Hard Tonneau Covers

Hard Tonneau Covers

Hard tonneau covers offer the best styling, security and utility of the different types of tonneau covers.

A hard tonneau cover is usually a one-piece design, but the term may also describe folding tonneau covers. The important thing to note is that the cover is made of hard material, rather than soft tonneau covers, so the hard covers offer the best security of all the different types of covers. They are also much easier to operate than snap-on covers or roll up covers, or even retractable covers.

Hard covers are made out a several different types of materials including plastic (ABS), fiberglass, or aluminum, and some of them are even custom painted to match the color of your truck.

The solid, one-piece covers are usually attached to your truck bed with hinges in the front and latches or locks at the rear. 
If the cover wraps over the tailgate, there is no need for a locking tailgate, for the cover will prevent anyone from opening it up.

If your cover does not wrap over your truck’s tailgate, you can still secure your belongings by locking your tailgate. (Most newer trucks have a locking tailgate as standard equipment.) If your pick-up truck does not have a locking tailgate, you can purchase an aftermarket tailgate lock that is very easy to install whether you're purchasing a F150 tonneau cover or a Ridgline tonneau cover.

When your cover is in the open position, it is usually held up by two gas struts commonly called ‘props’. These are similar to what you see on minivan rear hatches.

Hard covers are fairly easy to install, and there is usually no drilling needed. The typical installation is to have the included rails or brackets clamped onto the side rails of your truck bed.

While these covers offer the best styling and security, if you need to haul larger (taller) items, then you will need to remove the cover form your bed. This is where weight can sometimes be an issue. Some of the fiberglass hard covers are fairly heavy and require two people to remove the cover, while others are lighter and can be easily removed by one person. Almost all hard covers are simple to remove from your truck bed and they don’t require any special tools. The Bakflip tonneau covers are a type of hard cover and folding cover that will offer you full bed access. That is the only hard cover on the market that can provide that functionality.

At the top of the line of hard fiberglass truck bed covers are the Ranch Fiberglass covers and they are custom painted to match your truck. They are nicely styled to blend in with the body lines of your truck.

The Armor Lid is an entry level hard plastic cover and comes in a black textured finish. Undercover is the high-end cover for hard plastic covers and is one of the best selling hard covers on the market. Like the Armor Lid, this cover comes in a black textured finish and all Undercover hard covers are made in the USA!

You've probably heard the question "do tonneau covers save gas?" Find out this and other topics by looking at Tonneau Covers News.