Diamondback Tonneau Cover

Mine came with black. Not sure when they made that change.

 

On the underside? I just got mine less than a month ago, and although I got the black Line-X on the outside, the underside is bare aluminum.

 

I think he meant hinges, there's a replacement program going on. My hinges had a bit of corrosion and DB sent me new black hinges, bolts for my cleats and a $50 Visa, great company!

 

Ah, gotcha. My mistake. Thanks for clarifying. And yeah, top notch customer service!

 

Oh ok, that explains it, tnx for clarification, I thought I saw your hinges in black, they look great. Guess it doesn't always pay to be early or first to the party or in the game. I got the hinges in chrome before the change and guess I got a little more work to do with both hinges and bolts. I agree with ya, more of a nice weather thang, since the ones in there now ain't hurting anything, I'll hold off to spring or fall, when I can sit out there and be comfortable at my own leisure get it done.

 

Yep, hinges.

 

I'm getting real close to pulling the trigger on one of these.... Love what I read about the customer support.

Can you drive with the rear open and locked in a way that it wouldn't stress the gas strut?

Reason I ask is sometimes I like to haul bikes via the "hang over tailgate" method, and it would be great to be able to do that with the cover and not worry about it coming down on the bikes or wearing out the strut.

 

No. You’d simply disconnect the strut and remove the panel, or flip the panel totally open 180 degrees and strap it secure to the center and cab panel.

 

Anyone got pics of the DB 270?

 

+1, I flip the panel on a moving blanket and strap it down. It's the only thing about these DB's, to get it full open, we have to remove the center piece which is basically uninstalling it and not practical

 

Can anyone do me a favor and measure the "usable" top area of the front/rear panels for a crewmax? IE the area that things could be mounted on top without interfering with pivots?

Thanks in advance!

 

Happy helping a brother but I have no clue what you are asking. Surface area of top of panel? It would be helpful if you provide context - what are you trying to mount? Pretty much you can probably do what you want if you don’t mind drilling into that beautiful cover.

 

Ah yes, sorry was in a rush and re-read my post and laughed out loud. I am looking for the top surface area of each panel (front and rear, and I assume symmetric). No problems drilling for me, but I just want to make sure my master plan works before dropping the coin.

thanks man!

 

A picture is worth a thousand words right? .... Excuse the shitty work, done on iPhone

 

No worries brotein shake. I can measure tomorrow. The DB website is pretty good / they may already have the specs on the website.

 

They got some general dimensions, but not sure if those are "top surface" area or the entire panel.

Thanks boss.

 

And not to completely blow up this thread.... but is there a reason why I see so many traditional style ones and almost no 180s? Perhaps the 180 is newer, but it seems like that would be a little bit more natural way to access gear (from the sides) rather than from the front opening between the cab.

Seems like I only see them on work trucks?

 

A and C are 7 1/2 inches
B is 12 inches
Y is 29 inches
X is 65 inches

 

What a good guy. As much as I'd like to have helped I got sick as a dog for week before xmas. Feeling pretty shitty right now still. Hopefully I can kick this thing soon, think today is like 10th day. Dr appt Fri so I gotta survive til then

 

Dude you're the man! Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I was too deep in the weeds thinking about my idea.... I owe you a beer.

 

Anyone who has one of these, did you get the HD and wish you had gotten the SE or vise-versa? Kinda torn between the two options, seems like more capacity is better, but not sure I would ever really use it to those limits.

 

I guess it all depends on your own needs and what use you want out of it. I’ve seen the photos and videos of hauling ATVs on top of the HDs. I don’t have an ATV, but if I had one I’d prefer to haul it in my trailer. I guess if you find it inconvenient to remove entirely when wanting to haul heavy stuff, then it might be worth it to keep it on and ensure it has the capacity to handle the weight.

I went with the SE, though. When I ordered it, I did so never intending to haul anything heavy on top of it. Instead, I got it more to secure contents in the bed and keep them relatively dry. I figured I’d remove one or all of the panels when I need to haul something heavy. I’ve already removed it and re-installed it once to haul something big that needed to fit inside the bed and don’t mind doing that. But I can see how others might not want to do that. Although it would be nice to have the added weight feature, I think I made the right choice. With the money saved, I intend to get one of their crossbins, which I think would serve a more useful purpose for my own needs. Of course, other folks have different needs where the HD would serve them better. In short, the SE serves my needs as intended - secure contents in bed and keep them dry.

 

Looking forward to your idea. I like beer!

 

I have HD. If you have the coin on hand, seems to me you would be better off with the increased payload of the HD. If money is a little tight, still can’t go wrong with SE. I will say I have strapped much more to the cover than I thought I would. The added payload is nice.

 

All about personal preference and plans for it. Me I put my quad up there occasionally. True I use my trailer much more often, but I got it if I need it and just want to throw up a single quad quick and go. So for me Se was never an option. If you ever plan or could see yourself getting a RTT the HD would be a better choice too.

If you never see yourself putting, quads, tent, or ever strapping anything really heavy the SE is a great option and can save some money by going with it.

The part I do understand is not everyone has the needs or money for the HD. The part I dont understand, why would anyone get any other cover outside of DB other than the SE version. The prices are similar or least close enough. Why would you sacrifice the security, the weather tight capability, and even the SE payload is nice to go with an inferior cover to maybe save a few bucks? Just don't make sense to me. I'm surprised I don't see so many more of these on trucks. Again not saying the HD is for everyone, but I'm surprised more people dont at least get the SE instead of the other non DB covers on trucks. Luckily I'm perfectly fine with that because I like being different and having things that set my truck apart. Imo anyone who pays anywhere near a grand for a cover outside of the DB SE you're nuts. I'll give those with a cap a pass bc the added height is a bonus.

 

I have the SE with the smaller cross-bin and am very happy...I'd also be happy with the HD but couldn't justify the cost as I don't see myself putting anything heavy up there.

 

Outlet HD cover, was in the outlet section for something to do with the corners not being perfect...I couldn't tell in the pictures, and can't really notice anything in person, but i will take it!

 

I was going to wait until spring but it was warmish yesterday so I backed partway into the garage and installed the black hinge upgrade and the black cleat bolts that DB sent me (was stainless before):

 

How hard and long did it take. I'm guessing neither? I need to do same and have been putting off. So many things waiting for me to do lol

 

I've had my HD for almost 5 years now. I've never once thought that I should have gone with any other option. It does come down to your intended usage, but there's a rule that also applies here: If you plan for your current needs--that's all it'll ever be good for. I did buy mine with the intention of hauling my quad, but I've used it for sooo much more (lumber, furniture, 800lbs of soil amendment, new heavy-ass tool chest, random metal scrap, etc) that it's not even funny. More than once I've needed a forklift to load--then had to get very creative to unload at home! Bottom line, it's nice knowing that my cover is actually rated higher than my truck, so I never have to think about whether or not I can chuck something up there and throw a strap on it.