Retractable bed covers

[daveray9]

Im looking at the retractable bed covers that go into the case in the bed... like the retrax pro... gator recoil.. there are a ton but they are all close to 1k. Just seeing what everybody uses and likes before I pull the trigger.

Thx

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[H1Chester]

I have the Retrax Pro MX and I like it. I believe the Gator is the same cover, just rebranded, maybe cheaper material? Not sure.

 

[daveray9]

I have the Retrax Pro MX and I like it. I believe the Gator is the same cover, just rebranded, maybe cheaper material? Not sure.

Any issues in the winter? Im in MA.

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[H1Chester]

I'm in the southeast. Only issue I've had is the hot weather after a couple years squeezed the foam out underneath the rails.

 

[Badger 13]

I installed a Roll n Lock on my 1995 Dodge 4x4 diesel. Back then I think there was only 2 companies that made them, and Roll n Lock was the best at the time in my opinion. Over all it wasn't too bad, but the container eats up a lot of bed space. My bed was 8', so it was okay. Some of the "cons" were that it did freeze up in the winter. If it rained, then froze, or snow, the slats would freeze preventing it from opening. The lock would also freeze until i found a cover for the key entrance. Being black, and if the sun came out, it melted off pretty quick. But also being black, in the summer it got very hot and your fingers got quite warm when opening it. The other down side was, leaves and crud would work its way into the container and block the drain holes, so every so often I would have to take the cover off and clear the drains. Those are my observations from when I had mine. They made have made changes in them over the years, and several more companies are making them. It is a nice idea, and makes for pretty good security, but they are pricey.

 

[Gear Jammer]

I have a Pace Edwards Switchblade retractable cover. This is one of the cheapest models I found and it was around $950. I've only had it for about a month but so far I have no issues with it. The canister in the front of the bed is about the same size as the top cover, I lose a little bit of bed space but not too much and it's pretty easy to remove if I need to. If I didn't have a locking tailgate I would have bought the Roll N Lock, they a lock on them.

 

[bruce219]

I have the american roll cover,very good,but $1700

 

[tron67j]

Right after I bought my 2003 2500 8' bed new I installed the Pace Edwards (forgot model) with aluminum under and vinyl on top. Worked great for about 13 years through well well below zero with over a hundred inches of snow, 100+ temp in the summer, carried tons of rock, stone and cargo. The biggest drawback is you both lose about a foot of bed and the front of your bed where you could use the bed wall as support to tie things to. When it finally stopped working I bought a hard top trifold as a stop-gap until I could research a new roll back. I have had this trifold now for about three years and just transferred to my new 2500 I bought last October. So easy to put on and take off, can transport it easy with cargo, and solved problem if not having front bed wall for support. If you are so inclined check out those options. They run cheaper and if you don't like it you can always sell to recover some of your money and then buy different one. Check the vendors in here, maybe one has a line on different models. Good luck

 

[BWL]

I have a roll n lock. Colder climate so I get the vinyl covered one vs the metal slat style. The metal slats freeze together in the winter on all the slat style ones I've seen. super quick and easy to open and close. Mine works fine as cold a -40c. You do have to clean the drains occasionally or the roller case will over fill and spill into the box and I have had the drains clog when it was warm in the day and freezing at night making an ice block in the box, but that doesn't happen when the drains are clear. I believe roll n lock still has the smallest enclosure and I can fit a fair bit of stuff underneath it so the loss in space is minimal.Before the weather gets cold a soaking of wd40 or wire dryer followed by a shot of lithium grease in the locks and latches to keep moisture out fixes the frozen problem. Minimal leakage. Little bit in the corners if I go through a touchless car wash or a heavy rainfall. I've had 1 on each of my last 3 personal trucks.

 

[rwhjr]

I have a roll n lock. Colder climate so I get the vinyl covered one vs the metal slat style. The metal slats freeze together in the winter on all the slat style ones I've seen. super quick and easy to open and close. Mine works fine as cold a -40c. You do have to clean the drains occasionally or the roller case will over fill and spill into the box and I have had the drains clog when it was warm in the day and freezing at night making an ice block in the box, but that doesn't happen when the drains are clear. I believe roll n lock still has the smallest enclosure and I can fit a fair bit of stuff underneath it so the loss in space is minimal.Before the weather gets cold a soaking of wd40 or wire dryer followed by a shot of lithium grease in the locks and latches to keep moisture out fixes the frozen problem. Minimal leakage. Little bit in the corners if I go through a touchless car wash or a heavy rainfall. I've had 1 on each of my last 3 personal trucks.

Pics of them after they’ve aged/been on for a few years?

I have a hard folding cover right now with no complaints and it’s held up amazing for 3yrs. Still hasn’t faded in color and the joints/seams between panels are holding up great etc. This also a cheapy $300 cover.

But I’ve always thought it’d be nice to try a hard rolling cover for my next one.

 

[BWL]

Pics of them after they’ve aged/been on for a few years?

I have a hard folding cover right now with no complaints and it’s held up amazing for 3yrs. Still hasn’t faded in color and the joints/seams between panels are holding up great etc. This also a cheapy $300 cover.

But I’ve always thought it’d be nice to try a hard rolling cover for my next one.

This is on my old truck shortly before I sold it. About 8.5 years and 276,000 kms in. One dirty and cold and the other clean, but both in the same month.

 

[BWL]

Just to show how much space is under the roll case. Not the best shot with the bed extender in the way. I'll post one with it out in my new truck when I go outside later today.

 

[Greenham]

Just did the pace Edwards switchblade. Got it from etrailer for $819. I just saw it on sale for$798. I've had manual roll up vinyl before. I wanted easy and functional. You can buy various hands rolled, or flip type for about half the price but again I wanted easy. It took about 1hr to install (thanks YouTube) looks great too. I'm only a week into ownership so no comment on its potential longevity. You do give up about a foot of front box space, but the easy use, locking and looks were more important to me.

Thanks all for the drain cleaning tip. I hadn't thought about that.

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