Hard Tonneau Cover Recommendations?

Fastfitzy

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Hey guys! Here is my recommendation and review of the hard tonneau I received today.

Tonneau: TRAVEL PRO 65-SERIES HARD TRI-FOLDING TONNEAU BED COVER

Manufacturer: RDJ TRUCKS (family owned small business, extra points)

Site: https://www.rdjtrucks.com/Ford-Ranger-19-TRAVEL-PRO-Hard-Fold-Tonneau-Cover-p/65-3036.htm

Retail Price: $598.00 (free shipping)

Review: My initial impression was positive, the packing materials are well done, fedex beat the hell out of the box, but once opened, everything was in perfect shape.
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This tonneau is very similar in design to the extang solid fold 2.0 from what I could tell online. The installation was a piece of cake, I mean really super easy, all one piece. It came with a tall bulkhead foam weather seal that is long enough for leftovers to use for the corner gaps that we all have (I didn’t pull the adhesive backing yet, due to spray in liner being done soon. There is extra weather stripping for the tailgate, but I don’t think it is needed really.
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the construction of this thing seems very good, it’s as heavy as you’d expect, but feels very sturdy. I don’t know what the load rating is, but it seems strong enough to support light items atop of it.(going to email the mfr to see if they have load tested it) The weather seals along the panel edges seem top notch and line up and fall into place cleanly along the bed rail when folding it down (no bunching or pinching).
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it uses four clamp points. 2 near the bulkhead and 2 near the tailgate. The bulkhead clamps use sliding bolts with a metal rail lip and are tightened with a thick wing nut, they feel sturdy and durable. The tailgate clamps are quick release levers, that have a heavy duty plastic rail lip (additional pieces are supplied in case of breakage). All four latches have a cavity with clips for stowing them before folding the cover. On the tailgate side there are also two sets of built in push button battery powered LED lights (not super bright, but will keep me from having to buy bed lighting).
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there are pros and cons with any cover, but I really like the hard fold style, and I really like this one, having it sit on top of the bed rails does eliminate most racks or rail systems, but I have no plans for racks. It is sooo easy to remove, I don’t really feel like I am losing bed access when it’s folded up. I do wish that it had come with some kind of zip up storage bag to put it in when not in use. Originally I was hesitant about the hard tri-fold covers, thinking that they would limit the rear view when folded up, but with this one at least, it doesn’t block the rear view at all.
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Over all, I highly recommend this cover, especially if you are looking to go the hard tri-fold route, the look, build quality, and price give it the edge over the “truck hero” sub brands.

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Bed etiquette. Replying to oneself. Oh well. I got my factory sprayed bedliner done finally and now re-installed the reviewed tonneau, just in time for a CO-CA road trip. Attached the bulkhead seal and used excess 3in. Pieces to jam in and seal up the bulkhead corner gaps. Once again, happy with the ease of installation. Last task is to seal the tailgate gaps. Looking for specific product and method recommendations from any and all tonneau owners. Cool bonus. My large Stanley tough box fits like a glove under the tonneau with the lid removed. Tonneau literally functions as the lid for the box. Tonneau/toolbox problem solved. May even weather strip the edges of the box for unnecessary prudence
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SuperBford

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I wonder if anyone has had an issue with tonneaucovered.com or Undercover. I ordered an Undercover Ultra Flex on 5/28 and it still hasn't been shipped. They say they've checked with Undercover and will let me know when it ships and ascribe the delay on Covid. Undercover hasn't bothered to reply to my inquiry other than a canned response to a Contact form.
Hopefully this has arrived by now.... if so, how do you like it so far?
 

aer0zer0

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Just picked up the RDJ Tonneau Cover. Installation was a breeze, having owned extang solid folds on nissan frontiers, i knew what to expect.

It was very well packaged for fedex travel, they threw in enough of everything to make it easy. It seals really well.

My only gripes are the quick release latches, i really liked the extang spring release mechanism. Or if they had brackets made so it wasnt clipping directly to the box itself.

Excellent bang for the buck though.
 

Tim H.

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Just picked up the RDJ Tonneau Cover. Installation was a breeze, having owned extang solid folds on nissan frontiers, i knew what to expect.

It was very well packaged for fedex travel, they threw in enough of everything to make it easy. It seals really well.

My only gripes are the quick release latches, i really liked the extang spring release mechanism. Or if they had brackets made so it wasnt clipping directly to the box itself.

Excellent bang for the buck though.
Any pictures?
 

Rp930

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Bed etiquette. Replying to oneself. Oh well. I got my factory sprayed bedliner done finally and now re-installed the reviewed tonneau, just in time for a CO-CA road trip. Attached the bulkhead seal and used excess 3in. Pieces to jam in and seal up the bulkhead corner gaps. Once again, happy with the ease of installation. Last task is to seal the tailgate gaps. Looking for specific product and method recommendations from any and all tonneau owners. Cool bonus. My large Stanley tough box fits like a glove under the tonneau with the lid removed. Tonneau literally functions as the lid for the box. Tonneau/toolbox problem solved. May even weather strip the edges of the box for unnecessary prudence
Does the third panel fold up to open up the bed space?
 


Rp930

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KJRR

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Something to think about. I’ve got an MX4 and have had to use that a few times.
Yes something to think about. I find it easy enough to take off and don't do it that often, that I don't miss that feature. 2 folds have been enough for most of my uses and I know ahead of time if I'll need the whole thing off and do it before hand at home. Now if I was doing that every week, I may think of it differently.
 

P. A. Schilke

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Yes something to think about. I find it easy enough to take off and don't do it that often, that I don't miss that feature. 2 folds have been enough for most of my uses and I know ahead of time if I'll need the whole thing off and do it before hand at home. Now if I was doing that every week, I may think of it differently.
Hi KJ,

That is why I love my hard toneau Bakflip Revolver MX4.... Hard cover and rolls up. I am very happy with it. A few problems to begin with...Install was a bit hard with one 70 year old on his knees in the box, but got it done....Very poor instructions resulted in me finding the pick up box headborad spacer/seal. Had to completely remove and reinstall. The rear was unfinished and a Black Sharpie took care of the bright aluminum. Also...the bed was full of aluminum machining chips for several times I had to roll up and down until I had vacuumed the chips up. Quality control. Otherwise, very happy with the Bakflip.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 

TJMarchand

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Can anyone with a BAK or Ford cover confirm Fords are the same covers made by BAK?

BTW I miss my Sport Trac with the hard folding cover. It was heavy, but attached to two integrated bed points, took about a minute to fully remove or put on with no bed rails necessary.
I just wanted to mention the same way, my Sport Trac had that bed cover and it was so nice to lock the portion near the cab and leave the back unlocked to throw things in. That was a GOOD design.
 

JaysOnTheEDGE

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Hi KJ,

That is why I love my hard toneau Bakflip Revolver MX4.... Hard cover and rolls up. I am very happy with it. A few problems to begin with...Install was a bit hard with one 70 year old on his knees in the box, but got it done....Very poor instructions resulted in me finding the pick up box headborad spacer/seal. Had to completely remove and reinstall. The rear was unfinished and a Black Sharpie took care of the bright aluminum. Also...the bed was full of aluminum machining chips for several times I had to roll up and down until I had vacuumed the chips up. Quality control. Otherwise, very happy with the Bakflip.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
Phil,

Any water intrusion problems with the Revolver X4? I need to replace my Folding cover and the rolling aluminum revolverX4s looks appealing. Thanks

https://bakindustries.com/revolver-x4s/2019/ford/ranger
 
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P. A. Schilke

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Phil,

Any water intrusion problems with the Revolver X4? I need to replace my Folding cover and the rolling aluminum revolverX4s looks appealing. Thanks

https://bakindustries.com/revolver-x4s/2019/ford/ranger
Hi Jay,

In the very dry climate of Arizona, I can only say that the Ranger with the X4 has gone through the car wash with no leakage. Ranger is garaged so not that much exposure to rain. I think it is fine for me...no water intrusion that I have experienced, but I worry this might be more than our environment in different parts of the USA....that said...it came out of Rainy Florida...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 

AutobotXJ

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Phil,

Any water intrusion problems with the Revolver X4? I need to replace my Folding cover and the rolling aluminum revolverX4s looks appealing. Thanks

https://bakindustries.com/revolver-x4s/2019/ford/ranger
i really liked my revolver ( just got an RSI smartcap). I live in a place that gets 24” of rain a month (rainforest), so water intrusion is huge for me. The tonneau itself will keep water out but water got in at the tailgate and the creases at the front of the bed. I was able to seal up the tailgate with a kit on Amazon (I had to modify their instructions to create a much better seal), but the holes at the front of the bed still requires a creative solution (which hopefully doesn’t require “great stuff”). I highly recommend BAK REVOLVER if you are looking for a Tonneau cover.
 

9512tacoma

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Anyone had any issues installing a leer or bakflip with a Ford drop in plastic bed Liner?
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