ARE V Series. Kind of Disappointing

If you do any kind of off-roading, the fiberglass topper will eventually form stress cracks. The bed flexes quite a bit. That would be my only reason for going with some other material.

 

15 years...20k + offroad miles not one crack. In my experience stress cracks are caused by incorrect installation, people over tighten the hardware which does not allow the shell to "wiggle" a bit and as a result what you described occurrs.

 

Looks pretty familiar! If you get a chance, can you snag me a picture of some of your window/windoor frames as well as the corner gap of where the tailgate meets the shell? My issue is that the windows are garbage and hastily put together, and there are some massive gaps at the end of the topper overhang on the tailgate.

 

Will do. I’ll do that when I get back home in awhile.

 

Oh, sorry, I’m not commenting on this specific brand, just what I have noticed with other trucks that I have had; F-150, etc. Bed flex was a serious problem on those larger trucks with fiberglass toppers, I just assumed that problem was still relevant. I’m sure quality makes a big difference, but fiberglass does not like to flex/twist. You’d be surprised by how much bed flex some trucks have.

 

It's a Yakima (I have no idea which model, if there are multiples), installed by the Lakeland dealer here in Madison. Was around $600 installed I think. I can't tell you what the bars alone did to the mileage, not much I don't think - but didn't pay that much attention. I will tell you interstate speeds with a rooftop box and a bike on the back will cost you 3-5mpg. But if you plan to sleep in the shell on your trip it will save money on campgrounds and motels anyway.

 

I'm expecting a Snugtop in the next few weeks, $3k+ and if it has all these problems I'll be pissed.

 

Looks like you got the topper made on Friday at closing time. That’s pretty shitty work no quality inspection going on in that shop.

 

Glad I'm not being fussy, and others agree

 

If you allow it to wiggle it will wear the paint where it overhangs the bed and also create stress cracks in the rear corners. My 04 F-250 had these problems with the Leer shell. Worked with the dealer and they said to crank it tight and check it evey couple of months.

After having paint matched fiberglass shells for years I'm liking my black utilitarian looking RSi shell. It's not for everyone but I definitely like the look.

 

Here is a few pictures that you requested. Hope this helps. If not, I can snap some more. Let me know. Take care.

 

You want a list? Well let’s see, where to begin...

First off I find it funny that this is coming from a guy who has only owned fiberglass canopies before. How can you give an unbiased opinion when you have only owned fiberglass canopies? How would you know what the benefits of a metal cap are over a fiberglass cap if you've never owned one? That's like reading a truck comparison in a car magazine by a reviewer who owns one of the trucks but has never driven or owned the other brand. Hard to take you seriously when you have no experience owning a metal cap. I've owned five fiberglass canopies (two Leers and three ARE's) and three metal caps (a ARE, a Alu-Cab, and my current RLD) so I think I can give a more honest and unbiased opinion between the two. And yes, some of this might be just my opinion. But I've also never seen someone go from a metal cap to a fiberglass cap. But I know quite a few people who have switched from a fiberglass to a metal one.

First off let’s talk about weight. An aluminum or stainless shell can weigh quite a bit less than a fiberglass shell. For instance my current RLD cap weighs 168 pounds and the ARE CX shell I had previously weighed 213 pounds. A notable difference especially if you off road as top heavy weight is one place you don't want any extra weight. Actually any weight you can shed anywhere is a plus.

It's fairly easy to damage a fiberglass cap. Fiberglass caps just aren't structurally sound and are also brittle. I learned that the hard way with the Leer 180 we use to own. Our daughter was unloading her mountain bike and ended up dropping it and the chainring hit the corner edge of the cap and took a chunk out of it. With a metal cap that would have just been a few scratches. Also cracked our ARE when we hit a branch on a trail when we were camping by Mt. Shasta. Fiberglass is just brittle and takes too much reinforcing to make it strong enough to use for anything substantial. Its why the automobile industry quit using fiberglass. They had to add too much metal reinforcing to brace it. I don't know of one car part or any caps outside of the states that is made using fiberglass anymore.

Ever hear of a positive pressure vent? Comes standard with these metal caps. Makes a huge difference. Just ride in the back with one open and then without one and you'll see what I'm talking about. Also makes it nice for carrying pets in the back. Never seen one offered in any of the fiberglass caps I've ordered.

And you want to talk about looks? I don't think I've ever had someone come up to me and say my canopy looks cool or nice in all the years I've own fiberglass canopies. But I can't tell you how many people have walked up to me (especially when getting gas) asking about my RLD or Alu-Cab canopy and saying how cools it looks. Looks are subjective but all I know is I've gotten way more positive comments from my metal caps than I have ever gotten from any of the five fiberglass canopies I've owned.

Have you picked up and moved your fiberglass canopy before? You can easily feel the sides flex when doing this. Try lifting up a metal cap. The sides are solid. Have you seen the cracks in the Tacoma bed some owners get? Quite a few examples around from people with fiberglass caps or bed racks. Most people end up installing bed stiffeners now to avoid that. No need to worry about getting any of those or having your bed crack with a metal cap. It holds the sides together so there is no flex no matter how much weight you put on top. We load up our metal cap with a CVT, Roadshower, kayaks, Hi-Lift, awning, etc and can walk on top of it to load and tie everything down. In fact two summers ago we had our whole family (six of us) sitting on top of my cap watching fireworks for the Forth of July. Try doing that with a fiberglass canopy. The average weight capacity is over double with these newer metal caps. Pretty substantial especially when your using your cap for camping/overlanding or construction/work.

We wanted to mount our propane tank so we just drilled some holes into the side and mounted the tank to the side. Wanted to carry our camping table with us so just drilled some holes in the roof and added brackets and hung the table from the roof. Wanted to put our lion boxes somewhere so just got some angle iron and drilled some holes on the sides of the canopy and mounted up the bracket. Was taking our annual trip to Moab two years ago and had moved our shovel and axe to the bed rail so had nowhere to mount our Maxtrax boards so just drilled some holes into the side door and mounted the pins in it and now we carry our boards on the outside. Wanted to mount a cupboard to the other side of our canopy. Just drilled some holes in the roof and rail and now we have all of our kitchen supplies organized. Wanted to use all of our Yakima rack attachments so just bolted some Yakima HD bars directly to the canopy (no tracks need). Try doing any of that with a fiberglass canopy without causing some problems.

Need I go on? There are quite a few advantages in owning a metal cap over a fiberglass one. If you just have a road queen then yes, a fiberglass canopy will suit you well. But if you use your truck for camping/overland or for work/construction then there are clear advantages in owning a metal cap. Maybe you don't like the looks of the metal caps which is fine but I don't think you can argue that they aren't more functional than a fiberglass cap. Maybe you can't see or understand that. But I guarantee if you owned one you would see the advantages and would be using your metal cap in ways you never did with your fiberglass ones. I know I am!

Cheers!

 

While I agree with all of your points above you may need to cut down on the coffee....

 

Appreciate the response! I'll be adding the bars and a rooftop carrier and living out of the back. Was just curious what the MPG hit would be. Cheers

 

Hrmmm, still looks better than mine! But in general seems like they're all a bit rough around the edges.

 

I all I got out of that is he is klutzy and overlands. Makes sense.

 

I would sent that shit back unacceptable refund or replacement .

 

Unlike Tacomas, toppers are better off to buy used....if you can find the right color.