OEM Tonneau cover question

[sickwilly]

I promise, I searched first!

I am still debating an OEM tonneau versus a fabric one.

Here is my question: Can you drive down the road with the OEM one half folder over? I am looking at a tri-fold one that can be folded open and you can drive like this, giving you access to most of your bed. Will the OEM one stay open when driving, giving you access to at least half the bed?

I have read that it is heavy. How heavy -- 100 lbs?

Thanks!

 

[JohnnyO]

I can't answer your question specifically, but it boils down to how often do you need the whole bed open?
I'm a contractor of sorts and I use my truck like a truck, hauling grass clippings, ladders, cardboard, whatever, and I often need the whole bed open, so for me a hard cover would not be practical.
If you don't need to haul big stuff that sticks out all over the place or to climb into the bed very often, then a hard cover would be fine.
For what it's worth, no water leaks into the bed with the soft cover I have (SportMasters tonneau).

 

[Gus Gorilla]

I've got the OEM hard cover and for me it's great. I don't haul much. Dogs, fishing equip, occasional furniture, anything else too nasty to ride inside, etc. If you fold the cover forward it has two built in bunjee loops that hook to the bed cleats and hold it down, giving you a half open bed. Folding the front to the rear can be done too but at interstate speeds (80+) the wind movement tends to try to close it, or open it. And it is heavy. I don't know about 100. Maybe 75. I can put it on and off alone and I'm avg build. The feature I like most is that it keeps the bed dry and locks front and rear using my ignition key. I don't know if you could order it or maybe just a cylinder to match your existing key. To sum it up, unless your really working your bed like Johnny O it's great.

 

[am1]

I once hauled a cooler that was taller than the bed, so I had to fold the rear portion forward & use the bungees. On the way home from the event, it was extremely windy & it being dark I could not really see what was going on in the bed. A strong crosswind hit us & it over-powered the bungees & grabbed the folded portion, stretched & ruined the bungees, & slammed the cover down on top of the cooler. I actually felt the back of the truck rise ever so slightly (probably created by the bed cover suddenly becoming a wing or an air-brake for a brief instant. No damage done except the bungees. very scary moment.

 

[sickwilly]

Thanks for all the good info!