Diamondback Tonneau Cover

The reality is that it is not the cover that's leaking. It's the design of the plastic bed rail caps and gaps between the front and sides of the bed box. At the back end there are giant gaps between the tailgate and bed sides, too.

I have touched on this before, but over time the pressure applied to the bed rail caps by the cover, along with the bed flex that occurs when driving, will cause the ribs on the underside of the caps to wear into the paint on the top of the bed rails.

 

Yeah I bought mine used. I am not worried about it but would like to get it to leak less.

 

For sure. The tundra isn’t great for this cover to not leak. I’ll do the best I can to plug up those holes with silicon and live with it. I wonder if bed stiffeners would help with that wear at all? Probably not

 

I have bed stiffeners…..don’t help

 

Since I bought my Tundra, I could hear a squeak when the rear window was down. I thought for sure it was the window itself but today I put the window down for the first time with the Diamondback cover installed and noticed the squeak is gone. I guess it was the old cover. Another bonus to switching to the Diamondback.

 

Anybody had any issues taking your Diamondback off and putting it back on multiple times?

I have some projects to do this spring and I'd like to use my truck bed for hauling materials vs renting or buying a trailer.

 

It isn't hard or that time consuming. Easier with help though the panels are particularly heavy. The hardest part is lining it back up when you're reinstalling. I used a silver paint pen and marked the middle panel on my rails prior to removal. Made it much easier to reinstall.

 

I would protect the threads on the clamps with a ceramic spray of some sort like "Walter Rock and Roll". And like @shawn474 said about marking the center section position.

 

Yeah, I don't see it being hard to do. Good tip about marking the middle panels, thanks!

 

That will work well. Also apply some masking tape on each end of the middle section to mark where it needs to be reinstalled will work.

 

I also marked exactly where the center panel sat on the bed rails so it was very easy to reinstall.

 

Did a little silicone work to fill the gaps in the bed rails. Seems to have stopped rain from leaking on the sides. Just have to figure out the bulkhead. Used some leftover thin neoprene foam rubber I had. Perfect thickness. Stuck it on and pained silicone on top.

 

@therealjonwick. On a side note, I like your Wavian jerry can install and I'd like to do the same install with mine. What hardware have you mounted on the bed side walls for securement of the jerry can? Also, I have had issues with multiple pour spouts for my Wavians as they all leak at the metal/plastic joint. Have you had any leakage issues?

 

Thanks! I just got it so I have not used it. I will keep an eye out for that. I purchased the can holder recommended through Amazon:

$34 Racewill 2024 Upgrade Jerry Can Mount Holder: Lockable Jerry Gas Can Holder Rack, 5 Gallon (20 Liter), Reinforced Welding

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGSP7HX2 I used vibratite on all the screws.
I mounted it to my molle panels. Cali raised. I used their mounting kit hardware through the holes of the can mount. Two in the top holes, then zip ties on the bottom. Can is full and is secure while driving. I did notice a bit of paint wearing off on the mount. Nothing too crazy. I might add some more neoprene rubber to those areas.

 

What bed stiffeners do you have? Trying to get a set. Not sure what are the best out there. Also want to cut my bed mat as little as possible.

 

I honestly forget the brand; no idea.

 

They look like Total Chaos but a bit different

 

They’re pretty heavy duty. I don’t think they were total chaos.

must be these:

Tundra Rear Channel Bed Stiffener for 2007-2021 Tundra Tailgate Tie-Down Brackets

https://www.amazon.com/ADI-OFF-ROAD...&sprefix=tundra+bed+stiffeners+,aps,68&sr=8-1

 

Has anyone installed the TRUKD Bed Racks on their setup to be able to fully use the Diamondback cover when using a bed rack? If so, can they hold well when used with a RTT on windy conditions or do they feel flimsy?

This is the one I'm talking about https://gettrukd.com/collections/bed-racks/products/trukd-24-5-v2-bed-rack?variant=42987764220080

 

My Uptop racks sit on each cover section of my SE. It mounts to the cover cleats like the gettrukd does but has 2 separate sections so you can open the covers up without taking the rack apart.

When the tent or bike racks are attached, this becomes more of a challenge to open. Not too sure how to answer the flimsy question, this is certainly not flimsy!

 

I'm looking at the TRUKD brand bed racks because they're supposed to let you use fully the DB Cover. But since the bars on them go straight up, they make me wonder if they'll hold when rtt camping on high winds.

 

Sorry, I see what you talking about now. They attach under the cover to the bed rails. I would expect a little water ingress at those mounts but nothing is really waterproof anyway.

They might move around a bit without cross bracing of some sort. With the heavy weight up top, I can see them sloshing around. Just my thought.

 

So are you saying that you’re looking for a rack that will allow you to open the diamondback while a rtt or other accessory is attached to the rack?

I have the Yakima overhaul hd clone rack and the Yakima rails that I installed onto the cover….i can open the cover when I don’t have anything on the rack but if I have bikes, kayaks, skis, etc attached it doesn’t allow for opening of the cover.

 

The trukd looks flimsy at the point where it bends 90 degrees to go under the edge of the cover. There’s no reinforcement at the bottom to limit side to side flex if there’s something heavy mounted on the rack.

I do see what looks like a small triangular brace at the top corners. Maybe that’s enough?

If it’s really important to be able to open the bed cover with a tent on top you might consider a retractable like a retrax with the T slot side rails. There are tons of rack options that use this interface.

 

Love mine but should’ve gotten the switchback tho. Going to put a gooseneck ball in for pulling our little horse trailer.

 

I have my second Diamondback (was on the Gen 3 Tundra 6.5 Bed for almost 2 years). This one is an SE which is a tab lighter than the HD.

I took the cover off and was able to squeeze it onto the Chevy 1 ton and it fits. This was a big question for me and since I put it on, I saved about $3k. It is an inch smaller all around but the seal does make contact and the locking bars work too.

The Diamondback cover is great and well worth any inconvenience

ce especially if you switch to a Chevy

 

Has anyone tried the switchback yet?

 

I haven't tried the switchback but it does look like it fills a need. The one I have allows me to mount my rack and stuff. Not too sure if the switchback would allow that?

 

Yeah I’m not sure if you could mount a rack on it or not. If I could get rid of my 270 I would try it and see. But I’m kinda thinking it wouldn’t work with a rack the way they fold up to the front.

 

I have a diamond back cover and use the BillieBar rack with it for a rooftop tent. Having a rack mounted to the rails under the diamondback does allow water to seep into the bed. The reason I like the setup though is that I’m able to open the part over the tailgate end about 5 inches. I know that doesn’t sound like much but when I slide out my fridge, I’m able to open the top of the fridge and access both compartments. In a perfect world, I’d like to mount my tent higher but my garage door is only 7 feet high; don’t like parking outside anymore. LOL!