Tonneau Cover - Adding Extra Height (2" inches) experiment

[Trekkor2020]

One complaint I've had with my hard tonneau cover is the limited height it provided when closed. Plus, I have a Bed Rug that further reduces height. I decided to try a solution using extruded aluminum to add two inches of extra height. I was able to buy some 2"x2" extrusion for the sides and the front section. I used a 1"x2" piece for the tailgate end. The two inch wide extrusion left some small gaps between the edge of the bed rail covers, so I have used some rubber tube moulding to seal the gaps. Next time, I would use some 3" wide extrusion for a better overlap. My result is an 18" height from the floor to the bottom for the cover. A trip to Durango last week worked great with no vibration rattles or dust intrusion issues. I still need to better dress up the seals and the tailgate end. But overall I find it a cost effective method to get a little more height that is rugged, secure and easy to use.

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[Advntrbound]

Cool mod. I've been thinking about doing something similar. My predator 3500 generator and fuel cans are about an inch too tall for the hard tonneau to full close.

 

[Janster]

Great idea….. I have the Bed rail setup under mine, which makes is hard to use them (just a bit difficult). I could use a couple inches of clearance.
But…..I like the flush mount look on the bed.

You should sell that idea to someone…. Make $$ off it!

 

[ggdillon]

Nice work! I'm glad someone finally did this. This is my number one complaint on the gladiator, the bed is too shallow.

I had sketched up something just like this with 3" x 3" but could never be sure it would work with my convoluted VooDoo/custom rack canoe rack. Maybe someday....

Is the extruded aluminum bolted to the tonneau to seal at the tailgate? I was wanting to get it to work with a retractable tonneau and so I had envisioned a flat plate "extension" to the tailgate to cover the gap there.

 

[Trekkor2020]

Yes, regarding the extrusion at the tailgate end. I drilled holes thru the tonneau cover end piece and screwed it to the extrusion using the supplied channel nuts. For now I covered the extrusion with some heavy gorilla duct tape. I’m going to make a better flap seal for it for a better look.

 

[Trekkor2020]

Great idea….. I have the Bed rail setup under mine, which makes is hard to use them (just a bit difficult). I could use a couple inches of clearance.
But…..I like the flush mount look on the bed.

You should sell that idea to someone…. Make $$ off it!

I also like the flush look and was concerned about making it look clunky. After using it on my off-roading trip in Colorado, I’m ok with the look for now. And it make the factory trail rails easier to use too.

 

[Lost1wing]

I had the same complaint. I wanted a fridge on a slide to go back there. I ditched the tonneau cover and put a cap on it.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Nice, a lift kit for your tonneau cover!

 

[Trekkor2020]

Nice, a lift kit for your tonneau cover!

I never thought of it that way. I guess I should look at adding some new shocks to it too

 

[dcs1779]

I have been searching for this kind of solution for a couple months now. I have a BAK Revolver XS4 Hard Roll Up cover and would love some more room to fit my gas cans and cooler with the cover closed.

I love the idea of securing the extra parts to the cover instead of the tailgate. That was another thing that was really holding me up.

Can you share more details and photos on how this is attached? Also a general list of parts would be most helpful.

 

[Verne]

Great solution! I have lined bed and a trifold soft cover. I coach a travel baseball team and if I want to take my YETI along, it is too tall to lock the trifold. So I have to lock the cooler down into the bed (so nobody steals it) and put dirty bags and crap in the cab if its going to rain. Compete PIA (but first world problems). I might give this a try. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

Aha, we didn't expect someone to come up with something similar!
The reason we held off on launching a new product last year was because we were constantly testing and refining the bed extension system. We still have some kinks to work out, so here are some of our ideas. Our idea is to extend the bed upwards 5-6 inches while retaining all the factory holes, so theoretically it's compatible with all bed covers and racks.

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

Our idea was to make it flush with the bottom edge of the rear glass window so as to minimize interference with the rear view. We were also wondering if it was necessary to add some rails on the outside to get additional fixing points, but the tailgate part was difficult to handle, so we put the project on hold for the time being. Seeing this thread reminded me of the days of testing until late at night last year...

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

More renders if you're interested... We initially considered adding some molle, but later abandoned the idea because some people I asked said they didn't need it.

 

[Trekkor2020]

Thanks for sharing your Exceed Project. I really like the approach you are taking. The extra height is great. The tailgate is definitely a challenge. Fortunately my approach is very workable since it is only a two inch gap to work with. Good luck on your new product!

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