Extang Solid Fold Review

I've only had my Tacoma for about 2 months (7,000km), but here is my first review, the Extang Solid Fold (or the Toyota Canada hard folding tonneau: the instructions from Toyota Canada are the Extang instructions with the Extang company information removed).

http://www.extang.com/docs/solidfold.html

Here is a picture of what the instructions suggest you should do. Installation of a bracket into the factory bed rails and then attach the spring loaded clamp to the bracket.



I didn't like this setup for two reasons.

1. The block that slides into the bed rail isn't tall enough. It needs to be a few millimetres taller because if you tighten it down enough, you can see the bed rail opening up and the block starting to pop out.
2. I didn't like the thin, sharp edge that the clamp attached to. I worried that with the opening and closing it would eventually wear on the plastic and it could split or snap off.

I don't know why the instructions don't just say to attach the clamp into the bed rail all alone. It has a nice rounded edge to protect the plastic and there's no extra crap to deal with.



And the fixed clamp at the back, same deal, the instructions said to put in the bracket. I did need the bracket because the wing nut was too close to the bed and it eventually hit the rail and you couldn't snug it up. To fix this I just stole the washers that came with the brackets and put them in as a spacer to push the wing nut down a tiny bit to allow me to snug up the clamp.



The side rails on the cover fit nice and snug and no water leaks in on the sides.



The back and front however, have small gaps at the side where water could leak in. The only water I have had get in so far was when I washed it and sprayed right on the corner. Normal driving in the rain has proven to keep the bed nice and dry. I will wait until the rain season here on the wet coast to see how it truly holds up.



;D

 

Nice review.

Could you post some photos of the entire rear of your truck? I would like to see the entire cover and how it fits.

Thanks!

 

It basically sits right on top of the bed caps and has foam seals on the sides and a hollow rubber seals on the front and back. I believe Extang sells a tailgate sealer pack which is just more foam or rubber seals that you put around the tailgate where it closes to help keep some more water out.

Hopefully these pics are what you are looking for. I can take some more if you need, but these were just some I already had.

;D

 

not to jack the thread, I also have this cover and it works great, although like the OP said the attachment and clamping system could use a little fine tuning but over all i wouldn't hesitate to buy it again for my truck.

 

Nice write up, were you able to leave the bed tie down cleats in the rails? And how dry as it been keeping things, I'm guessing weight is about 30 to 40 pounds, so can you stand on it, thanks.

 

The tie downs stay in.

It gets a very tiny bit of water dribbling in some of the cracks, but nothing to worry about. I bet if you trimmed the seals a bit it would be perfect.

Yes, I can stand on it to wash my roof.

;D

 

Thanks for that post. Just bought the solid fold for my 2011 and there were no instructions included so had no idea what the brackets were for. It seems they've improved the bracket and the backing piece as they work quite well now that your pics showed me how gthey were to be installed. I was not able to go directly into the rail with the clamps. Your design looks slightly different.

 

Are you happy with the cover's fit and function? Or would you reconsider and buy something else now that you have had experience with the Extang?

Looks like one of the easier Solid Covers to install vs the Fold-a-cover G4?

 

I just installed this recently and I love it. I installed the Dynolock tail gate lock as well and now have a very secure space to store things. Its been watertight so far and I didnt even install the free tailgate weather stripping they sent. The instructions were terrible, but the pics from this thread made installation a breeze.

 

Did you attach directly to the top rail -- or did you use the metal clips they provided to it appears slide into the rails then attach.....? Any pictures if you didn't use the rails.


thanks,

 

Did you read my original post?

 

I'm thinking of getting the Extang but I'm worried that my bed extender will be in the way of the rear clamps. Do they sit pretty flush against the side of the truck? How far from the tailgate are the clamps located?

 

Have a look at the 3rd picture I posted in the first post.

It is very close to the end of the rail and I had to remove the small cap. It does stick out on a bit of an angle too.

;D

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the post. I got my Tonneau yesterday and tried with the brackets they provided to no avail. the freakin wing nut wouldn't turn because it was too close to the bracket. I ended up installing exactly like you did and honestly i think that is how they should all be done!
Thanks again! Cheers.

 

Awesome. Glad this thread has helped a few people.

I actually don't have my tonneau anymore and now I have a Leer canopy.

;D

 

I have had this cover for just over a year now and love it's design, durability and look. Unfortunately, today when I took it off to take a load to the dump in the back of the truck, a piece of it broke off (due to ice and snow I am certain). I am not even sure what the name of the part is, as it is at the end of one of the slide rails and is not normally supposed to be removed. See pic, I have crazy glued it back on to see if it holds.

Regardless, I will be calling Extang Canada tomorrow to determine what the warranty period is and/or any other options.

 

My friend has this cover and to solve the bracket issue we turned the aluminum block sideways and trimmed it down to fit really snugly in the factory rail. I would just do exactly what you did and throw the damn brackets in the trash. Thanks for the tip; if I buy one I'm doing just what you did!

 

Excellent post, bigred_d! This helped a great deal in installing the Extang SolidFold on my 2012. Installed in just a few minutes. I put it on just as you described.

I had to remove the rear end caps from the bed rail for the rear cover clamps to have enough clearance (no big deal). Also, the foam seal on the tailgate of the cover does not flex back out after the tailgate is closed, which might make it easier for water to ingress. Since I just installed today, I'll have to wait and see about leaks, but it appears to have a good seal all around.

Mitch

 

I have a motorcycle that ill frequently be xporting.

Is the cover pretty easy to remove. Also, how heavy is it?

I'm stuck between this and the Peragon covers

 

It's very easy to remove and it weighs about 40 pounds. Unscrew two clamps and the two pull down latches. Takes all of a minute or two.