How To Use A Tonneau Cover

Last Updated on May 24, 2022

Imagine driving while raining or snow falling or during heavy wind blowing! Your elements on the truck bed can be soaked in water, it can be covered with dust or some elements can be stolen if your truck bed is open. Tonneau covers can prevent situations such as this, and they also serve many other purposes. In this article, we are going to teach you how to use a tonneau cover, so that it can last long and give you more protection.

Popular Categories of Tonneau Covers

There is a variety of categories of tonneau covers. But before start using a tonneau cover you must know the categories and their installation and maintenance process so that you can choose a suitable tonneau cover for your truck.

Roll-up tonneau cover: A roll-up tonneau cover comes in both hard and soft options. A soft roll-up cover is eventually made of vinyl fabric material on the other hand a hard roll-up cover is made of aluminum reinforced polycarbonate materials. To access the cargo, you need to roll the cover simply.

Folding tonneau cover: A folding tonneau cover comes in both hard and soft options also and it has more options like tri-fold which folds into three places and four-fold which folds into four places. These covers are made of vinyl and aluminum materials. If you need to access a part of your truck bed a folding tonneau cover can be a good option because a folding cover gives you this opportunity.

Retractable tonneau cover: A retractable tonneau cover also provides accessibility to a part of the bed. This cover also comes in both hard and soft options and they are made of vinyl material over aluminum. This type of tonneau cover allows you to access a part of the bed as it retracts upon itself. Roll the cover as much as you need to access the cargo.

Hinged tonneau cover: A hinged tonneau cover converts into a lid supported by hinges. If you need to access your truck bed just open the lid and support the lid with hinges.

We have covered an in-depth installation guide on our website…Tonneau Cover Installation Guide

It is recommended that you install bed rails, it will help the cover stays in place while driving. A proper installation of a tonneau cover can provide you many advantages like better gas mileage for its aerodynamics appearance, protection against thievery, and protection against water, dust, or snow.

How to Maintain your Tonneau Cover

To get the full benefits of using a tonneau cover, you will have to maintain the cover properly and regularly. Followings are the important terms of maintenance:

Ensure it’s secure

A tonneau cover can get damaged if it’s not fastened securely. Regularly check that all the clamps and bolts are attached properly and tightened well. Reposition the side rails to avoid the cover from sticking, if it doesn’t open and close smoothly.

Clean

Cleaning your tonneau cover regularly is an essential part of maintenance. Now, are you curious about what to use to clean a tonneau cover? You can use either solution of soap and water or any cleaning solution you can find but keep in mind that for the soft type of covers that are made of vinyl fabric, you have to use a vinyl cleaning solution. To know about how to clean your tonneau cover properly follow [this link].

Use right protectant

After cleaning the tonneau cover, let it dry, and then apply a protectant to the cover and the plastic rim around the bed. A microfiber applicant is used normally to scrub the protectant. It is recommended that you follow the manufacturer’s direction as each protectant differs.

Proper protection

It’s important to keep a soft tonneau cover out of direct sunlight as it is made of vinyl because high temperature can increase damaging effects to develop on the surface of the cover.

Avoid leaving heavy things on the cover

This is an important thing to do that you never leave any gear on top of the cover for a long time. According to some manufacturers leaving heavy gear on top of a cover can cause permanent damage.

So, that’s how you can start using your tonneau cover by installing it into your truck and keep it maintained.

Conclusion

Only using a tonneau cover is not enough, its maintenance is also important. After reading this article, you learn how to use a tonneau cover and you will be able to install and keep your cover maintained. If you have any questions leave us a comment below.