soft vs. hard tonneau????

jmoore · Aug 17, 2010

After more Errornet researching, combined with feedback from the list, I've pretty much settled on either the Extang soft tri-fold tonneau - or the hard version from the same company.

Aside from obvious cost differences and snow load variances - are there any other pros/cons for one vs the other - e.g., ease of total removal, problems at highway speeds, possible damage to paint, etc., etc. (The 07 I just bought only had 16k on it - and the paint is absolutely factory fresh in appearance!!!

Interestingly - the soft top comes with a better/longer warranty than does the hard version. Hmmmm

?

Any and all input greatly appreciated.

new Ram owner john

03MopaRamman · Aug 17, 2010

Tri-fold should be pretty strong john. I had a Soft Lund one piece with 2 re-enforcement bars that where inserted to tighten things up but with that at Hwy speeds I would look back thru my Mirror and there would be some (although slight) flapping of the vinyl in the center portion between the two bars. A tri-fold should be squared off and tight, but will the center of center panel flap! just my thoughts as that drove me crazy.

Bigtman07 · Aug 17, 2010

I don't know about the hard tri fold versions but I do know that the Totally soft top ones will probably fade and crack faster than the hard version. But that would depend on how much you remove it. I had a full soft one on my old truck and after a few years of on off usage. It was fading and cracking and tearing at the seal. So I would vote the tri fold hard. On my truck though in the winter I have a full fiberglass lay flat cover. Storing it in the summer in the garage on the wall. All one piece and I like it. But I would rather sometimes have one like the tri fold. But that's my 2 cents.

Oh btw Welcome to RF.

0212353 · Aug 17, 2010

soft ones suck. they are noisy, and stretch. I hated mine, but love my acorn lovin' bakflip

Danimal77 · Aug 17, 2010

I've had hard fiberglass and soft roll-ups. I will never own another fiberglass. I have had a Lorado roll-up on my last 2 Rams. Awesome! Not noisy and no stretching at all. Get a quality product and you will be good.

Off_Road_Teacher · Aug 18, 2010

Got a soft cover on my truck and never a problem with it. No fading or stretching and it comes with an adjuster knob to make the cover stay tight as the weather changes from hot to cold.

Bigtman07 · Aug 18, 2010

Very nice teach. My truck came with the fiberglass top so I can't complain too much.

Trupiano · Aug 29, 2010

What's wrong with the fiberglass ones?

Off_Road_Teacher · Aug 29, 2010

Trupiano said:
What's wrong with the fiberglass ones?

They seem like they would be nice to have. Being able to securely lock the bed is a feature that I would like to have.

ramhunter9 · Aug 29, 2010

I had a hard cover for 2 months sold it . They are nice like teach said but IMO was a pain in the ass . If you use your bed like i do , you would have to always take it off and takes 2 people to do it . With hauling a ATV it was never on .
Soft roll up is the way to go if you use your bed .

truckin151 · Aug 29, 2010

I like my ARE hard cover. I use m ytruck for work alot and when you are driving around with $20k+ worth of equipment in the back of the truck its nice to be able to lock it up. Also with the hard top I no longer need a tent or anything to go camping, just lift the lid and climbe in back. And being mine is a RCSB I dont have a lot of room in the cab for storing things when we go out christmas shopping or just gong places so having the lockable cover is like having an oversozed trunk. And to seal the deal the ARE cover lips over the tailgate so when its locked so is the tailgate.

So for me I can see more goood than bad points of view but if you use your bed for larger items then I could see the soft cover as a better way to go (although the sun rot here would be horrible).

0212353 · Aug 29, 2010

ramhunter9 said:
Soft roll up is the way to go if you use your bed .

Bakflip buddy.

I had a soft tri fold cover on my 08 for about 9 months. Since it wasn't a full rollup, it took up about a 1/3 of the bed if I wanted to toss something in it. But, it only took about 3 minutes to take it off and put on - if I needed the entire bed.

The first time I was away from home........and got a call to come help someone pick up a mattress........I had it with the soft cover. Got a Bakflip, and there was absolutely no question what was going on the 2010 when I got it.

Mega-Hemi · Aug 29, 2010

I've had soft on every truck I've owned. Too cheap to buy a hard one. I loved the ease of taking it on and off but hated the fact that it was never "secure". The fiberglass cover I have now came on the truck. I love the fact that I can lock the bed if I need to. A few years ago I bought a snowmobile trailer so wheelers and sleds no longer go in the bed of my truck. I don't have a need to take it off so I'll stick with it. I would like to switch it out for a LEER 100XL if I could find one for a decent price.

Got_Hemi44 · Aug 30, 2010

I love and hate my tonneau cover. It's the factory mopar fiberglass. I was going to get a soft/fold cover but i can't stand covers that aren't the same color as the truck. It's like having a black door on a red truck.

Love mopar fiberglass:
Looks good
I can lock it
Same color as truck
Can run my bed stripe all the way across

Hate mopar fiberglass:
Fitment isn't perfect
makes noise over bumps (going to add padding)
Not very easy to remove

Thinking of getting a ******* Speedsturr cover
*******'s Fiberglass Truck Lids / Tonneau Cover, Truck Bed Lid

truckin151 · Aug 30, 2010

Got_Hemi44 said:
Thinking of getting a ******* Speedsturr cover
*******'s Fiberglass Truck Lids / Tonneau Cover, Truck Bed Lid

I've been wanting a cover like that for a while now but from what I have seen/read the sides of the cover rub on the paint and scratch it all to hell. I really like the look of it though.

Trupiano · Aug 30, 2010

I see, both have pros and cons. But as far as looks go, there's just no beating these ******* hard covers.

...stupid picture wont load right, so just imagine a really nice looking hard tonneau on a really nice looking truck!

Trupiano · Aug 30, 2010

Ok, there we go!

edit: Wow! Those wheels look great! Anyone know what brand they are?

ramhunter9 · Aug 30, 2010

i dunno but they do look awesome

Redtruck-VA · Aug 30, 2010

I put a hard top on mine two weeks after I bought the truck more than 6 years ago. Wouldn't have anything else. Keeps everything out of sight and locked up.

jmoore · Sep 3, 2010

follow-up question......

Just finsihed reading a review on the Extang Trifecta, which stated the following:

"For its functionality, reliability, ease of installation and price, there's very little to find fault with it. However, after a period of time you may find that paint work along the bed rails does get scratched."

Any experience with this??? Are they talking about just at the clamp region, or is there something about the seal system that causes the entire rail to become scratched???

If just the clamp - would placing some type of rubber material between the clamp and rail prevent this???

TIA

john

soft vs. hard tonneau????

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