Gator Hard Tri-Fold Woes

[packhawk1]

The clamps are the problem. Our Ranger has the Quad hard fold and besides the clamps, the cover has been great. The issue we had was the rear of the bed not sitting flush. We have the slightest lift on our cover no matter what we tried with clamps. Definitely need an extra set of hands. What we did was put a ton of pressure towards the actual rail while the other tightened the clamps down. It is nearly flush now but not perfect. I do not feel the rails were made to work as smooth with these trucks as they do with others. We are swapping to Diamondback here soon on ours and hopefully that will be better.

I have also noticed the rear part of the tonneau rails bend upwards slightly and don’t sit as flush to the truck as they should. I haven’t given it too much attention because the cover folds down fine and I don’t notice a significant area where weather could get in. That will be something I’ll monitor going forward though.

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[HotShotOffroad]

I have also noticed the rear part of the tonneau rails bend upwards slightly and don’t sit as flush to the truck as they should. I haven’t given it too much attention because the cover folds down fine and I don’t notice a significant area where weather could get in. That will be something I’ll monitor going forward though.

I had issues when there was wind driven rains of water getting inside there or a little bit of the runoff from the way that I sometimes park at a small slant and the water rolls down the cover and gets into that channel. I added a piece of weatherstrip foam on the back lip of the cover flap to help keep things from getting in there and that seems to work really well. The only trouble he gives me is that you have to put a little Force when closing the tailgate or else it’ll wedge out a little bit because of that foam lol

 

[packhawk1]

I'm getting rid of the clamps on my LoPro altogather. Went to Lowes and got a pack of #14 hex head self tapping screws. As soon as weather warms up a bit, just going to take everything off, and re-do by just screwing the side rails to the bed lip. 6 per side, and I dare the rail to shift after I get done !!!
Nothing wrong with the cover or the clamps, just the narrow bed lip that Ford could have made 1/2 inch longer and a bit thicker.

Post a picture when you’re done!!! I’m curious to see how that’ll work.

 

[Grumpaw]

Post a picture when you’re done!!! I’m curious to see how that’ll work.

Will do...started this afternoon taking cover/rails off. Will finish up tomorrow.

 

[packhawk1]

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!!!

For anybody who may still be following this… New clamps came in, they are much longer and seem to bite down way better on the small lip on the bed of the truck. Have not driven around since installing the new clamps… been watching football anxiously all day to see who my Packers play next weekend. Don’t know if the rattle has stopped but I’m happy and optimistic about the results. Here’s a size comparison for anybody who’s curious. I believe these are truxedo clamps.

new clamp is on the left, clamp sent with gator tonneau on the right.

 

[hans1312]

I am thinking about buying a gator hard trifold.
The Ranger rail does not have full coverage on the sides.
3" of no rail at the cab, 5" of no rail at the tailgate.
It appears a shim could be used between Ranger rail and the plastic cover for
better clamping on the rail. I have the factory sprayed liner.
Looking at the pictures of the clamps, this one seems to have missed the Ranger rail altogether.
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/attachments/f4d3df63-aa97-42d8-aa16-d6b4856996be-jpeg.117088/

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Following for results.

I'm considering a hard trifold as full caps/toppers are insanely expensive where I live.

 

[packhawk1]

I am thinking about buying a gator hard trifold.
The Ranger rail does not have full coverage on the sides.
3" of no rail at the cab, 5" of no rail at the tailgate.
It appears a shim could be used between Ranger rail and the plastic cover for
better clamping on the rail. I have the factory sprayed liner.
Looking at the pictures of the clamps, this one seems to have missed the Ranger rail altogether.
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/attachments/f4d3df63-aa97-42d8-aa16-d6b4856996be-jpeg.117088/

You're right. In that photo I either missed that rail altogether or it lost grip and slid down while driving. Either way, the new clamps I got are working much better... little to no noise from the back, even in the cold weather.

 

[paval3]

I have a Signature Series Extang Trifecta 2.0 folding soft tonneau. It came with 4 little grippy metal slip on sleeves (like there's some kind of grippy rubbery material inside the sleeve) for the truck's rail to place where the clamps would fasten. I think they are maybe to reinforce the rail at the clamping points?? Haven't had any problems with the clamps holding.

Edited to add, yes I did use the little grippy reinforcing sleeves.

 

[hans1312]

You're right. In that photo I either missed that rail altogether or it lost grip and slid down while driving. Either way, the new clamps I got are working much better... little to no noise from the back, even in the cold weather.

I purchased a Gator EFX from Tonneaucovers. A hole in the shipping box, covered with tape.
The parts bag was empty, everything was loose in the box. I should have refused it. The Right side seal strip has a few dings in it. Middle clamp with a rubber strip on the Ranger which bends to the rail which then slips off. The corner clamps have a bolt-on bracket and a spacer and the clamp works correctly. I made a spacer and the middle clamp works well with it. One rail had the end pieces off, easy to re-install. Looks good! I sent a bunch of pix to customer service...

 

[kieefer]

No problems with mine or the install which I did myself.

 

[JayBickles]

I have the hard tri-fold and would agree the clamps are awful. After installing mine, the rails would fall off and I had to keep re-attaching the clamps. It seems, at least in my case, that there is not enough material on the bed rails for the clamps to "catch" onto. Additionally, I found I had the clamps in the wrong place on the tonneau rails.
I was able to find another set of instructions online that were a little clearer and helped solve my issue. Good luck.

You wouldn't happen to remember where you found those instructions? Or could you post where you re-mounted your clamps??? I just ordered this exact cover and hoping that I could have good fit right away. lol.. Thanks.

 

[JayBickles]

I wish I did. I just did a Google search and read about every post and watched every video. What worked for me is you have to make sure the clamp covers the rounded bump on the tonneau cover rails fully. I had some partial or just off and they kept popping off. Once I put them on that bump, no more issues (so far).

Dang! I'm an idiot! I should have kept reading and I would have seen this was already asked... My Bad! Hopefully I can prevent any problems with everyones advice. Thanks, and Promise I will read more before jumping the gun to post.

 

[TB-Dave]

I have the BAK Revolution x4s and fought with the clamps also. I found that I couldn't use a socket because of a clearance issue with the rail. I had to use an open end wrench, and still had to hold the clamp from rotating when I tightened the clamp. It does hold great now. Also, make sure you are putting a shim between the truck rail and the plastic bed rail cover as there is a space there that would prevent getting a good bite.

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