How To Open A Tonneau Cover And How To Lock A Tonneau Cover

Last Updated on May 24, 2022

You need to open the Tonneau Cover when you want to carry something, and if you have something precious, you should lock the Tonneau Cover. Let’s learn how to open a tonneau cover & how to lock a tonneau cover.

How To Open A Tonneau Cover

Opening a tonneau cover is not that hard. Depending on its design, you can open your truck bed tonneau cover yourself by following some opening mechanism for the tonneau cover cap.

There are different types of tonneau cover available in the market. Let’s see the procedure for opening different types of covers.

Open Snap tonneau cover

This type of cover attaches clamps to the truck bed, and the cover snaps into the frame. To open this type of cover, you will need to remove all the bolts and clamps first, then fold the cover and secure it to the backside of your truck using Velcro straps. However, this type of cover is the slowest to open and close as everything is done manually.

Open Roll-up and Folding covers

These types of tonneau covers are easier to open than the previous ones. The names represent its opening mechanism itself. A roll-up tonneau cover rolls towards the cab and a folding tonneau cover can be folded into three or four parts. Both types of covers come in soft and hard materials. To open a roll-up or folding tonneau cover, remove all bolts and clamps attached with it and then roll or fold the cover towards the cab.

Open Hinged tonneau cover

This type of cover converts into a lid and is supported by hinges. A hinged tonneau cover opens like a hood. You must know that you can carry a limited number of things if you have installed this cover. But keeping it open, you can still consume some space. You must remove it completely if you want to gain full truck bed access.

Open Retractable tonneau cover

A retractable tonneau cover retracts towards the back of the truck or you can open as much as you need to see inside. You can find its opening mechanism on its name. This cover gives you full access to the cargo bed. This type of cover is the fastest to open and close as they fit in containers installed on a truck. These covers can be manually operated or you can use an electric motor. For a hands-free tonneau cover experience, the automatic version of this cover should be your first choice.

How to lock a tonneau cover

There are many purposes for purchasing a tonneau cover. Securing the truck bed is one of them. Many curious people like to look inside truck beds to see what’s inside, and you do not want them to do that. So, you need to lock your tonneau cover. It also can prevent your belongings from being stolen.

It is found that different types of tonneau cover lock in different ways. Some locks are simple, some are complex, some are convenient, and some provide additional security. Most tonneau covers offer their own locking mechanism, while you can follow any locking mechanism for others.

Followings are some types of tonneau cover locking mechanisms:

Pull Cable Release

Hard folding tonneau covers offer a pull cable release option. A vinyl roll-up tonneau cover also offers this option. You can find a cable located in the back center or corner of the tonneau cover. Pulling this cable, you will be able to disengage latches on both sides from the frame simultaneously. There is nothing to prevent you from pulling it as there is no way to lock the pull cable release. To keep your gear safe, make sure that you have a locking mechanism on your tailgate because a locked tailgate will prevent you from having access to the cable.

Latch Clamp

This can be found on soft tonneau covers which are made of vinyl generally, they’re folding tonneau covers. This thing works by squeezing the cover against the frame. Before pulling down a latch, tighten your hand first. You will need a locking tailgate mechanism to keep your gear safe, like a pull cable release mechanism.

Rotary Latch

Soft folding tonneau cover offers this option. Rotary latches are similar to pull cable release. Instead of pulling the cable, you need to just twist a knob. It is as simple as turning a door’s knob. This is located on the back of the tonneau cover. You need to have a locking tailgate mechanism here also.

Key Lock

Hard retractable, hard one-piece tonneau covers offer a key lock mechanism. Using a key, you can lock and unlock a tonneau cover. You need to have a locking tailgate mechanism.

Electromagnetic Brakes

This can only be found on electric tonneau covers. You just need to push a button to open and close this type of cover. To prevent the cover from opening and closing the electromagnetic brakes are used.

Conclusion

Installing a tonneau cover is not enough, Maintaining and cleaning a tonneau cover is essential to ensure its longevity.

In order to keep your truck bed safe and secure, you need to install a locking mechanism into your tonneau cover. By reading this article, you should be able to open your tonneau cover anytime and you can find out the best locking option for your tonneau cover. For more information about tonneau covers, follow our website and you can leave a comment below.