Tonneau Covers and Snow

I'm going to go through my first winter this year in North Dakota bout 40 miles south of the Canadian border.

What do you guys that deal with snow do to cover the bed. Or do you just let the bed fill with snow?

I don't really want a hardtop because I want full access to the bed if I need to haul something.

I do really want a camper top cover like a Leer, but its the only thing my wife has put her foot down that I can't buy and considering she has already let me put a suspension, wheels, tires, sliders, front bumper, lights, and interior sound system I'm inclined to let her have this one victory.

 

I've been through winters with an open bed, soft tonneau and a hard shell. With the open bed, I usually let the snow pile up and don't shovel it out until I'm well on my way. The added weight of the snow can help with winter traction, just pack it down a little so it doesn't blow all over the road when driving. With a tonneau, I cleared the snow like I do the rest of the truck and used steel tractor weights in the bed for weight. I now have an ARE shell and that provides enough weight on it's own to get me through the winter months.

 

I have a tonneau cover.... Advantage Torzo top (soft foldable).

I didn't buy it to keep snow out of the bed. I bought it to keep things inside the bed away from the weather/water.

The cover I have is soft and folds into 3 ...and can be completely removed if needed. It's light and easy to move around.

When it does snow, I brush it off the tonneau cover to prevent the extra weight from wearing the vinyl.

I don't use weight in the winter - only if my tires are going bald, that I add weight to the bed.

 

The Truxedos are nice and work well in realy cold climates.

 

One thing I forgot regarding any soft tonneau that either has snaps or rolls up and cold climates is once you roll them up, sometimes it's damn near impossible to get them hooked up again. If I rolled mine up in the middle of the winter, I had to leave it rolled until we had a fluke 40+ degree day, otherwise the vinyl shrank and I couldn't stretch it enough to make it snap in place.

 

Extang hinged tonneau; I've had three of them, each for at least 5 years without any problems (Upstate NY; moderate severe winters, nothing compared to yours probably though...) Storms of 2+ feet of snow have never been a problem as far as structural concerns. Snow easily brushes off. With the hinged option, bed access is still easy and the whole thing removes in less than 30 seconds. It has 2 methods to adjust the tension. It helps in colder climates, but isn't completely foolproof (none are, but it's better than the others).

 

I have an Extang Express tonneau. It has 3 bars across the bed for rigidity. 18in of snow and no problem. I also have 3 5-gal buckets of sand (80lbs each) in the back over the wheels (DCLB Prerunner) and no slipping in wet snow/ice.

 

I use a tonneau in the winter so that I can keep the bed clear for tools and stuff. I also have the Advantage Torza. It is a tri-fold and has been great so far.

 

Elite G4 worked great in the snow

 

I may have just scored a Trifold brand new for $100. Will find out in the morning. Thanks for the responses. I hate snow. I'll drive the truck pretty much every day so I'm not to worried about over a foot of build up.

 

I had an Extang Trifecta Soft Trifold tonneau on my 2006 Tacoma for 4 winter seasons up here in VT. No issues.
Put one on my tundra (much larger bed span) snow again was not an issue.
Now have another on my 2013 Tacoma DC.
No problems in any temp & its seen below zero to 30+ inches of snow.
The one thing that will happen is the snow will melt (on the black cover) by the cab & rattle at times against the back.
I always clear that space between the cab & the bed.
The ice rattle drives me

 

If you're willing to spend some money, the BAK Roll-X is a great option - http://4wheelonline.com/BAK_Roll-X.199201.0. It is made of hard aluminum that can be rolled up completely for full truck bed access. Unlike other roll-up covers that are made of vinyl, the aluminum construction of Roll-X can really endure extreme weather conditions.

 

I saw that one and it looks slick but you lose your tracks.

mikeg

 

Yes...I had a snapped version and it sucked. DO NOT remove it in the winter or you'll never get it back on.

The cover I have now - the entire frame of the cover folds up and you never remove the vinyl from the frame. No winter worries. My tri fold is 6 years old now and still going strong.

 

A trifold for $100 is a great deal, and should hold up fine in snow. I have an access literider and it held up fine to a 3 foot overnight snow storm. I used to have an open bed and just let it fill with snow but it also makes the bed unusable, not ideal.

 

I use to own a hard shell Uncover Tonneau cover through 2 winters and never really had any problems. Sometimes the locks were hard to unlock when it was -40C outside. No leaks, everything was great.

I own an Undercover Flex now. I'll come back and report once winter is over. Right now, it's still summer.

 

His ad said short bed, but unfortunately it was for a 6' bed. Oh well back to scouring craigslist

 

I just ordered the Advantage Torza Top from Tonneau Cover World. I'll let everyone know how it is and try to upload pics when I get it. But based on comments here on the forum and other online research, it looks like a winner. And the rep. I talked to at Tonneau Cover World highly recommended it. Thanks, Janster for the info and pics.

 

Unless you need to keep the bed dry and covered, I just leave the bed open.