How to easily double the strength of your manual tonneau cover

[cmugler]

I was concerned about the strength of my manual cover I just got friday so I found an easy why to double the ability to withstand the downward force of snow as sometimes in Mammoth we have gotton 3+ feet of snow overnight. I first bought a traffic master rubber backed commercial mat and a few of those 27 gallon tots with the yellow lids and a 53" piece of redwood 2 X 2. (all from Home Depot) I used one of the styrofoam end pieced that they use to protect the cover in shipping and cut 4 strips that already had the bevel ends, used contact cement to glue them to the 2 X 2. I place the 1st bin in parallel to the back of the bed and the 2nd one perpendicular to that (you could do the reverse) and after the cover is on the unit slides in tightly to give it double the strenght for heavy snow. It slides into the lower recessed part of the lids and it needs to be slightly to the left or right of the mechanism to release the cover. Cost less than $100. and took 45 minutes

I also beveled the end of the 2 X 2 so it slides in easily. I use the bins to carry firewood to my condo.

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[Donald Stanfield]

The tonneau isn't strong enough to withstand a snow load?

 

[cmugler]

3 feet of wet snow, no

 

[brancky3]

3 feet of wet snow, no

Did yours fail? I haven’t seen any posts about failures yet

 

[cmugler]

winter is just beginning, I just received mine 3 days ago, it essentially cost me $12 to do this as I already had the storage bins and floor covering. Be my guest if you want to risk up to 600 pounds of weight on yours but for me I will sleep better in a snow storm knowing I have spent an extra $12. to do this.

 

[Dark-Fx]

The tonneau isn't strong enough to withstand a snow load?

If the fragile glass roof can do it, the bed cover should have no problems.

 

[COdogman]

You need to perform the international standard Kim Java test on your cover.

 

[Jakelake]

When I got my cover this summer I was concerned about strength. Figured if it was going to break it would be best if it broke the first week I owned it so I could send it back and get a new one. I stood on the edge of the bed and slowly stepped to the center of the tonneau cover. It held just fine without breaking. I weigh 185 pounds.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

If the fragile glass roof can do it, the bed cover should have no problems.

That's where I was confused. If that snow load doesn't collapse the glass roof then there's something wrong if the tonneau fails under the same stress.

 

[Foobar]

That's where I was confused. If that snow load doesn't collapse the glass roof then there's something wrong if the tonneau fails under the same stress.

No problem - just put a couple of tote bins in the cab under the glass! Why take chances?

 

[connoisseurr]

You need to perform the international standard Kim Java test on your cover.

What does that entail? Putting 4 Sbux lattes in a drink holder on the roof?

 

[COdogman]

What does that entail? Putting 4 Sbux lattes in a drink holder on the roof?

It means you need to hire Kim Java, the very nice car reviewer to come and actually sit on whatever it is you need to test. It's one of the highest standards a product can achieve if it survives.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/kim-java’s-posing-shatters-glass-pano-roof….7756/

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