Diamondback owners SE or HD, and why?

I’m going to order a diamondback. Just wanted to know why you chose HD, or SE?

are you happy with your choice? Would you order differently next time?

these are pricey so I want to get it right.

my main reason for the cover is security on road trips (throw stuff into box while dining after shopping, etc). More secure than a trunk.

secondary reason is to keep cottage stuff dry during transport.

Also going with diamondback for the ability to put stuff on top. Mostly cottage type stuff, table saw, coolers, and stuff that didn’t fit in the box. Kinda like an overflow section so that we don’t have to take 2 cars, or another trip.

it is very likely that I will never, ever need anywhere near the capacity of the HD, HOWEVER I like the 12 cleats of the HD so if I add 8 cleats to the order, and have DB instal them on the SE the price difference is just over 426 cdn less than the HD

Weight difference is negligible Money savings negligible. HD might be slightly less pry prone? (Thicker aluminum?)

I know, 1st world problems

 

I went with HD because it was a small price difference when you consider the starting point price of the SE, versus getting 4 times as much capacity on the HD. I use mine to stand on when washing the top of the truck and it essentially makes it so you have 2 beds because you can stack anything you want on the top. The capacity of the HD is more than the payload of the truck so you never have to worry about overloading it or bending it or anything.

 

I went with the SE model. The odds of me ever needing to exceed the SE's limit of 400lbs. on top of it are slim. The SE has plenty of security associated with it. So much that I leave my truck bed loaded when I travel to Wyoming for my annual fly fishing trip with friends. They are built like a tank. You can get additional tie downs for your SE if that is what you go with. That's what I did. Lastly, you will not go wrong with either the SE or HD versions. Love my DiamondBack!

 

I agree with all of this. Just trying to decide if $426 is worth the extra capacity. That I’ll likely never need, lol. If I was looking at the se with the 4 cleats the price difference is closer to 600 bucks.

 

I was back and forth between the HD and the SE, but eventually went with the SE. With the 400 lb load limit, it will cover everything I could manage to add to the cover.

I will say, If there is even a chance you may want to haul something heavier than that weight- go with the HD. Cost upfront is intimidating but you will be extremely satisfied.

My light duty usage, secure storage, and eventually adding some sort of rack system for camping/ bikes made the SE the best choice for me.

Enjoy!

 

Seeing them put rzrs and 650lb atvs on top of the hd model. A pallet of material. So the cover can hold 1600lbs. But the bedsides of even a 3/4 ton probably arent rated for that?

the lateral stress at that height?? Eek

 

I,wasn’t even considering the bed sides, I would be more concerned about 600 lbs being held to the bed by 4 clamps, and 4 locking rods.

my thought process for the hd would be “ margin of error”. 400 lbs sounds good, BUT that’s spread out. I’m about 275. If I have something almost 400lbs on the bed and I step on to move a strap/tighten ratchet, etc then we’re almost 2x the rated capacity.

 

We have seen guys crack their bedside welds with a normal toolbox…. I agree, standing on it to wash the roof sounds amazing

 

I went with the SE on the Tundra. I had a HD on the Ridgeline.

I added another set of cleats on this SE and installed my Thule on the top of the cover.

I didn’t need the added capacity of the HD and the lighter SE saved a few pounds on the payload hit.

I really like the ability to attach things to it!

 

I got mine 2nd hand and would likely go with an SE anyway. I don't need more than the four cleats I have on mine and have used it for hauling stuff both in and on top.

 

did you buy the SE because you never used the capacity of the HD on your Ridgeline?

did you add 4 cleats, or 8? (Most guys add 8 and mimick the HD cleats) did you instal, or diamondback ?

*quick side note, why did you switch from Ridgeline to tundra? I ask because I almost bought a Ridgeline. It’s actually all the truck I needed. I don’t need a full-size. BUT it was the rear Crewmax seating that sold me. We needed a “cottage commuter” to haul people, and remote non grid cottage stuff). Nobody ever wanted to sit in the back seat of anything we drove to the cabin.

oh, how’s the Thule working out? That’s actually my plan to pack our duffel bags and clothing into a Thule (or similar) and strap it right onto the diamondback. (You strap the Thule directly to the tonneau right?)

 

I didn’t use the HD load capacity but I did put heavy stuff on the racks.

The SE seemed to fit and the Thule is actually their Tracrac but a carrier could be attached to that. We carry our kayaks on the rack.

I installed all the cleats (8) so I could line them up with the rack.

We liked the Ridgeline but it was a but underpowered and underbraked for our trailer so we went to the Tundra and it does a good job.

 

also consider that the payload capacity is distributed weight. If you are 250 pounds like me and stand in the middle of a panel on an SE model, it may bend slightly. Havent tested this of course but its something to be aware of.

You can definitely add more cleats to the SE models yourself. I use my 12 (or 16?) cleats with my HD when i tied down all our camping stuff on top, or carry my kayak or drywall. I even transported an assembled shed, those 7x7 hard plastic ones you find at costco or sams. you will definitely find a use for those cleats that you hadnt considered before. I have always been a have it and not need it kinda guy anyway i guess.

 

If you're going to load the HD down, PLEASE regularly double check that the cover is securely fastened to the truck bed. The load capacity of the cover is one thing, the load capacity of the bed, hardware, mounting system etc is another.

 

I did mention this in post 7. I’m 275. So let’s say I have the SE and something that’s 400lbs on the top. “Oops” I need to go up on the cover to adjust a ratchet strap. Now we have almost 700 lbs.

I’m sure there’s a safety margins built in. (Actually I think it’s like 900 static lbs).

 

this was a concern of mine. Cover may tolerate 1600 lbs, but it’s “clamped” on the truck by 4 clamps, and 4 3/8” dead bolts

I think if I had anything near 1600 lbs, I’d just put it into the bed, or on a trailer.

in all honesty I’m likely to haul a couple of coolers, possibly some Jerry cans, a Thule box or equivalent on top.

99.99% of the time everything we need fits in the bed under the cover.

first world problems.

 

I also didnt account for the price hikes since i bought mine. The difference before between the SE and HD was under 400 bucks, now it seems to be over 50% more than that, ouch.

 

I'm sure a lot of people do it, I'm just the kind of guy who would be checking those clamps to make sure they're tight!

 

Bed stiffeners wouldnt be a bad idea either. I love my cali raised ones, so many tie down options.

 

For the SE I’d buy 8 additional cleats, and have diamondback instal them.

once the cost of the cleats is added on the price difference between the HD and SE is 412 dollars Canadian

the difference between the 2 without extras is 628.

so I’m looking at a difference of 412 bucks. And the added weight of 35 lbs for the hd. Not the end of the world

 

if you plan on keeping the truck a long time the extra cash is worth it imo but it has to make sense for you.

 

I have the HD and have ideas to carry an atv at some point. I got it used so didn't really have a choice. I honestly don't think I would pay the retail prices anymore (or ever) for these. As others have stated, if you plan on hauling and potentially could use the load carrying capacity of the HD I would just go ahead and bite the bullet. The HD is an anomaly in that it is the only cover of its kind on the market (as far as I know anyway). The SE is a clone in appearance but doesn't have the load carrying capacity - personally I wouldn't buy the SE for the price point because there are many covers that can function similarly with coverage, protection and safety and not cost nearly as much. I had bed stiffeners already installed and would recommend them if you plan on hauling anything on top of the Diamondback.

I would scour the used market for an HD and be patient. I waited a couple months and drove 2.5 hours but paid less than half the cost of a brand new one. Also, keep an eye on the outlet page of the website where they sometimes have discounted covers. You can sign up to get notified if availability for your year, truck and style comes up

 

which cover do you feel has the same level of security of the SE? I’ve looked at many. I haven’t found anything close.

I am on the email list for the outlet. I e also been on Craigslist and kijiji. These covers a fairly niche. Not a lot for sale.

but I can assure you soon after I buy a new diamondback there will be one for sale on kijij. Just like tundra pricing will plummet once I sign the paper work.

 

I think the security is subjective honestly; at the end of the day the diamondback is still only secured by four clamps at the middle of the bed and the locking rods in each corner. ANY of the covers can be defeated with relatively little effort. I have had rugged cover, extang, leer one piece fiberglass, roll and locks and a few others between the tundra and my previous titan and none has never been breached. I think any of the aluminum covers that lock are fine honestly but I may have a false sense of security.......I live in the Baltimore / DC area and have had my truck parked overnight many many times in each city with stuff secured in the bed and never had an issue.

 

With the SE, I have walked on it many times and it does feel a bit softer than my old HD. I try to stay near the edges or in the middle near the center support.

One thing I wish I did was to order a shelf at the same time. It would have been handy up front. Now the shipping cost will be more than the shelf!

As far as loading the cover, a good deal of the cargo weight will be supported by the sides of the cover that rest on the truck box. And the middle section if the cargo is small and heavy.

And there is the low payload numbers that we get from Toyota, so I could never put 1,600 lbs on the cover (legally).

 

I got HD, nothing beat a second bed imo. Don’t have to worry about weight, just throw it on top, strap it down and go. Personal I like products that only require setting it once and forget about it.

 

I am in the habit of checking the clamps on my SE periodically (at oil change) or before a road trip.

 

I went with the SE and added the additional cleats. I don't see myself putting anything 1600lbs on the tonneau. For cargo that heavy, it's going on a trailer. I'm also the guy who would rather put a quad or side by side on a trailer than in the box.

 

Do all the tundras need the bed rail shims? Was just looking over the instal guides. Didn’t realize the bed rails needed to be shimmed.

22+ owners did you have to shim?

 

I look at this like I view 4wd vs 2wd.. is $426 dollars worth not spending in the event that you ever needed it.

I have the HD and love it. I bought one a few years ago from Diamondback, then sold it for some dumb reason. A few weeks ago, I found one on FB marketplace and bought a basically new one for $1500.