Newbie about to buy Ranger topper - please help!

charwest

Well-Known Member
First Name
char & tony
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Threads
42
Messages
335
Reaction score
727
Location
On the road
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XL FX4 Supercab
Occupation
Healthcare
Hi everyone,

Anyone have any thoughts on truck toppers? I am about to buy a '19 or '20 Ranger with supercab/6' box and need a topper so I can move around the country with my stuff in the back. Will also sleep inside from time to time and maybe get a roof tent installed later so will order with roof rack system.

Any thoughts on ARE vs Leer vs Snugtop etc? I am looking for durability, roof weight capacity; (up to 180lbs dynamic weight going down the road) which several retailers have ensured me ARE can handle vs 150lbs from Leer.

Any thoughts on aluminum v fiberglass? I've been told fiberglass can mold better to the ranger box so its more watertight but heavier. Anybody think the fiberglass topper weight will significantly reduce MPG?

Any thoughts would be highly appreciated!
Sponsored

 

Deleted member 1634

I'll give me two cents on my recent topper purchase. I'll note that this is just my experience, others may have had different ones. Also, there's this thread where a lot of topper info has been gathered, if you haven't seen that one yet: https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/topper-shell.1212/

I was going back and forth between Leer and ARE. Originally was going to be an ARE because they offered options that I originally wanted. My wife and I agreed those options weren't important. Priced it all out and Leer was a couple hundred dollars cheaper and had another option I was thinking about. Put in an order with them for exactly what I wanted, Leer 100XR. Got a call a few days later saying some of those options apparently weren't actually available on my size topper (big miscommunication between Leer corporate and my dealer). Then I waited my full 5 weeks, heard nothing. I called after 6 weeks, they said it had been built wrong so they had to make another. It took 8 weeks to get it. There are numerous quality issues, both from the factory (like fit-up of windows and seals), as well as from install at my dealer (it has scratches all over it and was very dirty inside).

In the end, it'll do just fine and get me by, but it's definitely not what I wanted. And I'm for sure avoiding going back to that dealer for anything if I can help it. If I could do it differently, I'd go with an ARE. They're generally more expensive (though it depends on your local dealer pricing, I've heard that apples to apples Leer is $1000 cheaper than ARE, not the case for my local dealers, they were about that same), but I've heard better things about their quality and service across the board.

Generally, the fiberglass toppers mate and match the profile much better. Almost looks like they're part of the truck. But I'd imagine they're more expensive than an aluminum boxy one.

As far as mpg. I have seen no detrimental affects from adding it. And if anything, it may have given me an extra mpg or two since adding it! The rack on top is going to be the biggest thing that will affect mileage.

Another note is that I forwent the topper installed rack system and will be getting a separate complete setup (tracks, towers, and crossbars) for much cheaper (~$200 cheaper) to add later on. All I need to do is install the tracks myself, which is not hard at all. I also will be adding a cargo net on the underside of the ceiling and other cargo mods myself. If you're able, it's cheaper that way and you can do it exactly the way you want it to be.

Again, just my experience. I'm sure someone else will have had similar complaints and bad experiences with ARE.

img_20200410_152459289_hdr-jpg.jpg
 
 



Top