It has not been a while since my valuable goods were stolen by thieves. Couple of week ago I parked my truck by the side of a road. For a reason, I went a little away. I returned to the parking spot and I was not prepared by what I had seen. There were lots of important equipment on my truck bed. I felt so bad seeing them missing.
Soon after, I realized how important it is to install a Tonneau cover on my truck bed. I was motivated by this unfortunate incident to get and install a Tonneau cover for my truck but that is not the only reason you should get.
In fact, there are tons of reasons to install truck cover on your vehicle.
Let’s get to know about some of the most important benefit offered by Tonneau cover.
What Is A Tonneau Cover?
A tonneau cover is a piece of equipment that helps protect your vehicle's cargo from the elements. It attaches to the front or back of your truck and can be opened and closed using a zippered door.
When closed, it covers the entire cargo area and acts as a canopy to protect your belongings from bugs, dirt, and other insects.
There are different types of tonneau covers in the market, and you can buy these according to your preferences and needs. Most tonneau covers are made of durable materials such as rubber or vinyl to ensure they can withstand numerous trips over different surfaces.
In most cases, you will need an additional piece of equipment called a dog guard located at the base of your vehicle's back door bumper in order for this cover to operate properly on top of your trunk.
10 Benefits of a Tonneau Cover
Retractable Tonneau Cover, Folding Tonneau Cover, Roll-Up/Rolling Tonneau Cover Whatever the type, There are many reasons to buy a tonneau cover for your vehicle.
Here are some of the Irresistible Benefits of a Tonneau Cover.
Increased Security and Safety
A tonneau cover provides increased security and safety for your vehicle in inclement weather conditions.
It will keep the interior of your truck dry and protected from rain, snow, or debris while you are driving. Also, it will save your valuable goods or equipment safe from thieves.
Increased Fuel Economy
When your truck is kept warm and dry inside the tonneau cover, you will be able to create a nice and even level of heat in your truck's engine.
This helps reduce the amount of fuel that is consumed while you are driving down the road.
You also do not have to let as much air out as possible during cold weather or snow conditions when temperatures start dropping closer to freezing levels.
Protection from Uneven Ground
A tonneau cover shields your truck's body from debris, rocks, and other items that may fall onto it.
It also protects the windshield frame and supports when parking on an uneven surface like mud or snow banks causing windshield damage to your truck's visibility.
Improved Traction Trimming Wheels & Repaired Tires
By putting a piece of plastic into the underside of tires, you are able to drive over the broken glass without damaging rims or tires. A tonneau cover is placed under the underside of your truck's rear windows and prevents rocks/debris from flying into them.
It also protects both rims and tire treads against damage when driving over broken glass, gravel, small pebbles & other uneven surfaces that may cause increased tire wear & damaging rim damage.
Protection from Dust & Rain
Placing a cover over your truck’s windows will protect them from dust and harmful sunrays. If you do drive in dusty environments frequently, it is best to use an umbrella/sunshade instead of a tonneau cover.
A windshield mount sun visor can also be used safely along with the covers when driving through certain areas that may contain particulate matter such as sand & dirt causing poor visibility while at eye level or higher up than the windshield.
Protection From Malevolence (weather)
On the rare occasion, you might experience a rainstorm or extreme weather causing runoff onto your truck's underside due to the windshield wipers becoming trapped on it.
While trying to clear away water accumulation from its exterior window/sides by using hand trucks, vacuum cleaners, & other tools used for this purpose such as squeegees and sponges while driving in inclement.
Going Through tunnel entrances
Because a tonneau cover looks outwards, even if you are going through an extremely tight opening such as in many tunnels and parking garages this will keep the underside of your truck covered while providing an increased level of protection against road debris & dangers around surroundings.
Staying Dry in Rain
If you are constantly driving in rainy environments, or simply find it annoying that rain can puddle on your roof while sticking to the sloping sides of your truck's windows due to its unique design & coverage over them (which is often impossible at times), then coverings become handy.
Shoulder covers typically have a spandex material, which allows for better drainage/air-flow movement compared to most tonneau covers especially when dealing with an extreme downpour.
Gas Mileage
Saving fuel can result in significant positive expense for your cost of ownership lowering the auto's overall cost. The tonneau cover?
It not only provides additional protection from road debris and any dings that may occur on truck but also keeps its windscreen wipers & other sun visor related equipment free to work when they are needed while preventing water accumulation onto them during rainstorms
Increased Storage Space
Although top-well tonneau covers still invariably use a fixed face material, what differs with their bottom setups is that their windows are raised slightly which enables them to store more items in front of the driver. This at times can be extremely useful for items such as an extra truck mat.
Some manufacturers may also sell vehicle cargo carriers or roof storage options to fit over this type of seating area allowing it even greater access and functionality from within these types of people.
Tonneau Cover Brands
Here is a list of different types of Tonneau brands.
- American Tonneau Company
- Bak
- Bestop
- Extang
- Lund
- MaxMate
- Pace Edwards (Leer)
- Retrax
- Roll-N-Lock
- Smittybilt
- Tonno Pro
- TruXedo
- Tyger
- UnderCover
How Much Does It Cost To Install A Tonneau Cover?
The installation cost for a tonneau cover is typically around $200. In addition, it is important to consider the cost of evaluating your vehicle specifically for compatibility with its fit.
FAQs
Installation typically takes approximately 1-2 Hours. The parts needed during this period include removing bad odors and cleaning up carpets/door panels due to dust buildup in these areas, which can be a factor as well in receiving acceptable tonneau cover, fit by measurements received through an extension directly onto the truck.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question - the price of a tonneau cover will vary depending on its features, made in the USA or not, and how often it is needed.
The aforementioned costs are purely representative, and should not take away from the fact that a tonneau cover can improve driver safety immensely in times of adverse driving conditions such as rain showers.
There is no definitive answer to this question, as different trucks will get different levels of gas mileage with a tonneau cover installed.
That said, many truck owners believe that adding a tonneau cover can help boost fuel economy by reducing air resistance and improving aerodynamics.
Additionally, a tonneau cover can help protect the truck's spare tire and cargo from weather damage.
Bottom Line
You can do many things to make sure your truck is safe. However, the most important one is making sure that you have a tonneau cover.
These covers are essential for keeping your truck clean and dry, and they add protection from the elements.
If you do not have one on your truck right now, you might want to consider getting one soon.