Tonneau Covers

Tonneau Covers - Frequently Asked Questions

LOCKING / SECURITY

Do all of these covers lock and secure the truck bed like a trunk of a car?
Absolutely. All of our covers are designed to lock securely to protect all cargo in the truck bed when locked. However, if your truck does not have a locking tailgate, you will need to purchase an aftermarket tailgate lock to be able to lock the tailgate shut. These locks sets basically replace your existing tailgate handle and convert it into the equivalent of a factory locking tailgate. They install really easily without any drilling and you can buy these at any truck accessories store. A big advantage of this design: NO DRILLING is required!
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THE 4WAY TONNEAU COVER VS. THE COMPETITORS

I can buy a canvas cover for half of your 4-Way Tonneau Cover price, and I can buy a fiberglass cover for twice your price. Why should I buy this cover?
The first reason is that we provide the lowest-priced, lockable hard cover on the market. As most canvas covers do not lock (or if they do lock, they only provide minimal security), our cover is the most reasonably priced secure hard cover alternative. We have purposely positioned ourselves to sit squarely between the cost of soft canvas covers and the cost of other hard covers out there (like fiberglass covers). This positions us to offer our cover as a practical and cost effective alternative.

The second reason is that our cover offers the most flexibility of any cover at any price! We provide virtually the same flexibility and "usability" as any canvas cover, but with the security of a hard shell tonneau cover. For instance, the canvas cover is easily removed but it does not lock or secure your truck bed like a hard tonneau cover. The fiberglass cover is very difficult to remove (at 125+ lbs. it takes at normally 3+ people to safely remove it), but this cover does lock securely. We offer a cover that can be easily removed and locked securely.
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I have looked at retractable tonneau covers, why is yours better? Please discuss the differences, advantages and disadvantages.
The very first thing to consider when comparing covers is that with our cover, no cargo space inside the bed is taken up whatsoever!

We get a lot of questions about "rolling/locking" and "retractable" covers. Having two friends that have had different versions of these covers and have since replaced them with our cover (what do you expect, they?re our friends!), this is what we have learned.

a) Designed to Leak? The biggest drawback for us (personally) was that most of these roll/retractable covers are designed to leak. The water collected is normally routed to two tubes that go through holes that are drilled into the front of the truck bed and direct the water out of the bed and towards the ground. This means that you need to keep the collection tubes clean and clear, otherwise water can back up and your drainage goes straight into your bed. Another possible problem arises when you get a large amount of snow and/or ice buildup onto that cover. The additional weight can cause the composite material to sag into the bed. Some people talk about "sprained" rails and sagging material as the cover may not fit near as tightly as it did prior to an episode like this.

b) Lost Bed Space: These cover designs employ a rolling mechanism that takes up quite a bit of bed space next to the cab of your truck. The spool for the composite cover material is mounted just inside the bed behind the cab. For people who haul lots of stuff (like we do), where the spool sits is the preferred location (right against the cab) to secure things while traveling, like big boxes, tools, etc. This roller actually does take quite a bit of space away which makes it a little more difficult to secure a load. We don't encounter this problem as our cover does not take up any bed space whatsoever.

c) Maintenance of Rolling and Retracting Covers: As with any geared/rolling mechanism, these things normally work only as well as they are maintained (lubed/greased). We have heard many customers complain about having to grease the rolling mechanism regularly as this can get somewhat messy.
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COVER CONSTRUCTION / COVER CHARACTERISTICS

What materials is the cover made of? How are they constructed?

THE BROAD FLAT SURFACE OF THE COVER: is made out of a hard and flexible material called "HARDCORE." Hardcore is an industial grade, flat, board-like material that is made out of a combination of compressed wood and synthetic materials. The backbone of the 4Way Tonneau Cover is a solid automotive composite panel that is completely encapsulated in a polyurea coating that is basically the same stuff used on "spray in" bedliners. The difference however is that the final texture is smoother. The benefits of this coating means: 1) No possible delaminating problems. 2) No possibility of warping. 3) Smooth finish makes the cover very easy to clean. 4) Cover will be virtually indestructible and will outlast the life of your truck!
The reason a 1/8" "Hardcore" panel was used instead of a heavier and thicker panel was because it was determined that this thickness of this panel had the perfect combination of the properties that we wanted....A RIGID, HARD, TONNEAU COVER that was SECURE, LIGHTWEIGHT, EASY TO HANDLE, and EASY TO REMOVE!!

EXTERNAL FRAME AROUND THE COVER: The external frames are constructed of 6105-T5 aluminum extrusions (patented design) and are powder coated satin black paint. Powder coated paint is extremely resistant to chipping and scratching so this ensures that the frame will look good for years to come.
SUPPORT FRAME UNDERNEATH THE COVER: The roof panel is supported by a series of aluminum roof bows that provide strong support and are lightweight. This cover is NOT designed to carry a load, however it is strong enough to support an evenly distributed snow load of approximately 200 lbs snow load.
MOUNTING RAILS (the rigid rails that are clamped to the truck): The mounting rails are also constructed of 6105-T5 aluminum extrusions (also patented design) and are also powder coated in a satin black paint.
ALUMINUM CLAMPS: The clamps are aluminum and are basically a G-Clamp which was designed specifically to lock into our mounting rails and to secure to basically any truck box design. As you will notice in the pictures, these clamps are extremely secure because they clamp downward to the top of the rail, and reach underneath the rail with opposing force, clamp upwards. This is the most secure clamping system on the market today.
THE LOCKS: The locks we use are Tubular locks. They are made entirely of "free machined" solid brass. The brass gives us the strength we need to hold the tonneau cover on the truck bed. Tests conducted by CompX Security Products have proved that the locks will not fail even with direct pressures exceeding 750 lbs. The Brass is extremely corrosion resistant and therefore greatly reduces the metal fatigue factors. Another advantage to tubular locks is that the key design eliminates broken keys in the locks.

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Is the surface of the cover smooth or textured?
Slightly textured - similar to the texture to that is embossed into the vinyl top of a car.
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What color are the covers made in?
Black Only. This cover comes in a high quality easy to clean, satin black color on the broad panel of the cover itself, and a matching black powder coat finish on all exposed aluminum frame and hinge parts. These finishes are designed to maintain their original beauty for many years to come.
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Is the cover paintable?
NO. Customers say that the cover looks very similar to a standard satin black vinyl cover. This satin black color accents all of the black trim on your truck, it looks absolutely great on all types and colors of trucks.
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How strong are the panels?
Very strong and rigid, This cover is NOT designed to stand on. However, it is sufficiently strong to support an evenly distributed snow load of approximately 200 lbs snow load.
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If they are rigid, why can't you stand on them?
We get this question all the time. As these panels span a large open area (your truck bed), we made the cover as strong and as rigid as possible, but also as light and as easy to handle as possible. To make it strong enough to stand on, we would have had to make it much heavier, bulkier, and would be extremely expensive to manufacture and to transport to the customer.
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What is the total thickness of the cover when mounted to the bed of the truck?
The cover adds only 2 inches of height to your truck bed. As it does not overlap the sides of the rails (it fits directly on top of the side rails), it has a very appealing low profile.
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Describe the side profile/low profile of the cover?
When the cover is flat and locked down, the cover adds only about one 2 inches of total height (vertical rise) to your original truck rail level after installation. However, all of the outer custom extruded aluminum frame edges are sloped and contoured, so the thickness of the cover often appears to be less than that when viewed from the side. This gives it a much more low profile appearance than other competitive folding covers on the market. Please look at our extensive "Photo Gallery? and you will be able to get a sense of our cover?s low profile from direct side view photos. ALL of our covers have the same low profile and thickness when the cover is closed.
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How much does the cover weigh? (when I remove it?)
For a full size truck with a short bed, the cover alone weighs approximately 50 lbs.

This means that our cover weighs much less than most fiberglass tonneau covers that can weigh 125 lbs. or more.
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If I the cover is damaged, can I get the cover repaired?
Yes. Should that happen to your truck, please call us to help you identify a local sprayed-in bedliner operator who will be able to provide you with a small amount of "touch up" poly urea coating.
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WEATHER / WATER RESISTANCE

Is the cover waterproof?
Damned Close! If water ever does get under the cover?it is typically because of installation reasons, not because the cover is faulty. This cover is as water resistant and weather-tight as any other tonneau cover out there.
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Can the cover handle snow or ice loads?
It sure can, it has been tried and tested in Canada for a couple of years now and performs flawlessly.
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OPERATION/FUNCTION OF THE COVER

How easy is it to remove the cover? Please describe.
Simply unlock the 4 locks, and lift the cover straight up and off of your truck. All that will remain will be the mounting rails with the torsion bars (coming off of the edges of the mounting rails). If you will be removing the cover for a long period of time, just simply loosen up the clamps and remove the mounting rails so they will be protected.
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How much force does it take to lift open the cover?
Not much. The torsion bars help you to lift the cover to the height required. This is basically a "lift assist" setup. You must supply some force, but not much.
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When the cover is closed, does it improve my gas mileage while traveling?
YES. Extensive Wind Tunnel Testing has proven that our cover will improve the aerodynamics of your truck and therefore improve fuel economy. We make no guarantees as to how much the cover will play in improving your gas mileage. However, in highway driving, many of our customers have experienced as much as a 2 - 3 miles per gallon improvement. If you use the smaller number of 2 miles per gallon as the figure to calculate cost savings, the savings can add up.

For example, if your truck currently gets 16 mpg on the highway without the cover, and gets 18 mpg with the cover, you have improved your gas mileage by 12.5%. Assuming you drive 10,000 highway miles per year. At 16 mpg, you will buy 625 gallons of gas per year. If you save 12.5%, that means you will buy 78.1 gals. per year less. At $1.50 per gallon of gas, that is a savings of $117.15 per year or about $10/month (and this does not include the savings you might have in any non-highway or city driving). In this scenario, if you keep the truck for 4 years or 48 months, the cover pays for itself! If you drive 20,000 highway miles per year, in this scenario, you would pay for the cover in 2 years! With $2.00 and more per gallon of gas, you would save 35% more than the amounts calculated above (Approximately $150/year at 10,000 mi/year and $300.00 for 20,000 mi/year).
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Can I travel with the cover open from the back?
It is not recommended to travel with the Tonneau cover open in the front or rear positions. The reason for this is obvious in the front position. In the rear position, the wind force placed on the tonneau cover could cause it to bend excessively in the middle. If you stayed in town and traveled at speeds under 25 mph, this would not likely be a problem however, keep in mind that our warranty will not cover damage if the customer travels with the tonneau cover open in the rear position.
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Can I travel with the cover open from the side?
Yes. As long as the tether straps are completely tight and you do not travel in excess of 50 mph. Some other common sense considerations should be given when deciding to travel on the highway with the tonneau cover open. The most obvious of course is the cross wind conditions. Wind created by forward speed of the vehicle will not harm the tonneau cover when open in the side positions.
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Can I travel with the front of the cover open?
NO! If you attempt to travel with the front of the cover open with the cover resting on the tailgate, you will create a "parachute effect." You should never travel with the cover open in this position as when you travel, the flow of air goes over the hood, windshield, and roof and then comes racing down the back glass of the truck into the truck bed. The force of this air can be extremely powerful and if you travel with the front panel laying on top of the back panel, this powerful air flow will now travel under the cover and will apply an enormous amount of upward pressure to the cover. This is the same concept behind why many people lower their tailgate to increase mileage on long trips as this reduces the air resistance (drag) of the air flowing into the truck bed while traveling.
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INSTALLATION

How long does it take to install a cover?
The cover takes approximately 30-45 minutes to install.
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I have a sprayed-in bedliner that goes over the side rails. What do I need to do before installing the cover.
If you have sprayed on bedliner, this is absolutely no problem! Just simply install as normal.
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I have a plastic bedliner in my truck. Do I have to make any modifications to the bedliner to install the cover?

IF PLASTIC BEDLINER GOES UP AND OVER THE FRONT RAIL: If you have a plastic bedliner that goes only over the front rail and/or the tailgate, this is NO PROBLEM! You will not need to make any adjustments to the plastic bedliner to install this cover.

IF YOU HAVE A TAILGATE PROTECTOR: Tailgate protectors rarely present any problem for this cover. If you have a factory installed tailgate protector, these will not be a problem. If as a part of your bedliner package or as an additional accessory to your truck, if you have installed a tailgate protector, these are rarely a problem also. With the tailgate closed, if the tailgate protector adds more than 3/8" to the "top" or edge of the tailgate, you will have to remove and/or replace the tailgate protector. However, it is very rare that a tailgate protector is thicker than 3/8".

IF PLASTIC BEDLINER OVER SIDE RAILS: The biggest concern with Plastic bedliners is whether or not you can install the clamps under the bed rail. You may have to cut out/drill out some small holes in the liner to fit the clamp through. but otherwise should not be a problem.
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Can you install the cover over a sprayed-in bed liner that has already been sprayed over the rail?
Absolutely. The 4Way Tonneau Cover installs perfectly on trucks with sprayed in bedliners that go over the rails.
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Do the factory installed side rail bedliners on the 97 thru current Fords and the 99-current Super Duty Fords need to be removed?
No. Just simply install the cover directly on top of these factory installed side rails for a perfect fit.
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Do the factory installed side rail covers on my Full Size Ford or my Toyota Tundra, or my Nissan Titan need to be removed?
No. We have designed the covers for these trucks to install directly onto the rail covers without you having to remove them.
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Are any holes drilled in the truck?
NO. The 4Way Tonneau Cover is a completely drill-less installation.
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Which model of this cover is the easiest to install?
All cover installations are exactly the same. All are drill-less, goof proof, and very easy to install.
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If I install your cover, can I keep my toolbox on the truck?
We can custom build a tonneau cover that will butt up to the over the rail tool boxes. You will need to fill out the Custom Cover Information Form. Click on Custom 4-Way Tonneau Cover Form for a printable pdf form.
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I plan to occasionally remove the cover and put a "slide-in camper" into the truck bed. Will I need to remove the mounting rails?
You would have to remove the mounting rails in this case because of the torque rods.
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SHIPPING AND DELIVERY QUESTIONS

Why is shipping somewhat expensive?
The box that the cover comes exceeds the size limitations imposed by UPS, so the cover is shipped by freight carrier (which is a little more expensive). However, rest assured that we do not markup the cost of shipping in any way. As a matter of fact, at the current shipping rates, we routinely subsidize the total cost of the freight by some amount.
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Why the difference in price in a residential vs. commercial delivery or terminal pickup?
As mentioned above, we ship solely using freight trucking companies. These companies utilize large trucks to deliver these items. As these trucks were not designed to easily maneuver around neighborhoods, they charge us an additional surcharge to deliver to a residential address. In addition, all freight deliveries require a signature, so they need to work hard to coordinate when homeowners will be there.

The good news is that shipping to ANY commercial address saves you almost 50% on your shipping charges when compared to a residential address. Most of our customers accept their shipments at their place of employment to save this additional charge. If receiving the cover at a commercial address is not convenient, you can pick up your cover at your nearest freight terminal (terminal pickup) to avoid this surcharge also.
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What is the normal delivery time to receive the cover?
If the cover is in stock, you should receive your cover within 5-7 business days from the date of your order. This is a very conservative estimate.
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OTHER GENERAL QUESTIONS

What is the Warranty on this cover?
The warranty is offered directly by the manufacturing facility at Hardtop International. (HT). HT takes the quality of our product very seriously. That is why we HT uses the highest quality material available and that is why HT stands behind our warranty 100%! Unlike most lifetime warranties that have loopholes big enough to drive a truck through, our comprehensive 3 year warranty covers virtually all components! And we don't hide behind any fine print! View Warranty Details
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Do you have brochures that you can send me?
We do, BUT you can see more pictures, larger pictures, and find out much more about the cover by thoroughly combing through the pages of this website. You will also notice that we have an extensive Photo Gallery. Just click on each small picture image and it will automatically enlarge that image so you can view a much large picture on your monitor. These pictures are often larger and of better quality than any of the pictures in our brochures.
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How is the cover cleaned?
With mild soap and water, the same as what you use on your truck. However, Please do not wax the cover.
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What can I use to protect the cover and make it look great?
You can always use Armor All� or Son-of-a-Gun Protectant�. However, we are big fans of a product called 303 Protectant that fully blocks 100% of the UV Rays of the sun! You can find your local retailer of this protectant by going to www.303products.com
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Where can I register my Warranty?
You can register your cover and submit your warranty information online by clicking this link: Warranty Registration
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Locking / Security

4 Way vs Competitors

Construction

Weather / Water Resistance

Operation & Function

Installation

Shipping & Delivery

Other General Questions

Warranty Details

Warranty Registration

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