Frustrated With Tonneau Search...Perfect Tonneau?

[Ron]

I ended up with the undercover armorflex cover with tubes up front. Love it so far. Tubes went easy through the existing holes up top on side of bed

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[jamill]

I had a TruXedo Sentry CT on my last one that I loved. Stuck out about 8 inches when rolled up, but I moved house and packed my bed full still. It's a hard roll-up cover, and when rolled up, I still had visibility out of my rear view.

Only issue which is consider off-putting to some is that I had to open it up, close the tailgate then close the cover.

Overall though, easy install and if your careful with the seals, will make your bed waterproof. Mine leaked a little bit on the front driver side corner during carwashes, but never noticed it being damp after rain.

 

[saluki1969]

I purchased Leer 650 quad fold hard cover for my Lariat SC PB, 5.5 bed and am satisfied with it looks, operation and ease of use. And yes the power tailgate works fine with this cover. I keep my vehicles for longer periods of time, usually 10 years and I did not want the covers with the plastic hoses for drainage. Two reason, one the deterioration of the tube over time and the possibility of smashing the tube or tubes when loading the bed. Obviously a personal preference. I like the Leer as it is composite material not aluminum. Several friends have aluminum covers and both have noticeable dents in them. In addition, I steered away from the tri folds that have the rope/cable for opening as I see them as less secure compared to the pinch mechanism on the Leer. On occasion I temporarily store expensive electronic equipment in the bed for short periods of time.
The Leer is somewhat heavier than the aluminum covers. But for me that is a plus as I have the Max tow option and the heavier Leer helps settle the back of the truck.

 

[ColoradoHunter]

I purchased Leer 650 quad fold hard cover for my Lariat SC PB, 5.5 bed and am satisfied with it looks, operation and ease of use. And yes the power tailgate works fine with this cover. I keep my vehicles for longer periods of time, usually 10 years and I did not want the covers with the plastic hoses for drainage. Two reason, one the deterioration of the tube over time and the possibility of smashing the tube or tubes when loading the bed. Obviously a personal preference. I like the Leer as it is composite material not aluminum. Several friends have aluminum covers and both have noticeable dents in them. In addition, I steered away from the tri folds that have the rope/cable for opening as I see them as less secure compared to the pinch mechanism on the Leer. On occasion I temporarily store expensive electronic equipment in the bed for short periods of time.
The Leer is somewhat heavier than the aluminum covers. But for me that is a plus as I have the Max tow option and the heavier Leer helps settle the back of the truck.

I also got the Leer. It met all my requirements, hail resistant, security, 4 fold, can travel with it folded up, power tailgate works and takes up little space when completely open.

 

[Donnelly713]

I also got the Leer. It met all my requirements, hail resistant, security, 4 fold, can travel with it folded up, power tailgate works and takes up little space when completely open.

how is the water protection on the Leer quad fold?

 

[ColoradoHunter]

how is the water protection on the Leer quad fold?

No leaks from what I have seen through a couple rain storms and washing a couple times.

 

[OzzieSr]

I carried my 2018 Ford Custom Accessories hard tri-fold (basically the backflip rebranded) over to my 21'. Power tailgate wouldn't close as the tailgate seal lip on the tonneau was too floppy - caused enough resistance to force tailgate to auto-open again. I had to manually open the tonneau and then close tailgate. 2021 Bakflip Mx4 and its Ford custom accessories equivalent (which is made by REV) is on order now. Will circle back with an update once I receive.

Installed VML3Z 99501A42 B afterwords and so far it works great. Power washed truck today and surprisingly no water inside bed. New tailgate seal works quite well. Also installed a D-shape dust seal around tailgate perimeter to help with dust and surprisingly it too works pretty good.

Video:
2021 Ford Custom Accessories Hard Fold Tonneau VML3Z 99501A42 B

 

[bzone3]

Installed VML3Z 99501A42 B afterwords and so far it works great. Power washed truck today and surprisingly no water inside bed. New tailgate seal works quite well. Also installed a D-shape dust seal around tailgate perimeter to help with dust and surprisingly it too works pretty good.

Video:
2021 Ford Custom Accessories Hard Fold Tonneau VML3Z 99501A42 B

Do all three sections latch down, or just the last? Do you feel it's tamper proof/secure? How long did it take to arrive after ordering?

 

[OzzieSr]

Do all three sections latch down, or just the last? Do you feel it's tamper proof/secure? How long did it take to arrive after ordering?

All 3 sections latch down, yes, on both sides. You can see one of them in the picture. For the tailgate seal, instructions call for two of the three "fins" to contact the tailgate. If somebody had a pry bar an wanted to get in, they would, otherwise it would not be easy for somebody walking by to simply get in. This arrived in less than 2 weeks here to Newfoundland, which is great considering it typically takes 2-5 business longer to get anything shipped here. Came from Ontario and seems like it was hot off the press. Aluminum shavings in the box and foam packing was still half soft.

 

[saluki1969]

how is the water protection on the Leer quad fold?

I got caught in a major rain storm Monday. Left work with 35 mph winds and torrential rain. We received over 2 1/2 inches in about a 45 minute span. Checked the bed when I got home, about 18 miles on 2 lane country roads and the bed was dry The Leer 650 performed well. Had to pull off road on several occasions as the driving rain made it impossible to see road. A significant test. I have NOT had my truck in a power wash facility, so I cannot comment on its performance in one of those.

 

[OnceAnEagle]

Looking hard at Leer HF650M quad fold for my truck. Pricey but sounds like almost what you are looking for; no cab touch when folded, easy off, easy on. Blocks window but not third brake. Like the clinch clip openers instead of a cable for security. No drain tubes. Peragon folds underneath into the bed and is removable. Lomax and its Weathertech version also worth a look.

 

[Poalpo]

TCUSA trucks covers usa american roll cover is the best retractible cover on the market. Retrax XR doesn’t come close. But Retrax spends all the money on marketing and distribution, so most people don’t even get to compare them, they simply jump the Retrax route because some middleman quickly offers them an attractive 100-200$ discount making the decision seem easy.

But if you research it carefully, you’ll see the differences in quality between the two and TCUSA will likely run about 300-400$ more without the toolbox but with slots for rails. I’m getting it 100% once my truck comes in.

 

[mattchops]

I got the Bakflip mx4 through stage 3 on the forum and really like it. No regrets with this cover

 

[Bigtwin]

Love my 2011 5.0, but considering a 2021 Limited. A great tonneau cover is important, but I’ve been frustrated with what’s out there. Want high security, so won’t consider a soft tonneau.

Hard tonneau covers are basically three types: 1) roll-up, 2) hard folding (e.g., BAKFlip MX4), or 3) retractable (e.g., RetraxPRO MX). But each type has its own very significant drawback(s), at least to me:

1. Roll-up: blocks some of rear view. When rolled up, still intrudes horizontally into bed significantly (about 12 inches), taking up valuable bed space. Pretty much only fully open or fully closed. Aesthetically so-so.

2. Hard folding: when folded up, completely blocks rear view. Some wind resistance. Some lean on rear window.

3. Retractable: canisters take up a ton of bed room: about 12-14” horizontally, and almost as much vertically. There’s one that takes up less at around 8.5”, but not thrilled with quality.

The wheels in this semi-retired entrepreneur’s head are turning. Would love to hear you guys’ opinions on what you think would be the PERFECT tonneau cover? Features, specs, price, appearance, etc. How important is the ability to handle a significant distributed load? Is the option for T-slots (Yakima, etc.,) important? Warranty?

Is what’s out there good enough? For example a lot of people love the BAKFlip MX4. Is that because they’re totally fine with completely obstructing the rear view? Would that happy MX4 customer opt for something else that was much more “perfect?”

Really appreciate your input!

I ordered the Dymondback SE and will have it by mid week. I lamented over covers for a month. I Chose Dymondback (knowing its limitations and drawbacks, as all do have) because it had the most PROS going for my needs. It's not as flush as the rest, but being raised, will allow for after market cargo dividers. Removable panels, can remove the whole thing in about 5 minutes. Can hold 400 lbs on top, Has great security as well. Not the cheapest either, but it suits my needs the most.

 

[CJ912]

I ordered the Dymondback SE and will have it by mid week. I lamented over covers for a month. I Chose Dymondback (knowing its limitations and drawbacks, as all do have) because it had the most PROS going for my needs. It's not as flush as the rest, but being raised, will allow for after market cargo dividers. Removable panels, can remove the whole thing in about 5 minutes. Can hold 400 lbs on top, Has great security as well. Not the cheapest either, but it suits my needs the most.

thatll look great on a roush, post photos!

I haven’t seen any of those on an f150 in my area yet. I saw one on a Dodge last week; the front and rear panels must not of been latched because it wasnt flat.

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