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Old 06-02-2023, 08:18 PM   #41
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DALLAS , TX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeCrush View Post
Clearance under the cover is 20.75" lowest point of cover to top of bed ridges.



I have the shorter bed, I think they call it 6.75 ft. I measured bed length at 68" to the Retrax box and 81" total. The box does not go to the floor so you can stuff a few things under it. For reference, I have a water tank I take along for boondocking and in my F250 it has about an inch more clearance with the Retrax than it was in my short bed F150 without a Retrax.



My wife is getting an Alchemy e-Ronin gravel bike. Spendy but Bryce at Alchemy is great and he will customize the fit within certain geometry constraints. Hand made Crabon Fiber in the US.
Thanks. Appreciate the measurements!

So the retrax box consumes a touch over a foot of bed real estate (13"). Not sure if that is important to me yet :-;

But, my generator container will fit under the retrax and that was what I was initially concerned about (https://www.containerstore.com/s/103...uctId=11010234). So that works so far.

Appreciate the pointer to the bike, I will check it out.

Just looked at the bike. Very, very nice. I wish you hadn't shown me that, cuz now I want one, lol.
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Old 06-03-2023, 05:33 AM   #42
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2023 25' Flying Cloud
Franklin , Tennessee
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I started off with a Bak Revolver tonneau cover on our F-150 short bed . Well, two of them since they replaced the first one under warranty. In less than 3 years I had both of them, I had multiple problems with them and the leaked terribly. Avoid.

Our first e-bikes were Rad Power Bikes, and in order to carry them in the bed of the truck, I had to leave the cover open, which then meant I had to cover the folded up bikes if I wanted to keep rain off them. However, everything else in the bed would get wet. I didn’t care for that setup at all. Things got wet and anything in the bed was easily exposed to theft. Plus, the bikes were heavy (74 lbs) and bulky and a challenge to load for me.

We sold the Rad Bikes and purchased a pair of Trek Dual Sport+ 2 e-bikes, which weighed just about half of a Rad bike. They were a big investement and I wanted them in a safe and dry environment so a truck bed cap was in my future.

When we traded into an Airstream I also traded into a F-250 and purchased an ARE Classic bed cap. For me, it was absolutely the right thing to do. I built a simple 2x4 “rack” on which I put a pair of fork mounts so the Treks could ride upright in the back of the truck. I secure the bikes on the rack while sitting across the tailgate, then turn the rack and slide it into the truck. This left plenty of storage room in the bed for other things. Except for the extreme corners next to the tailgate, the area under the cap is absolutely dry, lockable, and the tinted windows makes it very difficult to see anything inside.

The only negative from the cap is some reduced vision when backing into a campsite with a turn on the passenger side. I soon found I looked out the back window more than I realized when making those blind backing turns. I now have to rely more on my passenger side mirror than when I didn’t have a bed cap. That’s the only negative to me, and it is far out-weighed by the security and waterproofness the bed cap provides.
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Old 06-03-2023, 06:09 AM   #43
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I believe you will get better gas mileage with a bed topper than with a tonneau cover. This is because of the way the air flows over the rig. With a pickup truck the air goes over the roof and back down where it hits the trailer head on, so it's almost like having the wind resistance of two separate vehicles and cutting your gas mileage in half. With a bed topper a lot of the air coming off the back of the topper will flow over the trailer and there will be less wind resistance.

I have towed my Airstream with both a diesel suv and with a diesel pickup truck with an open bed. I get 2 mpg better mileage with the SUV and I believe a lot of this is due to the SUV arrangement having a lower wind resistance. The same should go for a topper. That said, this really needs a wind tunnel to confirm, but it would be interesting to hear comments about real life gas mileage using a topper vs an open bed.
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Old 06-03-2023, 06:52 AM   #44
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I’ve a F250 with a roll n lock tonneau cover. Actually, this is my third truck that I’ve equipped with the roll n lock. I love the flexibility, and security. Feel item to consider:
1. During cold weather, it will freeze. I lived in Chicago and it would be frozen for long periods. Would go to the Carwash to get it unfrozen if needed
2. I get a little water in during rain. Just put sensitive items in water tight bins
3. I open the cover when loading over it. I place heavy items like bikes, kayak, lumber, etc on the open tailgate. I’ve ramps that also allow me to roll items up into the bed. I get into the bed of the truck and secure items on the rack. Then, just pull the cover. Easy.
4. My generator is too high to go under the cover. I can pull the cover 3/4 closed. Provided some protection…even lock…even diverts rain when not fully closed.
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Old 06-03-2023, 07:11 AM   #45
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Another vote for the Diamondback SE tonneau cover. Previously had the RetraxPro and liked that too but not 100% water tight and took up too much bed space when rolled up. Also did not allow for mid-sized generator…….not enough head room under the cover.

The Diamondback met my requirements for security, watertight and the ability to cover the generator. Also, the aesthetics aren’t bad either IMO.

Chose a tonneau over the cap for visibility. Depending on your storage needs, either work well. My preference was for better visibility and the tonneau provided that.

My truck is a 2020 Ram 2500 with 6’ 4” bed for reference. And regarding the comment from a previous post about height of pickup truck beds these days, agree they can be a challenge. I am of average height and find the Diamondback fine for me to open/close and lock.
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Old 06-03-2023, 08:14 AM   #46
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We’ve used various hard tonneau covers for a 20 years, and currently have a DiamondBack SE. The DiamondBack is so much more versatile than some of the others and it’s hardy enough to handle the abuse of mtn bikes, lumber, and anything else we’ve hauled on it over the last five years.

Hands down the benchmark of tonneaus in my book. We’ll likely have them on all future truck purchases.
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Old 06-03-2023, 09:23 AM   #47
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BAK Revolver X4S, Modified Yakama Rack, Custom Cross Brace, Custom Folding Ramp.
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Old 06-03-2023, 11:27 AM   #48
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Originally Posted by 2012FB View Post
BAK Revolver X4S, Modified Yakama Rack, Custom Cross Brace, Custom Folding Ramp.
Thanks. Would you mind sharing more information on your ramp and rack?
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Old 06-03-2023, 11:28 AM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin245 View Post
We’ve used various hard tonneau covers for a 20 years, and currently have a DiamondBack SE. The DiamondBack is so much more versatile than some of the others and it’s hardy enough to handle the abuse of mtn bikes, lumber, and anything else we’ve hauled on it over the last five years.

Hands down the benchmark of tonneaus in my book. We’ll likely have them on all future truck purchases.
Is the diamondback a solid, single piece cover? How does that work with bike racks?
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Old 06-03-2023, 12:57 PM   #50
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Thanks. Would you mind sharing more information on your ramp and rack?
I purchased the ramp as a set of two from Harbor Freight and joined them together. Then I cut out the center of one end and added side notches to latch onto the crossbar. The Yakima rack is a typical crossbar bike rack with feet bolted onto the truck bed. I had to cut the rear front wheel bar down a bit as it would interfere with the rear of the front fender. I made a crossbar out of a piece of plastic pipe. I cut notches in each end to fit tight on the seat riser tube and then use a ratchet strap to hold both bikes against the pipe. I always remove the batteries and my wife will spot the back of the bike as I roll it up and down the ramps. I have done it by myself on numerous occasions but it is a bit of a pain. At most camping spots I will often have a neighbor or passerby that will offer to spot the bike as well. This is the best solution I could come up with that allows us to take the RadPower bikes along.
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Old 06-03-2023, 04:15 PM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2012FB View Post
I purchased the ramp as a set of two from Harbor Freight and joined them together. Then I cut out the center of one end and added side notches to latch onto the crossbar. The Yakima rack is a typical crossbar bike rack with feet bolted onto the truck bed. I had to cut the rear front wheel bar down a bit as it would interfere with the rear of the front fender. I made a crossbar out of a piece of plastic pipe. I cut notches in each end to fit tight on the seat riser tube and then use a ratchet strap to hold both bikes against the pipe. I always remove the batteries and my wife will spot the back of the bike as I roll it up and down the ramps. I have done it by myself on numerous occasions but it is a bit of a pain. At most camping spots I will often have a neighbor or passerby that will offer to spot the bike as well. This is the best solution I could come up with that allows us to take the RadPower bikes along.
Thanks. Very creative solution and a pretty sweet setup.
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Old 06-03-2023, 07:09 PM   #52
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Longmont , Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2012FB View Post
I purchased the ramp as a set of two from Harbor Freight and joined them together. Then I cut out the center of one end and added side notches to latch onto the crossbar. The Yakima rack is a typical crossbar bike rack with feet bolted onto the truck bed. I had to cut the rear front wheel bar down a bit as it would interfere with the rear of the front fender. I made a crossbar out of a piece of plastic pipe. I cut notches in each end to fit tight on the seat riser tube and then use a ratchet strap to hold both bikes against the pipe. I always remove the batteries and my wife will spot the back of the bike as I roll it up and down the ramps. I have done it by myself on numerous occasions but it is a bit of a pain. At most camping spots I will often have a neighbor or passerby that will offer to spot the bike as well. This is the best solution I could come up with that allows us to take the RadPower bikes along.
That looks awesome and well thought out. The stabilizer bar is a great idea and probably helps the Fronloader racks handle the weight with ease. I love the Yakima Fronloader as they can handle almost any wheel size (20"-29"). For those interested, they are phasing out the Fronloader and replacing it with the Highroad which is more expensive and not as good in my opinion. The Highroad only goes down to 26" wheel size and after trying one myself I think they are not good for truck bed as it is designed to sit more forward.
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Old 12-20-2023, 06:09 PM   #53
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Sorry if I’ve missed it, what cap do you have?
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