Help deciding on a rolling Tonneau

Raul R.

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I've got the factory installed bed liner in my truck and it installed without issues. I'm still loving this cover, by the way. It's a huge value.
Great to hear. Thanks!
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LightingBlue

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I'm not too concerned with the thickness of the aluminum. Each slat isn't a flat piece; it's extruded with a structure to it and each slat is hollow through the middle with an end cap. The cover has been great thus far and I'd buy it again if I had another truck needing a cover.
Anytime a manufacturer makes blatantly false claims about their products I am concerned about their business practices and their products.

Just say: We use extruded aluminum, same as used on drink trollies and the sinks in airplanes. Not some grandiose claim that you're using premium materials that are not in your products.
 

Glocker

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Anytime a manufacturer makes blatantly false claims about their products I am concerned about their business practices and their products.

Just say: We use extruded aluminum, same as used on drink trollies and the sinks in airplanes. Not some grandiose claim that you're using premium materials that are not in your products.
Fair enough.

Their product is nice. It's actually really nice. It's a great value. It does it's job very well. It seems very well manufactured. I could care less at this point on the properties of the aluminum past, "is it doing it's job?" And for all anybody knows at this point, maybe aircraft use the same kind of aluminum. But I really don't care. because the cover is nice, as I mentioned. ?‍♂
 

LightingBlue

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Fair enough.

Their product is nice. It's actually really nice. It's a great value. It does it's job very well. It seems very well manufactured. I could care less at this point on the properties of the aluminum past, "is it doing it's job?" And for all anybody knows at this point, maybe aircraft use the same kind of aluminum. But I really don't care. because the cover is nice, as I mentioned. ?‍♂
Anecdotal evidence and selectively omitting facts has quickly led the aftermarket parts industry to make some bold claims and at times produce poor products.

But hey, this is America and opinions are like elbows, most people have two! Engineers usually only have one, however. The opinion they developed through education, research, testing and beer. (full disclosure: i'm not an engineer, but have two elbows and enjoy beer)
 

P. A. Schilke

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Anecdotal evidence and selectively omitting facts has quickly led the aftermarket parts industry to make some bold claims and at times produce poor products.

But hey, this is America and opinions are like elbows, most people have two! Engineers usually only have one, however. The opinion they developed through education, research, testing and beer. (full disclosure: i'm not an engineer, but have two elbows and enjoy beer)
Hi Lb,

Yep! Don't forget Experience. BTW every forum member has a calibrated assometer!

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


Mark

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Hi Ranger Forums,
I need some help deciding which tonneau cover to get for my new Ranger. I want something quite sturdy and it needs to lock, as I frequent areas that may be unsavory and I'll be carrying quite a lot of stuff in the bed. That leads to me believe a rolling, locking, hard cover is probably my best option. The folding ones just seem like you could pop them open too easy (but please correct me here if I'm wrong).

I'm considering the Embark, directly from Ford. I'm also considering the Retrax One MX, which is a lot cheaper.

A couple of questions:
  1. Is there a significant difference between these two? Or am I really just paying extra for a Ford logo?
  2. Will both of these lock and secure with a descent amount of protection?
  3. Are they both waterproof?
  4. Are both fairly easy to install for a capable DIY girl?
  5. Does anyone strongly recommend one over the other and if so, why?
  6. Some Ford dealers are offering the Embark at a 20% discount, which is a lot! Do these go on sale often and can I use the sale price from one Ford dealer to get the same deal at another, even if the other dealer is in another state?
  7. Should I get Line-X before or after getting the tonneau?
  8. Finally, would this one work just as good as these other two? It doesn't seem to lock and it looks soft.
Thanks in advance!
I installed the RetraxPro. I had some help by someone that knew this stuff so that was a big help. I wanted the slotted mounting option for additional bike racks etc. The cover operates well. It’s secure enough for everyday places. It is not water proof so keep that in mind.
 

LightingBlue

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I installed the RetraxPro. I had some help by someone that knew this stuff so that was a big help. I wanted the slotted mounting option for additional bike racks etc. The cover operates well. It’s secure enough for everyday places. It is not water proof so keep that in mind.
Interesting, we've had zero issues with water leaks using our RetraxPro for over a year now and in the greater Seattle area. Must have been beginners luck as we've never installed a cover before.
 
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Hi. Thanks so much to everyone that took the time to respond. After doing an exhaustive search and reading through all of these responses, I opted to go with the Extang Solid-fold 2.0. Three main reasons I chose this model:
  1. It's easy to self-install/remove.
  2. It allows full access to the bed of the truck
  3. It's lockable and secure
 

Mark

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Interesting, we've had zero issues with water leaks using our RetraxPro for over a year now and in the greater Seattle area. Must have been beginners luck as we've never installed a cover before.
Wow. That’s actually disappointing to hear. Makes me wonder what the heck I did. I’ve read people have had different experiences with leakage.
 

P. A. Schilke

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Hi Folks,

I have the Bak MX4 Revolver....love this cover. Water intrusion has not been a problem. Love the roll up featrue. In fact when my Ranger when to Home Depot for my neighbor's vanity for his rental house, two people stopped by to ask about such a cool toneau cover. Bak has a bit of a quality issue with aluminum chips in the bed of the truck as part of their manufacturing process and their install instructions sucked big time... Easy to figure out though.

I nixed the RetraxPro for various reasons including reduced box space for tall items and the necessary electrical hooks required to drill through the box... JMO!

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

soccer26fan

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Hi Folks,

I have the Bak MX4 Revolver....love this cover. Water intrusion has not been a problem. Love the roll up featrue. In fact when my Ranger when to Home Depot for my neighbor's vanity for his rental house, two people stopped by to ask about such a cool toneau cover. Bak has a bit of a quality issue with aluminum chips in the bed of the truck as part of their manufacturing process and their install instructions sucked big time... Easy to figure out though.

I nixed the RetraxPro for various reasons including reduced box space for tall items and the necessary electrical hooks required to drill through the box... JMO!

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
Just wondering if that cover is a revolver or MK4? I couldn’t find it? Thanks!
 

P. A. Schilke

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Just wondering if that cover is a revolver or MK4? I couldn’t find it? Thanks!
Hi David,

My invoice says Revolver MX4...

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

LightingBlue

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Wow. That’s actually disappointing to hear. Makes me wonder what the heck I did. I’ve read people have had different experiences with leakage.
LMK if you want some close up pics anywhere.

Frankly, I don't think I could "advise" on how to make it waterproof as we only installed it once (technically twice when the rails weren't aligned and the cover fell into the bed part way down the tracks) and never had any problems.

If memory serves, I had a very minor alteration to where I put their foam blocks, and decided the flap between the bed and cab should be over the top instead of tucked between the bed and housing where the cover rolls into.... But that was over a year ago so at this point specific pictures may be more helpful.. Anyway, PM me/us if you want some pics, happy to help!
 

Raul R.

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Great to hear. Thanks!
Well, I took your recommendation and bought the
Great to hear. Thanks!
Well, I took your advice and bought the Syneticusa Aluminum Retractable Low Profile cover from Amazon for $700 plus tax. It is about half of the cost of any of the other manufacturers so it is a great value. It was really easy to install and I think it looks great and is easy to open and close. It does take a bit of the bed space but I rarely if ever need the full bed higher than the top of the bed. Did you run the front drain tubes through the drain holes on the front of the bed or just tuck underneath the bedliner? Also, have you had any water leaks into the bed? That is my only concern that I have with the cover though it appears to be watertight. I've already used my truck to transport lumber and having the adjustable bed cover made it easy to carry. Thanks again for the help.
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