Canopy/Campershell on Tow Truck-advice, please

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

the bottom side windows on my unlifted Ford 4x4 are 4' 9" from the ground, I'm 6' tall and I think I'd have to stand on my toes for that to be below my armpit... the bed is 2' below the window sill, so opening side windows would only be useful if there were storage shelves inside of them.

I have a short plastic step
stool which I use to help reach items in the truck bed
I looked at getting a tonneau cover but after friends had their’s cut open and the contents stolen I decided to go with the hard topper. It’s a matter of personal preference for me .
Neither choice is wrong . There are certain items we carry in the bed of our truck that I don’t wish to carry inside the passenger compartment

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by padlin

The issue may be if you have something at the front of the bed you have to crawl in to get it. I had always thought a hook of some sort would be worth making, but never did.

thankfully, said Ford is much easier to crawl in, as its about 4' from the floor to the ceiling, while my Tacoma is more like 3' high inside. in the taco (6'1" bed) I had to crawl, while the Ford (8' bed) I can 'duck walk' in there

[cpaharley2008]

I believe the cap may improve your gas by creating a smooth transition from tow to trailer, maybe offset by added weight, but something to think about.

[egraham]

I am trying to find information online about airflow around truck with and without toppers of various types. If you have a reference, that would be grand.

This is a great thread, and I thank you all for your input!

[John in Santa Cruz]

I vaguely recall Mythbusters did something on this, and had trouble measuring any difference. it may have been running a open bed truck with and without its tailgate, however. air friction stuff like that goes up with the cube of the speed ratio. 55 to 75 mpg is 1.36X, which cubed, is 2.5 times more air resistance....

[egraham]

Actually, I just found two references. Both of them state that a teardrop-shaped Aerocap is the best way to reduce drag.

http://csus-dspace.calstate.edu/bits...d-finished.pdf

Aerocaps for pick-up trucks

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by egraham

Actually, I just found two references. Both of them state that a teardrop-shaped Aerocap is the best way to reduce drag.

http://csus-dspace.calstate.edu/bits...d-finished.pdf

Aerocaps for pick-up trucks

But the goat hazard would be a problem wouldn't it?

[cpaharley2008]

But the Aerocap would appear to cause air to go under the trailer, whereas those caps that rise in the rear may help the air escape the Escape.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by wetzk

But the goat hazard would be a problem wouldn't it?

ya think??

[blue_bullet]

I had an ARE shell on my 02 Duramax and it towed my 21 just fine. I have a tri fold Xtang Encore cover on my 17 Duramax which I prefer.
https://www.extang.com/p-36319-encore.html
I get better visibility with it, can run with 2 panels folded up into 1 against the cab or can quickly remove all 3 for full use of an open bed. Downside is you lose the extra storage space afforded by a shell. I always take too much stuff anyhow.

The Encore is lockable so your gear is secure if you go to such places where it is needed.

[AllanEdie]

I'll add my vote for a foldable cover rather than a cap. I did a cap for years, now have a foldable cover, and will not go back. The visibility advantage is huge, the cover is easily stowed forward for carrying items higher than would fit under a cap, and the cover is maybe a third of the weight of the cap, so mileage difference should be minor.



As to directing air over top of the trailer, I would be interested if anyone can direct me to reliable tests. My suspicion in the meantime is that there is no significant free lunch here - air resistance reduced at the trailer is likely to be compensated for by increased resistance at the structure re-directing air flow higher over the trailer. The extra weight of the larger cap would also reduce mileage during hill climbing.


As to lockable storage space, good luck finding a cap that will slow down a thief for long - none of mine would slow me down much. Further, if the cap has windows, potential thieves will know if there is anything worthwhile in there. A lockable cover has the advantage that while defeat-able, at least a thief has no idea what there is to steal.



Good luck with your decision - no wrong answers, just a choice between compromises.

[John in Santa Cruz]

A folding hard tonneau style truck cover woudl do me no good, as much of what I carry is somewhat taller than the bed sides, and has to be protected from the weather.

this is my minimum load for an astronomy trip... if its a multiday trip, there would also be carpets, awnings, several different chairs in there, a couple tables, as well as a big cooler for cold beverages, and who know what all else if its a multi-week trip.

[AllanEdie]

Ah Yes, the astronomy gear!


I recall, I think, you posting a picture of your telescope some time ago - very impressive indeed, and well worth keeping out of the weather and road grime.


Happy stargazing,


Cheers,


Allan

[MyronL]

When I got my truck I knew I had to buy something to cover the truck bed. To keep my stuff protected from the weather, and out of sight. Price vs. convenience were my two first criteria. But, I just never liked the caps. Never even considered the extra weight of a cap. Hell, it’s a truck. Maybe the image of my brother's ugly old aluminum cap and it's crummy awning windows made a lasting impression. Caps seemed to negate and distort that wonderful farm and country bales of hay in the back look.

So a tonneau cover was the obvious choice for me, but then I saw how expensive the neatest ones are. I chose the cheapest I could find but will admit my choice has irritating negatives. First, them cross braces to keep the vinyl from sagging need removal when you want to use the bed uncovered. Then, the 40 or 50 snap buttons are a real pain in the fingers.

It is hard to get at stuff packed to the front so I usually tie a rope to them or make a sled, or use a hook on a stick. Loaded, my not cheap Engel Roto-molded cooler is so heavy I had to make a rolling trolley for it. The back gate clearance height is a mere 21¼ inches.

If someone ever does cut the thing open to steal my stuff I will wonder why they had to do that to get at my folding camp chairs and the cooler, and the Baby Q Weber, since the tail gate is never locked. Thieves of course, aren’t very smart. If it happens probably would replace the ripped vinyl tonneau with the stiff foldable sections tonneau, regardless of price.

[Bobnjudy]

It's dry and secure dry. List is about $1100 but can usually get it with installation for <$900.
https://www.retrax.com/p-36380-retraxone-mx.html

[James Gang]

I considered a high rise truck cap, but did not like the lack of visibility. I bought one of these for my F250: https://www.undercoverinfo.com/p-371...rcover-se.html

Very easy to take off. When I received it, it was very obvious the box had been broken into. The only thing that was missing was the installation sheet. A call to the company that I bought it from took care of that.

[citabria90]

Originally Posted by AllanEdie

I'll add my vote for a foldable cover rather than a cap. I did a cap for years, now have a foldable cover, and will not go back. The visibility advantage is huge, the cover is easily stowed forward for carrying items higher than would fit under a cap, and the cover is maybe a third of the weight of the cap, so mileage difference should be minor.

Exactly what I did. After a few years of limited visibility and the inconvenience of a hard cap, I with with a foldable cover. Like the OP said, " . . . and will not go back."


Chuck

[AKCamper]

We have a Tacoma with a five foot bed. We went with an ARE canopy and am glad we did. I can stack light items high as I want and since I use mirrors and have a backup camera visibility isn’t an issue. I have driven vans with no windows or backup cameras with no issues.

[currinh]

We just obtained a RAM 2500 crew cab short bed pickup. Didn't want to think about limits when towing out '19. Love the pickup, the only negative is the height of the bed (we're short).

We have an ARE canopy on order, flat with the top of the cab. The reason we got the pickup, and now canopy, was for a shed on long trips. Our XTerra just didn't have the room or capacity for fulltiming. We had a Tacoma with a Snug-Top canopy some time ago. Liked the storage and didn't find the visibility to be a problem. It was a pain to get to stuff in the front of the bed though. For visibility the RAM has giant side mirrors.

I suspect we'll need a good way to get stuff into and out of the bed. First this will require a step stool or step ladder. But getting stuff from the front of the bed could be a problem, we plan to have the space full.

I like the idea of a Bedslide or similar. Or even the same "bed slide" with drawers. This would raise the bed another foot or so but ooohhh the extra storage.

Has anyone used these or similar systems? Sure would like to get some feedback.

Thanks.

[gbaglo]

Have to think about access with a bed slide.

My RAV4 sucks for access when hooked up. The rear door can only be opened about 6" before hitting the trailer hitch. Tools and such are under the floor at the very rear of the vehicle. Anything stacked on the hatch has to be removed, via a rear passenger door, so that I can lift the hatch.

Almost enough to have me look into a new vehicle.