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04-09-2021, 09:12 PM
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#21
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: USA, Nunavut
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett
I looked hard into tonneau covers in 2015, and after perusing lots and lots of reviews decided to go with a Fold-A-Cover with their tool caddy. This very strongly built and easy to use cover has worked great, and is still doing so. The caddy holds all my tools and a bunch of campsite tools, like an axe, rake, etc. It also hangs with about 6" of clearance to the bed, which allows longer items to be stowed in the bed. You can open the tailgate when it is locked. I would buy it again if needed, for sure.
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Looks like a good quad fold cover, but don't think that exact cover is made any longer or perhaps their website is down.
There are quad fold choices like it.
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04-09-2021, 10:38 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,562
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack!
Looks like a good quad fold cover, but don't think that exact cover is made any longer or perhaps their website is down.
There are quad fold choices like it.
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I did a brief search. It seems they have gone into bankruptcy. So many companies have done so in the past year. Too bad.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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04-10-2021, 09:34 AM
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#23
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Centennial, Colorado
Trailer: 2020 5.0 TA
Posts: 213
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I won't have an Escape for a year or two (yes, the wait time is that vague) but I also have a "Fold-a-Cover" on my truck and expect it will work with the 5.0.
I bought it because it could be easily removed by myself and had a locking door (section) that could be opened behind the cab while the other 3 sections remained in place. I've been happy with it in the 3 yrs I've owned it and think it was both a good value and great function. It is quite water-resistant and we've never had wet gear when driving in rain. If they are no longer available, that's simply unfortunate.
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04-10-2021, 11:23 AM
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#24
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Lanesboro, MN, between Whalan and Fountain, Minnesota
Trailer: 2016 Bigfoot 25RQ - (2018 Escape 5.0 sold)
Posts: 2,181
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack!
Vinyl alone would not work.
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99% of thefts are opportunity thefts. I've had vinyl rollup covers for years, along with many other friends.
Think about it. Most pickup bed thefts happen from toppers where it's easy to see what you steal. I know of two thefts that were in locked pickup toppers. I know of no thefts from a bed cover, whether hard plastic or vinyl. In other words if you can't see the item, you're not going to take the chance of getting caught breaking into a bed that you don't know what's in there. Again, I don't know of anyone who has had their vinyl bed cover violated, but I know of two who had their pickup topper with windows broken into.
Food for thought,
Perry
__________________
Those who know everything use pens. Intelligent people use pencils.
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04-10-2021, 10:43 PM
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#25
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Sudbury, Ontario
Trailer: 2019 5.0 TA
Posts: 349
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perryb67
99% of thefts are opportunity thefts. I've had vinyl rollup covers for years, along with many other friends.
Think about it. Most pickup bed thefts happen from toppers where it's easy to see what you steal. I know of two thefts that were in locked pickup toppers. I know of no thefts from a bed cover, whether hard plastic or vinyl. In other words if you can't see the item, you're not going to take the chance of getting caught breaking into a bed that you don't know what's in there. Again, I don't know of anyone who has had their vinyl bed cover violated, but I know of two who had their pickup topper with windows broken into.
Food for thought,
Perry
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Agree with Perry, I and many of my friends have had pickups for decades and we've heard of folks losing stuff out of an open box. We all own the the plain old vinyl rollup tonneau and none of us have ever lost anything when the cover is secured, I've never heard personally of someone's cover being cut to steal stuff. So I just always keep my Anderson hitch in the truck bed with the cover fully closed and tailgate locked.
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04-13-2021, 01:12 PM
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#26
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Trailer: Escape 5.0 Laura Lou
Posts: 9
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I will have a 5’7” bed and am looking at soft covers. Would prefer a trifold if there’s enough clearance with an Anderson Ultimate. Otherwise a roll top that doesn’t add to the bed rails.......
Any experience with short beds?
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04-13-2021, 03:10 PM
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#27
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: USA, Nunavut
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarolynStride
I will have a 5’7” bed and am looking at soft covers. Would prefer a trifold if there’s enough clearance with an Anderson Ultimate. Otherwise a roll top that doesn’t add to the bed rails.......
Any experience with short beds?
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Just did a lot of bed cover homework. I have a steel Anderson. but not the 5.0 trailer yet.I ruled out Trifold on my 6.4 bed with my Anderson. It's too close in most cases. A quad fold would work on a 6.4 bed. Some cost as much as good rollups & retractable covers. Softs are significantly cheaper. Soft folds & rollups work in all cases but many add bed cover side rails to bed rails to seal for dirt/water, & provide security in the roll up case. I was initially concerned about added bed cover side rails.
Someone sent me a pic of a trailer at 90 degrees showing how the pin box clears the bed rails. Looks to me added bed cover rails are not a significant issue as the pinbox is well above the bed rails at 90 degrees. That info helped me a lot in choosing a bed cover.
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04-14-2021, 11:14 AM
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#28
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Glencoe, Illinois
Trailer: 2017 F250
Posts: 140
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett
I looked hard into tonneau covers in 2015, and after perusing lots and lots of reviews decided to go with a Fold-A-Cover with their tool caddy. This very strongly built and easy to use cover has worked great, and is still doing so. The caddy holds all my tools and a bunch of campsite tools, like an axe, rake, etc. It also hangs with about 6" of clearance to the bed, which allows longer items to be stowed in the bed. You can open the tailgate when it is locked. I would buy it again if needed, for sure.
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I have a folder cover and I really like it. (F250) I should note that it appears that Fold-a-Coverhas, so to speak, folded. So sad.
My reason for purchasing the folder a cover, aside from the fact that it was very nice product, is that it did not reduce the width of my bed. When looking at the Anderson hitch and your configuration you may want to consider the width of the bed after the cover is installed. Note that in most cases, when you take the cover off the rails remain. Inside rails reduce the width of the bed. Top rails reduce top clearance.
A question for people in general about the Anderson: How do you attach your Anderson connection “head”- 9 inches extended or 1 inch extended. With your T cover installed, can you make a 90° turn.??
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04-14-2021, 11:23 AM
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#29
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Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Cowichan Bay, British Columbia
Trailer: 2021, Escape 21
Posts: 11
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I use the Andersen rail mount system and have the same worries. $20 at Home Depot bought a set of 4 locks and 5 minutes on the drill press made the lock pin holes large enough for the locks. I use 3 locks on the rails and 1 to lock the ball. When I store the trailer or park at a campground and want to remove the hitch, I use the safety chains to lock the hitch to the rear bumper.
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04-14-2021, 12:14 PM
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#30
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Nevada City, California
Trailer: Awaiting build of E5.0 TA
Posts: 10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack!
What bed covers work best with a 5.0 & PU 6'4" or 6'5" bed? I want to make sure my bed locks up securely, as losing the Anderson would be a huge mess when out & about, unhooked. Vinyl alone would not work.
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Jack: I have a 2021 RAM 1500 with the 6' 4" bed as well. I have many of the same concerns as you and did a lot of research on a cover and ended up purchasing the RetraxPRO MX model. It will clear the Andersen hitch with no problem. Some of the "pluses" I liked about the RetraxPRO MX are that you can lock it in the open position at any point, depending on what you are carrying in the bed. In addition, it is constructed of aluminum slats which are very rugged and resistant to unauthorized entry - especially compared to a vinyl soft tonneau cover. For me, another positive is that the rails accept certain Yakima rack mounts, allowing us to mount kayak/bike racks above the bed.
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04-14-2021, 12:54 PM
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#31
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,562
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Even with the top mount cover on my F-150,and without the raised axle, I have no issue with clearance using the Anderson mounted via gooseneck.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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04-14-2021, 02:24 PM
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#32
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: USA, Nunavut
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRManning
Jack: I have a 2021 RAM 1500 with the 6' 4" bed as well. I have many of the same concerns as you and did a lot of research on a cover and ended up purchasing the RetraxPRO MX model. It will clear the Andersen hitch with no problem. Some of the "pluses" I liked about the RetraxPRO MX are that you can lock it in the open position at any point, depending on what you are carrying in the bed. In addition, it is constructed of aluminum slats which are very rugged and resistant to unauthorized entry - especially compared to a vinyl soft tonneau cover. For me, another positive is that the rails accept certain Yakima rack mounts, allowing us to mount kayak/bike racks above the bed.
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Good Info!! Someone send me pics of the pin box on a 90 degree turn showing it clearly above the bed rails and above any bed cover rails. I'm resting easy now on that concern as well. Thanks for the confirmation. I did choose a bed cover & ordered it the other day. Went with a Pace Edwards UltraGroove retractable. It has many of the same features including accepting Yakama & Thule rack mounts. It has both front & rear drains which I thought was a nice feature. I will rest a little more easy with my Honda gens stashed in the bed at times. I have a nice recumbant bike that folds-up & sometimes rides in the bed as well. I think I may have room while hooked up to put a front ladder rack on the bed cover & one thule rail on the cab roof. It could potentially be a good way to take our 10ft kayaks when hooked up. Once I get my trailer I can do some measurements. If not, we do a lot of kayaking unhooked in any case so agree racks on the bed cover is a very nice option. Enjoy your cover & thanks for the added info.
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04-14-2021, 02:27 PM
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#33
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: USA, Nunavut
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett
Even with the top mount cover on my F-150,and without the raised axle, I have no issue with clearance using the Anderson mounted via gooseneck.
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Thanks!
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04-14-2021, 02:29 PM
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#34
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: USA, Nunavut
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowichan
I use the Andersen rail mount system and have the same worries. $20 at Home Depot bought a set of 4 locks and 5 minutes on the drill press made the lock pin holes large enough for the locks. I use 3 locks on the rails and 1 to lock the ball. When I store the trailer or park at a campground and want to remove the hitch, I use the safety chains to lock the hitch to the rear bumper.
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Good option! Like your use of the chains.
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04-14-2021, 04:12 PM
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#35
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Loveland, Colorado
Trailer: 2021 Escape 5.0 [August]
Posts: 77
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Also exploring bedcover options.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack!
Just did a lot of bed cover homework. I have a steel Anderson. but not the 5.0 trailer yet.I ruled out Trifold on my 6.4 bed with my Anderson. It's too close in most cases. A quad fold would work on a 6.4 bed. Some cost as much as good rollups & retractable covers. Softs are significantly cheaper. Soft folds & rollups work in all cases but many add bed cover side rails to bed rails to seal for dirt/water, & provide security in the roll up case. I was initially concerned about added bed cover side rails.
Someone sent me a pic of a trailer at 90 degrees showing how the pin box clears the bed rails. Looks to me added bed cover rails are not a significant issue as the pinbox is well above the bed rails at 90 degrees. That info helped me a lot in choosing a bed cover.
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I’ve also been doing a fair amount of research for a bed cover. We made the commitment for a F150 Lariat Powerboost hybrid with short bed (5.5’) last November and took delivery January 30. (Love it so far!) Our 5.0 build completion date is August 9. Planning to add a B&W Turnover ball gooseneck (they just finished re-engineering the frame mount for the 2021 F150 due to the many truck changes this year) with the Anderson Ultimate for the trailer hitch. My #1 choice for the bed cover is the Retrax Pro with bedrail T-bar tracks for security and versatility (when not towing). My concerns arise from the increased bedrail height and reduction of the internal bed width due to the support rails for the retractable cover. The pinbox mounting plates don’t appear to be a problem on level ground in either width or height but what about an off-camber turn. I saw one reference on another forum about this and the mount plates hitting and crimping the rollers track so they couldn’t open the slide cover past that point. Wondering if anyone currently has this type of setup and/or if they can shed some insight on this as a potential problem with the Retrax or any other type of cover that requires an inside the bed support system. TIA
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04-14-2021, 05:01 PM
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#36
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: South Lake Tahoe, California
Trailer: 2017 5.0
Posts: 523
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gjsheldon
I’ve also been doing a fair amount of research for a bed cover. We made the commitment for a F150 Lariat Powerboost hybrid with short bed (5.5’) last November and took delivery January 30. (Love it so far!) Our 5.0 build completion date is August 9. Planning to add a B&W Turnover ball gooseneck (they just finished re-engineering the frame mount for the 2021 F150 due to the many truck changes this year) with the Anderson Ultimate for the trailer hitch. My #1 choice for the bed cover is the Retrax Pro with bedrail T-bar tracks for security and versatility (when not towing). My concerns arise from the increased bedrail height and reduction of the internal bed width due to the support rails for the retractable cover. The pinbox mounting plates don’t appear to be a problem on level ground in either width or height but what about an off-camber turn. I saw one reference on another forum about this and the mount plates hitting and crimping the rollers track so they couldn’t open the slide cover past that point. Wondering if anyone currently has this type of setup and/or if they can shed some insight on this as a potential problem with the Retrax or any other type of cover that requires an inside the bed support system. TIA
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I've got a very similar setup, it's a Silverado short bed with B&W Turnover ball gooseneck to Andersen Ultimate. I just got a 5.0 and learned that my existing tri-fold hard tonneau would not work, even after installing the turnover ball 4" extender. So I just yesterday replaced it with a Pace Edwards Switchblade retractable, see pics. I was going to test it with some turns today, but we just got a foot of snow here last night. I'll probably test it this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes!
__________________
“We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.”
- Kurt Vonnegut
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04-14-2021, 05:22 PM
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#37
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: USA, Nunavut
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gjsheldon
I’ve also been doing a fair amount of research for a bed cover. We made the commitment for a F150 Lariat Powerboost hybrid with short bed (5.5’) last November and took delivery January 30. (Love it so far!) Our 5.0 build completion date is August 9. Planning to add a B&W Turnover ball gooseneck (they just finished re-engineering the frame mount for the 2021 F150 due to the many truck changes this year) with the Anderson Ultimate for the trailer hitch. My #1 choice for the bed cover is the Retrax Pro with bedrail T-bar tracks for security and versatility (when not towing). My concerns arise from the increased bedrail height and reduction of the internal bed width due to the support rails for the retractable cover. The pinbox mounting plates don’t appear to be a problem on level ground in either width or height but what about an off-camber turn. I saw one reference on another forum about this and the mount plates hitting and crimping the rollers track so they couldn’t open the slide cover past that point. Wondering if anyone currently has this type of setup and/or if they can shed some insight on this as a potential problem with the Retrax or any other type of cover that requires an inside the bed support system. TIA
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Don't know if this helps, as I don't have a 5.5" bed, but I always do the lift kit on my trailers. On my current trailer I installed a 3" lift kit myself and happy ETI will be doing it for me this time on the new trailer. It helps to remove above-the-bed-rails worries on uneven turns. I think the 5.0 would still be OK with my truck. Bed rails sit at 55", but I like the lift for many other reasons, as well. It's an option I'm already accustomed to having.
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04-14-2021, 06:09 PM
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#38
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: USA, Nunavut
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TahoeJoe
I've got a very similar setup, it's a Silverado short bed with B&W Turnover ball gooseneck to Andersen Ultimate. I just got a 5.0 and learned that my existing tri-fold hard tonneau would not work, even after installing the turnover ball 4" extender. So I just yesterday replaced it with a Pace Edwards Switchblade retractable, see pics. I was going to test it with some turns today, but we just got a foot of snow here last night. I'll probably test it this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes!
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I was flipping a coin on the Switchblade vs the Ultragroove. Interesting....hope it goes well!
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04-14-2021, 07:56 PM
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#39
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Loveland, Colorado
Trailer: 2021 Escape 5.0 [August]
Posts: 77
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Thanks Jack!
Factory lift kit is definitely on the build list for our trailer. Bed rail height on the "unloaded" 2021 F150 is 56" so we are playing it safe per ETI recommendations.
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04-14-2021, 08:10 PM
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#40
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Loveland, Colorado
Trailer: 2021 Escape 5.0 [August]
Posts: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TahoeJoe
I've got a very similar setup, it's a Silverado short bed with B&W Turnover ball gooseneck to Andersen Ultimate. I just got a 5.0 and learned that my existing tri-fold hard tonneau would not work, even after installing the turnover ball 4" extender. So I just yesterday replaced it with a Pace Edwards Switchblade retractable, see pics. I was going to test it with some turns today, but we just got a foot of snow here last night. I'll probably test it this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes!
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Please post your pictures when/if you get them. What about your setup didn't work with your previous tri-fold? Did the folded stack take up too much length at the front of the truck bed?
Another intriguing option: Does anyone have any experience with the Pergon folding cover (see link below). I really like the idea that the stack folds into the truck bed, it's light (35 lbs) and easily removable while the rail system stays intact to give you your full bed length back (important when you only have 5.5'). It also allows for t-bar accessory racks to be mounted like the ReTrax Pro MX. Seems to answer most of the concerns with the exception that the mounted rails add about an inch more height to the bed rails. I'm wondering if the clearance is still adequate with the trailer lift-kit in place.
https://www.peragon.com
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