I've used soft and hard covers in the past and have been happiest with the fiberglass covers so I can store my son's baseball gear, chairs, and other things in the bed and not worry about weather (big trunk). The problem with this is hauling tall things like a lawn mower, leaving the top up just is not good when traveling a few miles. As an alternative I've seen a few roll top options that look sturdy, but since they don't go over the bed lip it seems they would be less that weather proof. Anybody have some advice and maybe a place to buy?

 

Versacover.com They've got a great product, I've had one for my '03 and now a perfect waterproof fit for my '09. One of the great features is it only weighs 65 lbs. Easily removed with two ***** loosed. Just needs 2 people to lift it off the bed & hang it.
Check them out, you won't be sorry.

 

I just installed a BAKflip G2 tonneau on my ’09, 2500, longbed.
http://www.bakliner.com/
I struggled with the compromises of a hard cover vs. a cover like this, there are several, and finally decided that, for me, the ability to haul tall things and even more importantly, to be able to get up in the bed to load and unload stuff out weighed the downsides.

The downsides are that it just can’t be expected to be as weather proof as one of the hard covers. There fore, I will store anything that I keep in the bed for extended periods of time in some type of tote or container. Normal construction materials probably won’t be in it long enough to matter with the exception of something like drywall which will have to be placed up off the bed floor and covered if rain is expected. It is designed to channel water along the side rails into drain tubes which route water outside the bed but some drips will undoubtedly get in.

The other downside is that I can see how easily someone with a crowbar will be able to force entry even with the tailgate locked. While I think I could force open a hard cover as well, it would be harder. So, you will have to decide.

One last downside, I don’t think it will weather as well as a hard, properly painted, cover. I think the composites and rubber parts will die in time from UV, always a problem in FL.

The upside is that it will fold forward, a panel at a time, until almost all of the bed is exposed. I can climb up in there and load what ever I need to, any where in the bed that I need to. For me, that was worth the trade off.

And, they seem less expensive than the hard covers.

My $.02 worth,

Art.

 

Sidelock. Do you have any pics to share? Did you buy direct or through a dealer? thanks for the post!

 

I bought Mopars quad folding hard tonnoe cover. works great! the front and back parts lock. fairly water resistant (took it through a car wash and a small amount of water did get into the box.) i believe if i did a little more adjusting to the front part i could definatly reduce the amount of water getting in.

it only took me about 2 hours to install. $850 cdn. and it is covered under my truck warrenty.

 

Slinger,

Here are some pictures of mine.
http://artshobbyprojects.com/dodgepage1.htm

Go to the bottom of the page for the cover. If KXWHITE’s cover will fold up like this and expose the whole bed I think I would go with the Dodge cover. It’s a little more than what I paid but still, had I known, I would have chosen the Dodge part instead. Easy install, Took me a couple of hours but now I could probably do it in 30-45 min.


Art.

 

Slinger, No pictures yet. Too much snow & mud now. Check the website for pix they have. I'll try to get some of mine soon.

 

Slinger,
Also, bought it direct from manufacturer through the website. Free shipping now included. Sale price was $698.

 

Very interested in this option. Seems like good build quality and 1/2 the price of the rolltop or fiberglass options I was looking at. Only thing holding me back is the old lawnmower handle issue. Is it sturdy enough to leave up for a couple mile trip to mow a lawn?

 

I just hauled some PVC pipe yesterday. 10’ sections meant I had to fold the last section forward and let the pipe hang out the back with tailgate closed. Made the mistake of leaving the last section folded forward and it blew up and back to rest on the pipe. No damage but in future I will start out in that position and probably bungee it down. Highway speeds no problem with it just resting on the pipe.

Art.