Diamondback HD

[Oscar Indy]

Diamondbacks are kick-ass covers. My problem is the bed is only 17in deep. I dont own a cooler that would fit under there.

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[Oscar Indy]

Diamondbacks are kick-ass covers. My problem is the bed is only 17in deep. I dont own a cooler that would fit under there.

 

[TRI-JAB]

You can see in this picture that the middle piece is a bit crooked. I’ve been considering 3d printing something to fill the “air space” so the clamp can tighten down more safely.

First, thanks for posting pics of the cover. It is the first time I have seen a Diamondback on a Gladiator. Please post a few more if you have time.

Second, has that center piece being of kilter impacting it’s weather (water) proofness of your cover?

Third, how the exterior coating? Was considering getting one uncoated and having it sprayed with Line-X.

I am seriously considering getting one.

 

[Kindafearless]

So I didn’t get their coating. $300 for a exterior spray seemed a little crazy and I like projects.

After considering liners or powder coating, I Herculined it. Hunting season was starting so my timelines needed to be short.

Here is a picture of it un-coated.

Coated

I like the cleats, and the hinges. The paint on the handles seems to be getting beat up faster than expected.

Their instructions claim its a quick install. It’s technically easy, but getting the top to seal nicely takes a couple hours of toying with the adjustment points. I asked my husband to sit on the cover to simulate a load and that helped a lot.

I’ve dragged my climbing tree stand (teeth down) across it many times. I’ve hauled about 500-600 lbs on top of the cover so far.

And the Yeti 65 fits perfectly under there.

Only negative is the mounting point mentioned in my earlier post. I hate that the mount points are so close together and worry that it will add stress to the metal of the bed. I like my home engineering projects to be perfect so that has gotten me close to trading it for the ACE cover a couple times.

 

[Gatorized]

?.. the gladiator bed caps ... are hollow and squish in. You can see in this picture that the middle piece is a bit crooked. I’ve been considering 3d printing something to fill the “air space” so the clamp can tighten down more safely.

please take pictures when you work on this fix. Interested to see what the underside of the cap looks like. Maybe just some high density foam can fill that space to reduce the deflection.

 

[kostik76]

Ps- I agree 2000 dollars seems awful steep for a 5' bed.

i do not think it is the material cost. look at their video they weld lots of aluminum for the finished product and when you compare to some other covers which offer nothing not even full waterproof and charge 800 I think 2k is not a terrible deal. sure would be nice if it was half of that . i am considering it for my gladiator but i want to tough it out a little before i jump in with this (my first pickup).

 

[Delhux]

I’ve had the HD on mine for about a month now and like it. The thing I don’t like is how the gladiator bed caps react to the mounting brackets. They are hollow and squish in. You can see in this picture that the middle piece is a bit crooked. I’ve been considering 3d printing something to fill the “air space” so the clamp can tighten down more safely.

Another forum user, boardthis74, has that cover and listed some pictures:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ucks-whats-available.21339/page-6#post-351785

Hard to tell how that middle piece is sitting from those photos.

I’m curious for any tips, as I’ll be doing the HD install when the truck arrives.

 

[kostik76]

Another forum user, boardthis74, has that cover and listed some pictures:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ucks-whats-available.21339/page-6#post-351785

Hard to tell how that middle piece is sitting from those photos.

I’m curious for any tips, as I’ll be doing the HD install when the truck arrives.

Try emailing DB they seem to respond quickly. Maybe a thin reinforcement on top side will help this problem. I wonder how long it will take for aftermarket entire bed swap...

 

[kostik76]

Diamondbacks are kick-ass covers. My problem is the bed is only 17in deep. I dont own a cooler that would fit under there.

Just looked at mine it is just under the top line so will be fine with that...

How is it not a tonneau cover? Just curious as to why it's not one. It meets the same standard that the Diamondback appears to: metal cover that drops into the bed, protecting what's in there. It locks, includes gas shocks for lifting it, and Ace Engineering calls it a tonneau cover.

It certainly is. What I have a problem with is the fact that you have to crawl to the back and cant remove quickly...

 

[Kindafearless]

Following up on previous post. I called Diamondback and shared photos. They mentioned that the bending problem is similar to something they’ve seen on Toyota Tundras (who knew?). They are sending me some shims to fit under between the cargo bars and bed cap. Will send pictures when they arrive and I install.

 

[futzin']

Nice to hear a company that doesn't say: "So what?" or "Too bad".

 

[Gatorized]

please take pictures when you work on this fix. Interested to see what the underside of the cap looks like. Maybe just some high density foam can fill that space to reduce the deflection.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/jt-gladiator-disassembly-for-wrap.20899/
This link shows the under side of the bed rails at 19:11 of the video, and also shows their removal.

 

[jurfie]

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/jt-gladiator-disassembly-for-wrap.20899/
This link shows the under side of the bed rails at 19:11 of the video, and also shows their removal.

That's what I was thinking as well.

 

[Climbhigh]

Tall items? You can quickly do this by disconnecting the shocks (not my picture)

 

[RenoRubi]

Installed my diamondback HD. Really for $400 more than the SE it’s worth it. Maybe a little excessive compared to a tri-fold hard tonneau... but I was looking to splurge and LOVE the diamondback appearance and functionality... except for the fact that it’s not that convenient when you actually want to put large items in your bed. For example I had discount mount 35s and new wheels. Yes I could have strapped the tires on top of the HD tonneau but decided to just take the cover off. It really doesn’t take long to disassemble and reassemble the tonneau cover. I used a black sharpie to outline the middle piece and reassembly didn’t take me any longer than 10 min. So while inconvenient still worth it for what you get. I love my diamondback!

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