Best tonneau cover options for First Gen Tundra (2004)

Recently bought a 2004 Tundra Access Cab (6'4" bed I believe), and I'm looking at tonneau cover options. Unfortunately there aren't a lot out there that I can see.

I'm looking for rollout or retractable. I want to be able to access the whole bed when I need it. Need moderate security. Want to be able to lock it up when I'm away, but I also know that if someone really wants in, they will get in. Won't be storing anything super valuable, but nice to be able to lock up your camping stuff to keep honest people honest when you're away. I know none of them are 100% waterproof but want to keep things as dry as I can.

I have found these:

Weathertech - was leaning towards this one when I thought their warranty was really good but it seems people have had trouble with it in recent years. Does not appear to cover bed rails. But long-lasting warranty and generally good products.

Truxedo Truxport - 5 year warranty. Covers bed rails. Anyone with experience using the warranty?

Any others I'm missing and should consider? I checked the FAQ and didn't see anything covering this. Thanks in advance.

(Posted over in the tonneau cover forum but got no action there for days.)

 

Are you willing to do a 3-part inset folding tonneau like the BakFlip? It folds all the way up against the window, obscuring the window, but at least you get 95% of bed access. I have a FiberMax in storage right now that has almost no mileage on it. I migrated to a Leer shell, which is bittersweet. I need to mulch the yard right now, but I can't because the bed is covered. Removal, at the moment, isn't an option.

 

Does it come off easy if you need full bed access occasionally? I'd definitely be open to that option.

 

Well, let's just say taking it out isn't hard in a pinch, as long as you leave its rails intact.

Effectively, like most flush-mount trifolds, it has a pair of rails you clamp to your bedrails, then lay the cover into it, get the cover square, then tighten the side rails down, then tighten two threaded knobx holding the cover to the rails at the cab side. The ears on the rails where those two knobs go through are elongated, to help with aligning the trifold portion over the bed box squarely.

When you remove, all you gotta do is fold it up into 3rds and lock it together, as you would when locking it against the back window of the cab for full loads, then spin off those two threaded knobs, and lift the trifold portion up, put it somewhere safe.

Would I want to be doing that once a month? Nah. Would I be cool with doing it once or twice a year? Sure. It's sturdy, and able to withstand my entire body weight (usually up around 200lb) laying down on top of it. You can dial it in so it fits so snugly against the bed rails that it's hard to jimmy open.

I dunn. If you're anywhere around the North GA area, I'm willing to part with mine for a fair price, or I'd trade for some decent 17" wheels for our trucks (I hope to locate some by EOW, honestly, but we'll see).

 

Pics of both trifold covers I've had on mine are in reply #7 of this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/opinions-on-a-tonneau-cover.143921/

Not sure if it helps, because it doesn't show it while fully open, allowing access to 95% of the bed, but ... I dunno.

 

I've got a Roll N Lock on my 06 DC. Strong enough for me to stand on it when closed, and the area the cover rolls up into only takes up about 12" of bedspace near the cab. Been on the truck for over 6 years and I have no complaints.

https://realtruck.com/b/roll-n-lock/v/toyota/tundra/2004/

Edit: I stand corrected. Box that holds the cover is only about 10"x7". Excuse the mess in the pictures. Truck has been used for truck stuff. Been hauling loads of landscape rock.

 

I have a cheap Gator brand soft rollup on my Ferd. Works just fine. Was a less than 2 Benjamins shipped.

 

thanks I’m interested but I’m not in north Georgia. Would you consider shipping? I’ve also got a little dent in the front of the bed on the bed rail that bows it out a bit. I think it would be ok but would need to verify that wouldn’t interfere with the seal.

 

This is really nice, but they don’t sell them any more for our trucks.

 

https://realtruck.com/b/gator/v/toyota/tundra/2004/

I’m not sure but I don’t think they make the soft roll up one any more. This is the problem I keep having. Not too many people make them any more.

 

This is one item that I don’t see much of even used on FB marketplace. You can still find the hard shell ones, but that doesn’t give you the full bed access option you are looking for

If you’re not looking to buy used, the one @shifty` posted is still being manufactured https://realtruck.com/p/bakflip-g2-tonneau-cover/v/toyota/tundra/2000/

 

Yeah, or just buy mine if you're semi-close. They disco'd the FiberMax I'm running, but mine is in fairly pristine shape. Not new-new, a small scratch here, a ding there, but clearly was installed less than a year, on a low-mile truck that's garaged when not in use. I still have all the literature.

 

Does your bed measure 6' 4"? That is what mine measures inside the box. I have a V6 AC.

 

I have an AC also. All AC trucks with a standard (i.e. non-stepside) bed have the same bed size. DC beds are like an inch or so shorter. RC beds are 14-16" longer than AC and DC, respectively.

 

Do I have any tonneau options for my 2006 AC while still keeping my toolbox?

 

Someone else asked that on here recently, and I do recall some options being tossed out there. I seriously doubt I'd be able to find the thread, though. I'll give it a shot.

 

Google suggests that there might be such options (perhaps not vehicle specific), but here's an example

https://www.carid.com/truck-covers-...fRQuM4i1rKpo6JC4-EKMAK0JrgM2yrieU1UXbxXf9Z0Sw

 

That's a cover that comes with a box connected to it, and a small box at that. I'd like to find a tonneau that would work with my existing tool box.

 

try that google thing...

 

Any takers?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3350736070...XfJ0OtURse&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Yes I know it's a Ferd in the pic.

 

I wanted a tonneau that would allow me to use the full length of the bed (this eliminated all of the retractable covers from my search), was fairly water tight, did not balloon up when cruising down the interstate and provided some level of security. I found a used Extang Solid Fold cover that fit the bill perfect. It is held down by 4 clamps. Two of those clamps are quick release that allow you to fold the rear two panels on top of the first. The whole cover can be removed in less than 1 minute by folding it up and then removing the two front clamps and reinstalled in a few minutes (lining it up takes a little time).

I am not crazy about the thickness of the cover and would prefer one that fits between the bed sides, but it's functionality won me over. It provides a bit more security than the vinyl roll up covers and definitely doesn't balloon up on the highway. I can set things like a chainsaw on it too.





It does a nice job keeping most water out of the bed. My leak seems to be at the front of the bed because I am missing the front trim piece on top of the bed rail. My buddy has a Leer/Pace-Edwards Jack Rabbit tonneau on his F150 and it leaks quite it a bit more than my cover.

 

Curious why anyone would want a tonneau cover instead of a shell, barring the need to repeatedly remove the cover and replace it? You lose so much space for stuff. I feel like at a certain point what makes the most sense is a Sequoia, again barring someone's unique need to remove and reinstall a cover over and over, or unless you're regularly hauling long thin objects that need to be covered?

I may be short sighted in the sense that I don't need to constantly remove and reinstall my shell, and have a hard time coming up with use cases. I accept that there are more possibilities than I can conceive of right now after being up all night and about to hit the hay.

 

With a tonneau it's still a pickup truck, with a cap/shell is just a big SUV. You can roll it back or flip it up and head down to the yard for a bucket full of mulch/pea gravel/redstone or any number of things. I can even drive that red Cub Cadet up into the bed and take it to shows or down to my son's house if needed. Can't do any of those things with a cap. Caps are nice, I've had one on several of my trucks but for all around usefulness I like a tonneau.

 

Someone needs to make an adjustable skeleton for the bed, that you can hang yaks or bikes or ladders or lumber on, while leaving the bed open, with canvases or tarps that are fit to different trucks so you can button them on and it's a cap.

I know RCI and other companies have their universal racks you can get, but I feel like, in our modern day world of CNC-all-the-things, this should be relatively something to accomplish.

 

Tenths is such an odd way to list a measurement in feet. I guess that is 6' 2.4"??

I take it this wouldn't fit an access cab bed.

 

I have the same cover as @87warrior
Here's a pic of it folded up. I too dislike how high it sits but it's quick to remove / install when needed.

 

I have a dent in the front of my bed. It kind of bows out towards the cab. Can anyone confirm if these tonneau covers will still work? Or will some not fit? I figure they usually clamp to the side rails so I’m hoping it’ll still work and keep my stuff dry.

 

Most won't seal properly unless you slap a come-along on that center part of the bed, spanned maybe with angle iron, and pull that lip roughly into square. It shouldn't be too hard, but you need to proceed SAFELY if you've never used a tree and come-along to pull metal back into shape. Metal has a penchant for springing back partially to its old shape, so you'll want to pull it a little farther than straight, and let it spring back (I'm talking no more than 1/4")

Looks like someone didn't properly restrain their load there. That's unfortunate.

 

I have not. I might need to get some help with it then. Any idea who might help with that? I’m sure a body shop would charge me a fortune. Unfortunately it came this way to me. But I took the opportunity to jump on a nice first gen with no significant rust.

 

No clue who would be able to help. Dad showed me the ropes when I wrecked my first car barely 6 months into having my license, decades ago. I'd heed similar warnings to pulling someone out of a ditch on the safety front. But I'm not about to give you step by step, don't need that liability on me.