TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > Towing and Hitching
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-22-2008, 08:49 PM   #1
Bluegrass
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tonneau or Shell?

Ok, so I ordered our 3124kb yesterday and already my wife and I are having a disagreement. Your counsel here could save a marriage.

She wants me to buy a shell for our Tundra. I just want to put one of those composite or fiberglass tonneau covers on it. I mean, hell, it's a truck. When you put those shells on, it just doesn't look like a truck anymore! "Yeahbut" she says, "Where ya gonna put all the stuff that we'll need on our trips?" "Under the tonneau," says I.

So who's right? Can we get what we need under a tonneau? I'd be interested in hearing from those of you who use a truck for a TV.

Our typical trip will be 7-8 days.

Save me a trip to Dr. Phil.

Keith
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2008, 10:49 PM   #2
PopBeavers
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

From 1981 until it died in 1996, I had a shell permanently on my Dadsus 4x4, but I was not towing. We did a lot of tent camping in those days.

My 2002 1500HD, used mostly for towing, has no cover. If I ever put a cover on it will be lockable. I frequently carry 5 mountain bikes in the bed of the truck, so only a roll up cover would work.

So, for the three years we have had the truck and TM there has been no cover.

DW, DS, and DD said a shell was ugly. I like functionality, not cuteness. I got outvoted.
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2008, 11:17 PM   #3
TREXHUNTERS
Site Sponsor
 
TREXHUNTERS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Austin, Tx.
Posts: 111
Default

Bluegrass,
We just purchased a 3124kb as well. We have an 05 Tundra DC. I have a Fold-a-cover tonneau which has been on the truck for the last 2 years.

I don't think you need a shell to provide more storage for a 2 week or so trip. You should base your decision though on what your everyday needs are. As with most things there are compromises. There is no perfect solution.

I don't use a shell because it takes away from some of the things that I use the truck for. Gardening is one of my hobbies and I haul dirt, gravel and the such. I also use it for all kinds of other truck things like hauling lumber, brush, firewood, and equipment. The tonneau I have folds in 4 sections so I can open it 3/4 open and have a front loader load dirt in the back. I need this ability to be able to use the bed open. The best tonneaus for this are the foldable kinds and the retractable ones. Most tonneaus are lockable. If you don't need to have the bed open and want to have more lockable stacking height then maybe a shell is the answer.

We are about to leave on a 6 month trip with said truck and TM. We toyed with getting a shell for this trip but in the end we stayed with the tonneau. (I would have taken it off after the trip anyway.) With the storage that is available in the TM, I am not worried about not having enough room in the back of the truck. We have tent camped on our last two 2-3 week trips (Everglades and Yellowstone) and we filled up the back but we made it. Now we don't have to carry the cots, sleeping bags,tent, clothes, food, and a large ice chest in the back. We do carry fishing equipment (if we'll be within 500 miles of water ), biking, and or kayak equipment, as well as various other things for the kids. We have a 5 and an 8 year old.

Hope this helps. I'll let you know after we leave if we have enough room!
__________________
Bruce, Cindy, Erik, Carly & Miner the Wonder Dog

2008 3124KB,1kw Honda gen.
2021 Toyota Tundra DC, 4WD
TREXHUNTERS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2008, 11:30 PM   #4
TREXHUNTERS
Site Sponsor
 
TREXHUNTERS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Austin, Tx.
Posts: 111
Default

One more thing.

I just noticed that you were leaning toward a one piece tonneau. I shied away from these when I got mine because I didn't think I could use the bed to carry big stuff if I had one of these. Also I didn't think that I would be able to access stuff in the front of the bed like you can with the folding or retracting tonneaus. The only advantage that I did see with the one piece ones was that they would provide better protection from the elements. The foldable and retractable ones can let in some water but it's usually just drips.

cheers
__________________
Bruce, Cindy, Erik, Carly & Miner the Wonder Dog

2008 3124KB,1kw Honda gen.
2021 Toyota Tundra DC, 4WD
TREXHUNTERS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2008, 11:38 PM   #5
B_and_D
Site Sponsor
 
B_and_D's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Santa Cruz County, CA
Posts: 2,405
Default

We have a truck, and we have neither. Sometimes we take along a locking tool box. We like to take along our bikes and other big stuff that wouldn't fit into either a shell or a tonneau.

If you have the tonneau, why not take a couple of trips in it and see how it works?

Does your DW like to drive the truck & TM? A shell would make it harder to see behind as you drive. The last time we took our TM out I asked DH to take off the tool box because it makes it harder for me to see out the back window. I'm not as tall as he is (almost a foot shorter), but I do like to tow the TM as long as I'm driving forward and can see the traffic behind me.

We're in "sunny" CA, so we don't have to worry about stuff in the back getting wet during our summer camping trips. Is this a concern for you? Does your DW want to bring a lot of stuff along? Does she feel a need to have things locked up so that people don't steal things? Do you have pets?
__________________
'97 2720 & '01 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4
2011 & 2017 Prii, 10'x18' & 10'x9' Tents
B_and_D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2008, 05:28 AM   #6
grill-n-go
Site Sponsor
 
grill-n-go's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Coral Springs, Fl
Posts: 335
Default

We have neither. A shell seemed like it would provide plenty of room for stuff under locked cover while a solid tonneau would subtantially limit the size of stuff that can go in the bed. The retractable tonneaus appeared to be a good compromise until I considered what we do with our truck bed.

We occasionally transport objects which are taller than the bed is deep (eliminated the tonneau), regularly transport lots (30+ objects) which required stacking, and arranging in the bed in such a way that a shell would make the task much more difficult. If I had a shell, I'd have to crawl inside to load and arrange. With a shell you can only get at the bed through the tailgate really limiting access to the bed.

For camping we take:
2 Kayaks 13.5' each
2 sets of (paddles, PFD, seats, etc)
2 bicycles
1 generator
1 Weber grill
1 30 Gal. tote
1 tools (i.e. drill to raise/lower stabilizers, level, etc.)
1 ea water, gasoline containers

The bed holds a Kayak rack and a bicycle rack, which would get in the way of a retractable tonneau. We've since gotten a saddle type box, but this is not a necessity. When I'm feeling paranoid I run a single chain through everything. In the begining I really wanted a shell, DW said a truck is not a truck if you put shell on it.
__________________
Mario & Idie

'03 2720SL
'07 Tundra 4X4
grill-n-go is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2008, 06:17 AM   #7
mtnguy
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

We went with the Trac Rac tonneau cover. This is the only system that we could find that incorporated both an tonneau cover and rack system. The Trac Rac tonneau cover is similar to the Truxedo.....it is a vinyl roll up cover held down by velcro. It rolls easily to the front of the bed, leaving unrestricted loading for mulch, moving furniture, etc. If you have a locking tailgate, then you can't open the cover either........unless you have a pocket knife. Wet traveling will get stuff near the back of the bed wet, so you have be careful there. If you have a plastic bed liner (without front drainage) and the truck is parked facing downhill, then water will puddle in the front of the bed during really heavy rain.....gotta be careful with that.

We can load up everything we need for camping under the tonneau cover.....firewood, toolboxes, extra water, scuba gear, Big Buddy Heater, etc., and it works out great. I have a couple of Yak racks with Copperhead bike racks mounted to the tracks on the bed rail, so the bikes ride over top of the tonneau cover. The canoe goes on the Trac Racs, over top and to the side of the bikes.

Tonneau cover pros: Easy quick bed access when needed. Looks good. Increases gas mileage. Keeps things from prying eyes.

Tonneau cover cons: Vinyl ones can be opened via a pocket knife. Allows some water in.

Topper pros: Secure. Very little water infiltration. Can hold more gear. Maybe increases gas mileage.....better aerodynamics vs. the weight ??

Topper cons: Gotta remove that puppy to haul anything. Limits "over the shoulder" visibility. Gotta crawl into that thing when you need something.

Our system works great for us, but might not for the next camper. Ain't this forum great for finding out this stuff???

Chap
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2008, 06:57 AM   #8
Joseph
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Good question. . .

So who's right? Can we get what we need under a tonneau? I'd be interested in hearing from those of you who use a truck for a TV.


In my house the wife is always right, even when she isn't...

The longest trip my wife and I take is two weeks, someplace out west.
( anywhere just get me back!.. ) We carry a bit much I would suppose compared to most. Tools, jacks, extra spare, extra water, ice chest, food, chain saw, grill, lamps, fuels, etc. . . and more stuff than I care to list. But with a little effort even I could manage quite nicely with a tonneau.

I solved the problem with an el-cheapo aluminum topper that I can take on and off as needed, with a little help of course. Not elegant. Functional though. I like having the extra protected space the topper provides.

I agree with B_D. If you have the tonneau try it for a trip or two before you go spend $$$ on the topper.
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2008, 07:43 AM   #9
countrygirl
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,346
Default

In 2004 my husband retired from the Sheriff's Office...he bought me a 2004 Chevrolet crew cab 2500HD Duramax Diesel 4X4...with the intent to get a camper some day. We looked at both types of covers and decided on the shell painted to match our truck. We have never taken it off. I drive the truck to work and shopping etc. He does all of the camper towing but I plan to learn how to do it in a few months. Tom will tell you that I park and handle the truck better then he does. In reality...I prefer to park at a distance...and do pull through parking at malls and the grocery, etc. He drives a military style jeep (the model with the star on the hood) or his BMW motorcycle...so it is a big jump in size when he switches to the truck.

I have never backed into anything but last year I did take off the front bumper of a Camero that has been lowered...my front right tire made fast work of it.

I wish someone would invent some way to get the outside of the rear truck window and the outside of the front window of the shell spotlessly clean.

We like the shell for when we go out West...we pack our hunting gear in there and also a buddies. We usually have a couple of coolers full of fresh frozen fish and shrimp for the the Aunts and Uncles.

Occasionally we toy with the idea of taking off the shell but then change our mind. We have a 16 ft cargo trailer if we need to haul something like building materials and we also have a 14 or 15 ft utility trailer. We use all this stuff a lot.

Some years ago we had an S10 pick up with a shell cover and went to visit the realatives in Missouri...afterwards we went to a self bow jamboree in Marshall Missouri called MOJAM. When we left Maryville we had a chair made entirely of Amish horseshoes and the trunk of an Osage tree in it along with a lot of other stuff. At MOJAM...everyone wanted to give us all kinds of stuff..........that S10 went down the road with it's tounge hanging out.
__________________
2019 FORD 150.
2007 Trailmanor 3124KS...still got it.
Robin 1,000 Lb Weight Distributing Hitch ...still got it.

We replaced the tires on the TM July 2017 I will update when I have time to get the specs

What's new...we went to all LED lighting and love them.

New 3/25/16 two new horizontal propane tanks.
countrygirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2008, 07:48 AM   #10
Bluegrass
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Thanks to all for the great insights. My marriage may survive this! <grin> The reason I want some kind of cover is for weather and also security. We live near Salt Lake and do get summer thunder storms in the mountains. I don't have a cover and there is no liner in the bed nor do I plan on having a liner.

I don't have a tonneau at the moment but have been looking at the Undercover brand. http://www.undercoverinfo.com It is one piece and made of composite which means I can actually stand on it, and best of all only weighs 58 pounds so it is easy to remove and hang on the garage wall when I want to haul tree trimmings or furniture.

I haven't looked at the foldable covers but based on comments here, I think I ought to.
  Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:06 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.