Height of RetraxPRO XR tonneau truck bed cover? Enough room for a 4500 generator F250

[NeilWK]

I have a 2020 Ford F250 standard bed and am looking to replace my flimsy Truxport bed cover. The one nice thing about it was I could fit my Westinghouse igen 4500 inverter generator under it with room to spare. I am now looking at getting the RetraxPRO XR but am worried I that the height clearance isn't quite enough. I am measuring the generator at 20.5 inches when sitting in the bed.


I just don't want to make a $2000 mistake. I have searched extensively on this forum and others and have found different answers so wanted to ask in case someone else has a similar setup. By the way so far the Westinghouse is a great generator and I love the remote feature. Thanks! Neil

[WellSaid11]

Can’t speak to clearance on an F250, as I have a 2019 Ram 2500.

I have a Retrax Pro XR and love it. If you can figure out the clearance, you can’t go wrong with it.

[Jeff7176]

I think it will fit, but it will be close. On my 2019 I have about 21 inches from the floor of the bed to the bottom of the cover. I easily fit my Champion 3500 underneath.

[Jeff7176]

This one is a little more straight on.

It’s a great cover as well.

[NeilWK]

Originally Posted by Jeff7176

This one is a little more straight on.

It’s a great cover as well. Attachment 419359

Thanks so much! That definitely helps and is exactly what I was looking for! Glad to hear you guys both love the cover as well.

[Carls]

Neil
I have the retrax xr, which maybe the manual version of the pro. It has worked great for me as it has tracks in it for my Rino Rack which holds my two mountain bikes. I have a 2017 F250 but am on the road so I don’t have a tape measure to see clearance but will be home Sunday if you want me to take a measurement. If you want pics of my setup let me know.
Carl

[WellSaid11]

The PowerTrax Pro is the powered one. The MX of both versions has no T-Slots but the XR versions do.

https://retrax.com/retraxpro-aluminum-series

[NeilWK]

Originally Posted by Carls

Neil
I have the retrax xr, which maybe the manual version of the pro. It has worked great for me as it has tracks in it for my Rino Rack which holds my two mountain bikes. I have a 2017 F250 but am on the road so I don’t have a tape measure to see clearance but will be home Sunday if you want me to take a measurement. If you want pics of my setup let me know.
Carl

Thanks Carl! I would love to see pictures of your setup when you get home Sunday. I am looking at adding the racks for two light weight e bikes also. An extra measurement picture would be great too since it looks like this will be super close (within a 1/2 inch).

[WellSaid11]

NeilWK-

I have a RetraxPRO XR with t-slots. I have two Yakima gear carriers and two Thule Hullavators for kayaks. Can post this weekend when I am back home.

[gzvette61]

I have a 2020 F250 with the manual Retrax with the slots in the side rails. The clearance is 21", with a slight reduction at the edge close to the side rails where the lock mechanism sticks down about 1/2 inch. My Champion 4500 dual fuel just fits under the cover. My set up does get just a little water leakage in a strong rain storm, usually on the left side right where the tailgate and side wall comes together. It hasn't been enoough of an issue for me to mess with, as we don't keep stuff directly on the floor of the truck, and use totes for most things. Our Clam shelter is the only thing that is stored directly on the floor, and it is in the middle of the truck so it doesn't get wet. I really like the setup. I also use Thule cross bars to mount the bike racks when we take our biles with us. A really handy set-up. Be aware that you do lose space at the front of the bed where the top rolls up into the storage canister, but that is a trade-off I am very willing to accept.

[WellSaid11]

Agreed on the loss of space from the canister, it is totally with it.

I have very little leaking at all and then only after serious rain. Did you install the drain tubes through the front of the bed as well? I did, and that made a big difference for any water that may collect near the front or in the canister.

[Silvr_Bullet]

An alternative hardtop cover, very secure.
Have it now two years, actually no maintenance. If someone wants clearances to bed PM me.

https://tonneaucoversworld.com/p/ext...tonneau-cover/

[NeilWK]

Originally Posted by WellSaid11

NeilWK-

I have a RetraxPRO XR with t-slots. I have two Yakima gear carriers and two Thule Hullavators for kayaks. Can post this weekend when I am back home.

Sounds like a nice setup, pictures when you get home would be great thanks!

[NeilWK]

Originally Posted by gzvette61

I have a 2020 F250 with the manual Retrax with the slots in the side rails. The clearance is 21", with a slight reduction at the edge close to the side rails where the lock mechanism sticks down about 1/2 inch. My Champion 4500 dual fuel just fits under the cover. My set up does get just a little water leakage in a strong rain storm, usually on the left side right where the tailgate and side wall comes together. It hasn't been enoough of an issue for me to mess with, as we don't keep stuff directly on the floor of the truck, and use totes for most things. Our Clam shelter is the only thing that is stored directly on the floor, and it is in the middle of the truck so it doesn't get wet. I really like the setup. I also use Thule cross bars to mount the bike racks when we take our biles with us. A really handy set-up. Be aware that you do lose space at the front of the bed where the top rolls up into the storage canister, but that is a trade-off I am very willing to accept.

Perfect, same years as my truck and your Champion specs seem almost identical in height to the Westinghouse. Champion listing height as 20.1 inches and Westinghouse 20 inches. If you ended up wanting to fix your issue, I wonder if this would work? https://retrax.com/gate-gasket-seal

[gzvette61]

Thanks for the tip on the gasket. I'll probably give that a shot. Not very expensive and easy to do.

[Fjord F-150]

My diamondback cover has 21"+ clearance. An inch or 2 higher between the ribs.

I've had mine for 4 years and it is very secure, weather tight, able to carry heavy loads on top, can mount kayak racks, and the dog like to sit on top!

https://diamondbackcovers.com/

[FrankH]

I have had the same dilemma with my tonneau and the generator. I initially bought my generator without considering if it would fit under a tonneau cover. I had a roll out cover, Truxedo TruXport, that I started with and being flexible, the generator fit underneath but there was a definite bulge and I was worried about security of things in the truck bed. I also like to take bikes and was using a tailgate pad for the bikes. I could lock the bikes and generator in the bed but anything else I put in the bed would have to have some way to lock it as well.
I looked at the diamondback covers, they look great and could be secured but I couldn’t get an answer about how much space there was to fit a generator in the bed that happened to be tall, or as tall as the sides of the bed. I took pictures of my generator in relation to the top and sides of the bed and sent them to diamondback but they were concerned about having the cover be able to close sufficiently. I needed up getting a Retrax Pro and Yakima crossbars. I took the wheels off of the generator and it was very snug, Pulsar 4500. I ended up selling the generator and am looking for one that is 20” or shorter. I took some pictures to help me decide.

The first pic is from the bed to the lip of the cover. This is from the very rear of the bed, totally flat.
The second and third show the difference using one of the valleys, not sure what else to call them.
The last picture is where the locking mechanism and the end meet.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by NeilWK

I am looking at adding the racks for two light weight e bikes also.

Check out the videos LoLoHo did about their F-250 (older) and racks for e-bikes. I believe they have a Retrax also.They put together a well thought out system, then quit using it because one of the bike forks broke from the stress. Not to mention hefting the e-bikes on to the rack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_YheOQcsAw

[FrankH]

I have 4 of these, no need to remove the front wheel
https://yakima.com/products/frontloa...468.1658683217

And two low profile bars

[FrankH]

That is a great idea and they brought up some good points. My Ram’s bed side is that chest height and lifting overhead can be challenging. I bring a foldable step ladder and use that or climb into the bed to mount the bikes. I’ve carried 4 bikes on the system I use. I’ll go put it up and take a picture to post.