Truck owners use truck bed covers, or tonneau covers, for their functionality and appearance. Moreover, if you’re a truck owner yourself, you know how important it is to keep the items you carry in your truck safe and protected. It’s one of the main reasons why these covers are more popular nowadays, especially retractable ones.
Although there are other types, a retractable tonneau cover is one of the favorites in the market and is a good option if you want to get one. It offers a lot of benefits for you and your truck bed, which we’ll list and discuss in this article. Continue reading to learn more!
Retractable Tonneau Covers: How Do They Work
Retractable tonneau covers are truck bed covers that retract into a canister. The canister is attached to the truck bed’s front near the bulkhead. When opening and closing a retractable cover, it easily changes from a hard lid to an out-of-the-way cover. It has a unique rugged lid when closed but a flexible one when retracted or rolled away.
Because of its mechanism or how it works, a retractable tonneau cover is made of materials that interlock together in panels. This makes it easy for truck owners to access their cargo without taking the truck bed cover off completely. You just need to retract it to a certain point or position.
7 Benefits of Using a Retractable Tonneau Cover
Retractable tonneau covers aren’t just sleek and stylish, they have advantageous features and functions that can make the use of your truck bed easier. Here are all the benefits you can enjoy if you use one:
Increases Cargo Security
Tonneau covers provide security for your belongings on the truck bed. A retractable one has a tough exterior so it can provide enough protection to what's in your truck bed since it can’t be sliced open. Moreover, the panels of the cover work together with a locking tailgate so it’d be hard for others to open it and access your truck bed.
Additionally, retractable covers can be manually or electronically controlled so they come with remote keyfobs or their own separate keys. This and their solid construction and design make them reliable and secure.
Improves Fuel Economy
A retractable truck bed cover is a good way to improve your truck’s fuel economy. Since it can help reduce the truck’s drag and wind resistance, especially if closed, the gas mileage is improved. This means that you can save money on gas because your vehicle can travel more efficiently by creating a more aerodynamic profile for it. You can travel the same distance but you’ll be using less gas.
Easy to Use
Retractable tonneau covers have sealed ball-bearing rollers mounted onto the ends of the slats or panels, allowing them to retract or close and open effortlessly. This makes them extremely user-friendly. You don’t have to worry about any moving parts failing, freezing, or getting jammed as well.
Moreover, these covers retract into a canister against the truck’s cabin window, hiding it completely. So unlike other types of covers, like a folding truck bed cover, it won’t block your visibility when driving.
Additionally, a retractable is also easier to use if you have large items to carry on your truck or if you’re using the truck bed for other purposes. You don’t have to remove it every time just so you can fully use the space in the truck bed.
Prevents Weather Damage
One of the best benefits of a retractable cover is it protects your cargo from the elements and the weather. Since it can cover everything on the truck bed, it can keep them safe from extreme weather conditions, while driving around or not.
The design doesn’t allow dust, debris, and even rain to get inside the truck bed, unlike a folding truck bed cover that has gaps. Ultimately, with a retractable cover, you don’t have to worry about your things getting damaged and dirtied.
Durable Construction
Unlike some other types of covers, retractable tonneaus are known to have heavy-duty and durable constructions. They usually feature tough aluminum slats with durable and flexible hinges. These materials and construction make the covers durable enough to not break easily, making them tougher than cloth or folding covers.
Enhances Truck’s Aesthetics and Appearance
Just because trucks are commonly used to transport items doesn’t mean they can’t be appealing to the eye. Adding a retractable tonneau cover to your truck is to add aesthetic appeal and improve its appearance. With the right color, it can make your truck look more stylish.
Since the material and finish of this type of cover are durable, they don’t easily fade or tear. Moreover, since they’re durable, they help keep your truck bed clean and even hide your things in the truck bed, giving your truck a neat and attractive appearance.
Increases Your Truck’s Value
A truck bed without a cover will surely have poor condition since the weather and elements will surely damage it. Aside from that, air drag can also weigh down your truck’s engine, using up more fuel to run. These conditions can bring down the value of your truck and will surely cost you money in the long run.
But with retractable tonneau covers, you’re making a worthy investment and upgrade to your truck. They can keep the value of your truck high for a long time, especially if you plan to resell or trade it in for a new vehicle. You won’t have to spend more money on repairs, fuel, and repaintings.
Conclusion
Retractable truck bed covers offer lots of essential benefits not just to the truck and truck bed but to the owner as well. Although they tend to be more expensive than some other cover types, with all the benefits there are, you still get what you paid for.
It’s a long-term investment for your truck and is totally worth it. You can check out our retractable tonneau cover collection to help you list and weigh down your options. We offer only high-quality products to ensure you’ll be getting your money’s worth!