Please help me install my first tonneau cover...

My Tundra is not only my first Tundra, but also my first truck. Please pardon my ignorance and stupid questions.

I got me one of these Tyger tonneau covers:

$234 Tyger Auto T3 Soft Tri-Fold Truck Bed Tonneau Cover Compatible with 2014-2021 Toyota Tundra (Does Not Fit Trail Special Edition with Storage Boxes) | Fleetside 5.5' Bed (66") | TG-BC3T1432 , Black

https://www.amazon.com/Tyger-Auto-TG-BC3T1432-2014-2018-Fleetside/dp/B011AO376S

The instructions say that the clamps must hook onto the metal bed lip:



But I cannot for the life of me find out where this metal lip is, so I attached it to the plastic lip of the bed rail cap:



I tried looking underneath the bed rail cap for an actual metal part to clamp to, but I just cannot find it. Is this normal for Tundras?

It seems pretty secure when I try to move it with my hand, but the lip of this plastic bed rail cap does bend a bit. Is it OK to just clamp it on this plastic bed rail cap?

If over time this tonneau cover causes the bed rail cap to break or warp, how easy is it to replace the bed rail cap? Maybe with something sturdier? What do people usually upgrade to?

 

Yup that’s fine

 

It is metal under the bedrail lip.

 

teedubbya, do you have a similar tonneau cover on your truck? Does the lip of your bed rail cap bend a bit when the clamp is tightened on?

Thanks 15whtrd. I was wondering about that. By "metal under the bedrail lip" do you mean that the lip itself a metal sheet with plastic coating?

 

I just took a closer look... it does seem like that "lip" is a metal lip with the plastic part of the bed rail cap on top of it/on the outside.

In the below picture, thin metal lip on the left (my bed is Linex'd), plastic part of the bed rail cap on the right.




However as you can see from the picture, the whole lip is kind of bending with that clamp tightened on it, and I guess I'm just concerned that over time the metal lip will warp or break.

At that point, if this lip of the metal bed rail snaps off, that sounds like a big deal to repair, as it's an integrated part of the bed, not a replaceable part?

 

It is thin and will probably bend a little but won’t snap off. I have the same cover but mounted mine to the bedrail system. I didn’t have the bedrail system at first and didn’t like that it was slightly bending my rail. So I upgraded lol.

 

I might go this route because I'm paranoid about the bed rail snapping off... what did you upgrade to? Got a link?

 

Do you mean that you upgraded by adding a utility track?

 

Yes, its more solid. Did your cover come with the optional hardware for the utility track?

 

Yes, it did come with 6 aluminum brackets for the utility track, but my truck itself doesn't have a utility track (I got a barebones Tundra trim).

Did your Tundra come with the utility track or did you add it on?

 

The bedrail won’t snap off. You don’t need the cover ridiculously tight either. The bed rails hold camper shells on. Very unlikely to break off.

 

That’s what I added on. You may need to chase the threads with a tap to get the liner material cleaned out.

 

Do you have a link to the utility track/deck rail you added on?

 

Here ya bud. This is a good site and @Roman is a vendor here. Good dude.
https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.c...9dHVuZHJhJnk9MjAxOCZ0PXNyJmU9NS03bC12OC1nYXM=

 

Thanks for all the help! By vendor do you mean I should contact Roman directly to make an order?

 

I can’t remember if I had to buy the tiedown cleats separately. I want to say yes and they come in 4s. But unnecessary if you just want the rails.

Also there is a write up around here on how tymake your own out of unistrut.

 

No but we do get a forrum discount. I think it’s forum20. Like 5%

He’s just helpful if you have any questions.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/diy-unistrut-bed-rails-cheaper-option-than-oem.1906/

 

I have an Xtang, but here is how it hooked up to the bed rail system. It came with the hardware. The silver brackets attach to the bed rail using a t-bolt, then you’re all set.

 

$163 for OEM rails is good.