Truck Bed Cover Search Continues

[iflyskyhigh]

So, had an MX4 on my F150. Loved it.

Ordered an MX4 for my new 2022 2500 back on Black Friday. Truck delivered in December. Cover didn’t fit. Tried two more covers, both had same closure / quality control issue.

There is a thread here detailing the MX4 head aches.

Decided to return the MX4 for a refund 4 months later and try the Peragon.

Peragon received and installed. They have a 100 day trial with free shipping both ways.

It’s light years ahead of the Bakflip in terms of build quality, fit, and finish. I opted for the powder coat type finish.

Customer service is in fact awesome. Had a question on install (which I ended up figuring out on my own) and they called me back ASAP. Super friendly. I later screwed up the tailgate seal kit, they promptly sent me a replacement free of charge for my mistake.

Install was a little more work than the Bakflip, but not difficult.

Opens and closes smoothly. Looks clean. Seals bed well.

It is easily removable to gain access to your whole bed.

With all that being said I think it’s going back.

I do not like the amount space lost to the opening and closing mechanism. When the cover is open you lose about a foot or so at the front of the bed. Not bad. But the mechanism that the panels come down on sits another foot or so back from the front of the bed. And should anything slide up under there you will not be able to open the cover. It’s a cool smart mechanism but it just takes up to much space for my liking.

The Peragon has no load bearing capability either.

It’s a well designed cover just not quite what I want.

I have spent days looking at every cover on the market.

Pretty much every tri fold or 4 fold cover is identical. I think they’re all made by the same damn company and rebranded in fact.

I like the diamondback cover for build, durability, security, and load bearing, but you lose the bed because the center piece is not easily removable even though the other two pieces are.

The only other two covers I’m considering are the Renegade and the Retrax Pro XR.

The Renegade is on paper the clear winner. But it’s $3400 delivered, which isn’t the worst part. They have a 6 month lead time!

You’re gonna hang on to my $3400 for 6 months, maybe more…no thanks. Think of how much has changed in the past 6 months.

Not only that but I believe it’s a rather new company with unknown warranty, history, and customer service. Theses are tough days to be a start up with a niche product. Considering current conditions I highly doubt their lead times are gonna come down. And if they go out of business with my $3400 that would be a pain.

If I could get one in 2-4 weeks I’d buy it tomorrow. Yes it’s $3400, but it’s going on a $90k truck that I’m gonna have for 20 years. It’s really an genius cover. Retain access to whole truck bed. Load baring of 2000 pounds. Super secure. Weather proof. Ingenious (albeit expensive and proprietary) rack mounting system. Completely removable. It’s slick. Downside (with any folder) you can’t open cover with something mounted on top. And for me personally I can’t open and close a folding cover inside my garage because of my ceiling racks. (One of the reasons the Peragon appealed to me).

So this leaves me with the Retrax Pro XR. Retrax is same high quality, probably 80-90% durability and security of Renegade (just guessing). 1/4 load bearing of renegade (500 pounds). Industry standard T rack universal mounting system. Can open and close with stuff mounted over the top on a rack system. Can open and close inside garage. Still has a little space under canister for storage that won’t interfere with opening or closing of cover. Lifetime warranty great customer service. 2/3 price of Renegade. I like that I can open and close it in my garage, and that you can open and lock it in any position. The lost 11” of bed space where the canister mounts is really only con I see for real world every day usage.

There was maybe half a dozen times in the 10 years I had my F150/MX4 I needed the full bed. I have a 6.6 foot bed now and with the tailgate and ratchet straps I should be good. Or hell, just rent a uhaul trailer. I hear these trucks tow real good.

If there is anything I’m missing please let me know.

 

[tyler2you]

For what sounds like the few times you might need access to the full bed, I would reconsider the Diamondback. The build quality, durability, security, and load bearing features you mention being important are worth the hassle of removing the center section a few times. I've pulled mine out twice when I needed the full bed and it took about 10 minutes to remove. Putting it back might have taken 30 minutes since I had the spots marked where the brackets lined up which helped with getting it aligned.

 

[Razzman]

Retrax vote here. Have the Retrax PowertraxPro MX now and love it, yeah you loose a bit in the bed but to me it's worth it for the quality and security. Went power this time as we have Ramboxes and it's hard to reach and slide manually. Had the RetraxPro MX on the last truck and it was flawless for the three years we had it. I have $3K in golf gear that lives in the bed unless we're out camping, with the Retrax I don't worry about it. Get creative with the can in the bed, that space is perfect for small items to hide under. In my case I have two Rigid tool boxes that live there so I always have tools.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

For what sounds like the few times you might need access to the full bed, I would reconsider the Diamondback. The build quality, durability, security, and load bearing features you mention being important are worth the hassle of removing the center section a few times. I've pulled mine out twice when I needed the full bed and it took about 10 minutes to remove. Putting it back might have taken 30 minutes since I had the spots marked where the brackets lined up which helped with getting it aligned.

I’ll look at it again. Not crazy about the way the diamond back looks. And I’d have to drill into the cover to mount the rail slots. Plus, I don’t like that you can’t open when somethings over the top (or in my garage) where as I can with the Retrax. AND while not needing the entire bed, there are lots of times when I’ve needed the available bed completely opened up for tall items. That would be a problem with the Diamondback

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Retrax vote here. Have the Retrax PowertraxPro MX now and love it, yeah you loose a bit in the bed but to me it's worth it for the quality and security. Went power this time as we have Ramboxes and it's hard to reach and slide manually. Had the RetraxPro MX on the last truck and it was flawless for the three years we had it. I have $3K in golf gear that lives in the bed unless we're out camping, with the Retrax I don't worry about it. Get creative with the can in the bed, that space is perfect for small items to hide under. In my case I have two Rigid tool boxes that live there so I always have tools.

I’m leaning towards the Retrax. Hadn’t really considered the power option. Do you lose more bed space with power version? Do you worry about failure of power mechanisms over time? Does it also have lifetime warranty.

 

[Razzman]

I’m leaning towards the Retrax. Hadn’t really considered the power option. Do you lose more bed space with power version? Do you worry about failure of power mechanisms over time? Does it also have lifetime warranty.

Didn't lose anymore over the manual version. As for failure I don't worry about it, everything fails eventually but Retrax has been pretty solid. Warranty, don't know much of anything that has lifetime, not much is. However theirs isn't bad; The PowertraxPRO MX has a 3 year full warranty, then a limited lifetime warranty after the 3 years expire at a prorated price unless specified otherwise.

 

[rampulse]

Got the Retrax Pro XR. It’s great, smooth/easy opening and looks clean on the truck when closed. Very sturdy and secures as well.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Didn't lose anymore over the manual version. As for failure I don't worry about it, everything fails eventually but Retrax has been pretty solid. Warranty, don't know much of anything that has lifetime, not much is. However theirs isn't bad; The PowertraxPRO MX has a 3 year full warranty, then a limited lifetime warranty after the 3 years expire at a prorated price unless specified otherwise.

The XR Pro non powered version has a lifetime warranty.

 

[spinned]

The Diamondback and the Retrax Pro are at the top of my list too. The cool thing about the Diamondback is that you can load up to 1600 pounds on top of it… like bigger items that wouldn’t fit in the 6’4” bed. With the Retrax you only have a 5’5” bed to use for bigger items.

But I also like the Retraxs design that allows you to open the cover and lock it down at any point.

Another issue with the Diamondback is that I’ll put stuff in the bed and when I get home it has slid down to the cab. You’d have to crawl back there to get it instead of walking back to get it with the Retrax.

 

[Gkockrow]

So, had an MX4 on my F150. Loved it.

Ordered an MX4 for my new 2022 2500 back on Black Friday. Truck delivered in December. Cover didn’t fit. Tried two more covers, both had same closure / quality control issue.

There is a thread here detailing the MX4 head aches.

Decided to return the MX4 for a refund 4 months later and try the Peragon.

Peragon received and installed. They have a 100 day trial with free shipping both ways.

It’s light years ahead of the Bakflip in terms of build quality, fit, and finish. I opted for the powder coat type finish.

Customer service is in fact awesome. Had a question on install (which I ended up figuring out on my own) and they called me back ASAP. Super friendly. I later screwed up the tailgate seal kit, they promptly sent me a replacement free of charge for my mistake.

Install was a little more work than the Bakflip, but not difficult.

Opens and closes smoothly. Looks clean. Seals bed well.

It is easily removable to gain access to your whole bed.

With all that being said I think it’s going back.

I do not like the amount space lost to the opening and closing mechanism. When the cover is open you lose about a foot or so at the front of the bed. Not bad. But the mechanism that the panels come down on sits another foot or so back from the front of the bed. And should anything slide up under there you will not be able to open the cover. It’s a cool smart mechanism but it just takes up to much space for my liking.

The Peragon has no load bearing capability either.

It’s a well designed cover just not quite what I want.

I have spent days looking at every cover on the market.

Pretty much every tri fold or 4 fold cover is identical. I think they’re all made by the same damn company and rebranded in fact.

I like the diamondback cover for build, durability, security, and load bearing, but you lose the bed because the center piece is not easily removable even though the other two pieces are.

The only other two covers I’m considering are the Renegade and the Retrax Pro XR.

The Renegade is on paper the clear winner. But it’s $3400 delivered, which isn’t the worst part. They have a 6 month lead time!

You’re gonna hang on to my $3400 for 6 months, maybe more…no thanks. Think of how much has changed in the past 6 months.

Not only that but I believe it’s a rather new company with unknown warranty, history, and customer service. Theses are tough days to be a start up with a niche product. Considering current conditions I highly doubt their lead times are gonna come down. And if they go out of business with my $3400 that would be a pain.

If I could get one in 2-4 weeks I’d buy it tomorrow. Yes it’s $3400, but it’s going on a $90k truck that I’m gonna have for 20 years. It’s really an genius cover. Retain access to whole truck bed. Load baring of 2000 pounds. Super secure. Weather proof. Ingenious (albeit expensive and proprietary) rack mounting system. Completely removable. It’s slick. Downside (with any folder) you can’t open cover with something mounted on top. And for me personally I can’t open and close a folding cover inside my garage because of my ceiling racks. (One of the reasons the Peragon appealed to me).

So this leaves me with the Retrax Pro XR. Retrax is same high quality, probably 80-90% durability and security of Renegade (just guessing). 1/4 load bearing of renegade (500 pounds). Industry standard T rack universal mounting system. Can open and close with stuff mounted over the top on a rack system. Can open and close inside garage. Still has a little space under canister for storage that won’t interfere with opening or closing of cover. Lifetime warranty great customer service. 2/3 price of Renegade. I like that I can open and close it in my garage, and that you can open and lock it in any position. The lost 11” of bed space where the canister mounts is really only con I see for real world every day usage.

There was maybe half a dozen times in the 10 years I had my F150/MX4 I needed the full bed. I have a 6.6 foot bed now and with the tailgate and ratchet straps I should be good. Or hell, just rent a uhaul trailer. I hear these trucks tow real good.

If there is anything I’m missing please let me know.

Roll and Lock cover $1900 bucks is great.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

The Diamondback and the Retrax Pro are at the top of my list too. The cool thing about the Diamondback is that you can load up to 1600 pounds on top of it… like bigger items that wouldn’t fit in the 6’4” bed. With the Retrax you only have a 5’5” bed to use for bigger items.

But I also like the Retraxs design that allows you to open the cover and lock it down at any point.

Another issue with the Diamondback is that I’ll put stuff in the bed and when I get home it has slid down to the cab. You’d have to crawl back there to get it instead of walking back to get it with the Retrax.

I think about how I will use the truck and truck bed 99% of the time and I think at this point the loose of the foot up front is the least worst con for me.

I’ve been looking at the Diamondback again as previously suggested, trying to figure out how best it could work for me, and I keep going back to the Retrax.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Roll and Lock cover $1900 bucks is great.

I did. I like the Retrax XR better

Maybe I didn’t say it, but I see putting a rack above the cover a real possibility. As in I’m pretty sure I will. The XR is made for this. I like the fact with the XR, even with the rack over the top you can still open the cover and access the bed. With folding covers like Renegade and Diamondback this isn’t possible. You’d have to take the rack off to access truck bed.

 

[spinned]

Yeah Renegade is out. $2,800 and you have to wait 22 weeks (nearly 6 months). No thanks. Looks beefy… but not going to do it.

https://renegadecovers.com/product/renegade-tonneau-cover/?v=7516fd43adaa

 

[spinned]

The power Retrax is a gimmick. In all the YouTubes I’ve seen it rolls easy without power. Why would you carry around two key fobs to operate your truck and cover. The Ram fob is too big as it is.

That is… unless you just want the oooooh cool factor.

 

[Razzman]

The power Retrax is a gimmick. In all the YouTubes I’ve seen it rolls easy without power. Why would you carry around two key fobs to operate your truck and cover. The Ram fob is too big as it is.

That is… unless you just want the oooooh cool factor.

I appreciate your opinion, however you obviously didn't stop to think why someone would want one. I can think of multiple reasons why , but I'll just give you just one. I'm 66 years old and a disabled vet who's busted up pretty good, I don't have full mobility in my knees and back, I have a rotator cuff that limits what I can do to include reaching over Ramboxes to open a manual cover on a truck that sits high as it is. At 5'8" I can't reach a manual pull, btw I used to be 5'11" before the falling off a cliff but you work with what you have. My wife is 5'2" and there's no way she can reach either. So yes a gimmick has worked extremely well for us. I don't carry the remote, it stays in the console until I need to open the cover.

Btw when it's pouring rain and you need to get into the bed it's awesome to have it open by the time you reach the truck, there's the ooooh cool factor.

 

[spinned]

I appreciate your opinion, however you obviously didn't stop to think why someone would want one. I can think of multiple reasons why , but I'll just give you just one. I'm 66 years old and a disabled vet who's busted up pretty good, I don't have full mobility in my knees and back, I have a rotator cuff that limits what I can do to include reaching over Ramboxes to open a manual cover on a truck that sits high as it is. At 5'8" I can't reach a manual pull, btw I used to be 5'11" before the falling off a cliff but you work with what you have. My wife is 5'2" and there's no way she can reach either. So yes a gimmick has worked extremely well for us. I don't carry the remote, it stays in the console until I need to open the cover.

Btw when it's pouring rain and you need to get into the bed it's awesome to have it open by the time you reach the truck, there's the ooooh cool factor.

True enough. That makes sense… thanks

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Yeah Renegade is out. $2,800 and you have to wait 22 weeks (nearly 6 months). No thanks. Looks beefy… but not going to do it.

https://renegadecovers.com/product/renegade-tonneau-cover/?v=7516fd43adaa

You missed the shipping and the “torsion bar”.

It’s $3400 to your door. AND 6 months.

They said they’d do 50% down and %50 upon shipment. Still more of a gamble than I’m willing to make.

I do it believe it to be the best cover out there right now, at least on paper. But I have my doubts that’s it’s worth $3400 too. The Retrax and Diamondback appear at least to be in the same ball park for innovation and quality, and both those covers are at least $1000 less. That would have to be some kind of cover for $3400.

Like I said, if I could get one in less than a month I might roll the dice. But not in this current environment will I give someone $3400, or even even $1700, and cross my fingers that it shows up in 6 months.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

The power Retrax is a gimmick. In all the YouTubes I’ve seen it rolls easy without power. Why would you carry around two key fobs to operate your truck and cover. The Ram fob is too big as it is.

That is… unless you just want the oooooh cool factor.

I appreciate the free market and innovation, glad there is a power option. It’s unique in this saturated unimaginative market.

That being said I don’t need it.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Just watching a couple more Diamondback videos.

I like it more the more I look at it. But I still don’t see the pros outweighing the cons.

I wish it had some type rail system frOm the factory. Or at least the option. Kind of like how you can get the cleats left off or pre installed. But then again your still faced with the issue of how the hell do you get into the bed if you have something mounted to a rack over the top???? Or if you have something directly mounted to the top????

Also if they had some way to quickly remove the center section kind of like how the two ends can quickly be removed.

 

[Sherwin2004]

You missed the shipping and the “torsion bar”.

It’s $3400 to your door. AND 6 months.

They said they’d do 50% down and %50 upon shipment. Still more of a gamble than I’m willing to make.

I do it believe it to be the best cover out there right now, at least on paper. But I have my doubts that’s it’s worth $3400 too. The Retrax and Diamondback appear at least to be in the same ball park for innovation and quality, and both those covers are at least $1000 less. That would have to be some kind of cover for $3400.

Like I said, if I could get one in less than a month I might roll the dice. But not in this current environment will I give someone $3400, or even even $1700, and cross my fingers that it shows up in 6 months.

Not to mention it will be snowing heavily (where I live in the snow belt) before I ever see it.