[email protected] (crk133) wrote in message news:<
[email protected]>...
> i am looking to put a soft tonneau cover on my 04 SB siverado. the
> two that i am most interested in are: the access roll up ($380) and
> the extang RT ($285). i would greatly appreciate it if someone PLEASE
> give some advise on which to chose.
>
> thank you
Hi! Just to be up front, I am a little biased - but will try to help.
I actually am president of a retractable truck cover company. The
reason I'm posting is because I do have lot of experience with all
varieties of truck bed covers and can provide some insight that might
be useful.
If you're going to go the soft cover route - the Access is one of the
better
built vinyl covers I've seen. Some things to watch for - the velcro on
the Access cover doesn't work too well in snow or ice climates and the
vinyl does get stiff and hard to work with in colder temps, but that's
true of any vinyl cover. From what I've seen of the Access, it is
pretty easy to install. If you live in a warm climate and don't really
care about security, the Access is a good choice - I think you'd be
happy with it.
No matter what kind of cover you end up with, I would strongly
recommend that you put a tailgate seal on. It seals the three side of
the tailgate to the truck bed and keeps dust kicked up by the rear
wheels from getting in. When a cover truck bed is in motion, there is
a vacuum created inside the bed that will suck dust in like crazy. The
first time your drive down a dirt/gravel road, you'll have a nice
gritty film all over everything in the bed! The seal kit is well worth
the $30! Find one with a 3M adhesive tape on it - anything else will
fall off in short order.
Just FYI, for about $100 more than you'd spend on the Access you can
get into a solid aluminum retractable cover with a key lock that will
give you the same kind of hauling flexibility as a vinyl tonneau - but
provide some security as well and a more durable lifespan. If you're
interested in more info, let me know. I won't make any more of a plug
than that!
