse work platform/table when panels are removed from the vehicle truck bed. ;)
3. Emergency firewood source, in an unlikely event, my Ford Ranger breaks down in Timbuktu. :(
4. A makeshift picnic table for the whole family.:LOL:
5. Mobile bar top.;)

Your family could have a free picnic table for your family vacation ;)
 

jsphlynch

Well-Known Member
First Name
Joe
Joined
Oct 16, 2018
Threads
11
Messages
907
Reaction score
2,436
Location
WV
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger XL
Just in case you missed this but my cover design also serves for many alternative uses ...

So far, my DIY hillbilly truck bed cover (Tonneau) has five other alternative uses ...
1. Drone launch pad. ;)
2. Saw horse work platform/table when panels are removed from the vehicle truck bed. ;)
3. Emergency firewood source, in an unlikely event, my Ford Ranger breaks down in Timbuktu. :(
4. A makeshift picnic table for the whole family.:LOL:
5. Mobile bar top.;)

Your family could have a free picnic table for your family vacation ;)
I'm thinking with a mobile bar top, ours will be the most popular campsite in the whole campground!
 
OP
OP

DIYAndy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Threads
66
Messages
542
Reaction score
499
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
Ford 2019 Ranger XL
Occupation
Content Provider For SPAM
Vehicle Showcase
1
Last edited:

P. A. Schilke

Well-Known Member
First Name
Phil
Joined
Apr 3, 2019
Threads
141
Messages
7,012
Reaction score
36,169
Location
GV Arizona
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger FX4 Lariat 4x4, 2020 Lincoln Nautilus, 2005 Alfa Motorhome
Occupation
Engineer Retired
Vehicle Showcase
1
Forgot to ask " how much in gas MPG reduction (%) would I expect with a truck bed cover (Tonneau) ?"
Hi Andy,

I do not know was I did not correlate aero hp increase to reduction in fuel economy and do not remember the specific values since it was back in the mid 80s when we ran hit the Lockheed Wind Tunnel... Our goal at that time was increased speed for the Racetrucks... I was actually in the Lockheed tunnel twice...once with the Saleen Racetrucks and once with our mule offroad Class 8 racetruck. Both time was a quest for increased speed. This is where we learned that tailgate down or removed is also an increase in aero hp. The Sports Club of America had a sponsor proposal that wanted to have the racetrucks run a tailgate net. Steve Saleen, his crew chief and I discussed and without tipping our hat on the aero findings, I voiced the Ford Manufacturers opinion that the tailgate showcased the Ford oval on camera and did not support running a flippin' net!...Reps from the other manufacturers agreed and the whole idea was dropped...

Okay another back story

We finished up the Lockheed work on the desert racetruck. Armed with this information extracted from the windtunnel data, we held a Tech forum at the next offroad race and prior to the Baja 1000. The teams had the choice of incorporating what we found, much could be done with a roll of racers tape and other proprietary details on the undercarriage. Our Class 8 Rough Rider team Enduro, with Dave Ashley/Dan Smith reported that they experienced helmet lift to the point that they had to hold the helmet with one hand crossing a dry lake...something they had never experienced before and was verification that we had increased their top speed by some 15mph or more. Something on the order of a top speed of 140mph... Worth the $20,000?...When We win it is worth every penny!

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
 
OP
OP

DIYAndy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Threads
66
Messages
542
Reaction score
499
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
Ford 2019 Ranger XL
Occupation
Content Provider For SPAM
Vehicle Showcase
1
The Internet/Google says "a 10% gain in MPG" and a Ford engineer (retired) says an "unknown" reduction in MPG when you have a truck bed cover (Tonneau) installed on a Ford Ranger or on any truck bed vehicle? This is like a "Mexican Standoff" and the only way to resolve it is very simple - this summer, while on vacation with many tanks of gas, I will check my MPG, on my Ford Ranger, with my truck bed cover on/installed and off/removed to see if there is any noticeable or negligible differences in MPG. ;)
(It only takes 3 minutes to completely install or remove my DIY Hillbilly truck bed cover)

On another note my next project - DIY Hillbilly Truck Bed Slider.
This ridiculously, over priced truck bed accessory which, I believe, can be easily made for about 1/10 the cost - stay tuned for further updates. :wink:
 

Floyd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Threads
38
Messages
2,064
Reaction score
3,113
Location
illinois
Vehicle(s)
'19 Ranger SCab,'16 Connect,'95 MustangGT,'50 Ford
You inspire me!:clap:
I found a discarded flip type cover from a fullsized truck with damage along one hinge face and no mounting hardware,
I plan to disassemble it and resize it to fit my Ranger, then devise a pair of clamps and a striker for the latch.
I'll post here if I find the ambition to do it!:like:
Update...
Spent 6 dollars and probably about 6 hours to convert the bed cover.
Got it done today, looks and works great.
Thank you, DIYAndy for the inspiration.
Pictures tomorrow if I find the time.
 
Last edited:

viperwolf

Well-Known Member
First Name
Alex
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Threads
37
Messages
1,185
Reaction score
3,536
Location
TN US and PHilippines
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ford Everest 4x4 Titanium BI Turbo, 2015 Ford Ecosport Titanium
Occupation
Retired Military
Update...
Spent 6 dollars and probably about 6 hours to convert the bed cover.
Got it done today, looks and works great.
Thank you, DIYAndy for the inspiration.
Pictures tomorrow if I find the time.
Looking forward to it!!!
 

Floyd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Threads
38
Messages
2,064
Reaction score
3,113
Location
illinois
Vehicle(s)
'19 Ranger SCab,'16 Connect,'95 MustangGT,'50 Ford
Well , here's the pictures of the box cover.
It was badly damaged, especially on the first hinge from the back.
The hardware was either destroyed or missing.
It was off an SOB fullsized truck (Chevy?)
I had to cut it 8" narrower and mke my own attachment points.
I will be installing a funnoodle or waterpipe insulation to seal the front edge of the box.
The entire cover is removable with only two hand nuts on the front panel after unhooking the rear straps and folding the cover.
not too bad for six bucks!:clap::giggle:

truck cover1.jpg


truck cover7.jpg


truck cover4.jpg


truck cover3.jpg


truck cover2.jpg
 
Last edited:
OP
OP

DIYAndy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Threads
66
Messages
542
Reaction score
499
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
Ford 2019 Ranger XL
Occupation
Content Provider For SPAM
Vehicle Showcase
1
not too bad for six bucks!
You are going to put the third party accessory vendors out of business!;)
Nice DIY job:thumbsup:
Sponsored

 
 



Top