packhawk1
Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hey Everyone,
I purchased a new Ranger recently and knew immediately that I wanted a tonneau cover for the bed. I did some research and settled on a Gator hard tri-fold. Installation was difficult as I had never attached a tonneau cover before and the directions provided with the cover required a Ph D to decipher. The main issue I found during installation was getting the clamps to attach properly. It seems like a combination of poorly made clamps and strangely designed bed rails on the truck itself.
Eventually I thought I had everything done properly. The rails were clamped on and I got the cover itself attached and folded down properly. After a day or so though I noticed a horrible squeak/rattling noise while going over bumps similar to the squeak that those cheap plastic water bottles make when they rub against each other. At first it didn't seem like a big deal and I figured maybe the cold weather was contributing to that (0 degrees in Wisconsin the last week). Now it's driving me insane and I can't stand another second of it.
I tried moving the cover further from the bulkhead and fiddling with the clamps over and over again. I also tried shimming the bulkhead brackets and a few of the clamps themselves but nothing has worked. I'm fairly certain it has something to do with the clamps and how they're attached but I'm really not sure .
I ordered some truxedo clamps that looked to me like they might grip the truck and rail together better but I'm not sure if that will be the solution. Thinking of taking it into a shop and asking them to fiddle around with it and find a solution. In the meantime I think I'll disassemble the whole thing and wait for the other clamps to arrive. Just can't stand the squeak even for a few days.
Has anybody else had a similar issue? I've searched the forum and found people having problems with the clamps but no mention of a rattle or squeak. I can try to post pictures if anybody is curious. Any advice is appreciated!!!
I purchased a new Ranger recently and knew immediately that I wanted a tonneau cover for the bed. I did some research and settled on a Gator hard tri-fold. Installation was difficult as I had never attached a tonneau cover before and the directions provided with the cover required a Ph D to decipher. The main issue I found during installation was getting the clamps to attach properly. It seems like a combination of poorly made clamps and strangely designed bed rails on the truck itself.
Eventually I thought I had everything done properly. The rails were clamped on and I got the cover itself attached and folded down properly. After a day or so though I noticed a horrible squeak/rattling noise while going over bumps similar to the squeak that those cheap plastic water bottles make when they rub against each other. At first it didn't seem like a big deal and I figured maybe the cold weather was contributing to that (0 degrees in Wisconsin the last week). Now it's driving me insane and I can't stand another second of it.
I tried moving the cover further from the bulkhead and fiddling with the clamps over and over again. I also tried shimming the bulkhead brackets and a few of the clamps themselves but nothing has worked. I'm fairly certain it has something to do with the clamps and how they're attached but I'm really not sure .
I ordered some truxedo clamps that looked to me like they might grip the truck and rail together better but I'm not sure if that will be the solution. Thinking of taking it into a shop and asking them to fiddle around with it and find a solution. In the meantime I think I'll disassemble the whole thing and wait for the other clamps to arrive. Just can't stand the squeak even for a few days.
Has anybody else had a similar issue? I've searched the forum and found people having problems with the clamps but no mention of a rattle or squeak. I can try to post pictures if anybody is curious. Any advice is appreciated!!!

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