Opinions on Toppers/Shells/Caps,

2009 Access cab standard bed. Looking to get a cab height cap. Any thoughts on fiberglass caps, one brand over another?

Had a Leer aluminum cap, rear window hinge failed, a pain to replace, so not thrilled with Leer.

Looking at Jeraco right now or A.R.E.

I am looking for reasons to buy one, not simply I love my cap. Do I need special options on the cap for future installation of roof racks?

 

I never thought I would say this, but....I love my cap!! LOL Anyway, I have a Century Cap. I would call it "fully loaded". Has fold down front windows for ease of cleaning, sliding rear side windows with screens, LED 3rd brake light, in cap work light and also seems reinforced where a rack would go. I bought the truck used so don't know what model/options it really has. The only thing I would ask for, if possible, would be to have lift up front windows for ease of access to cargo in front of bed. Oh and maybe a single handle in the middle so I only have one lock to worry about keeping free and working.

 

i have a 1 year old jeraco high rise fully loaded on my 08 access cab and its top notch. I enjoy being able to haul cargo and keep it dry and safe (locking cap and gate). I am currently trying to sell it because i plan on hauling motorcycles in the bed and the high rise just isnt tall enough for bikes.

 

polish your damn rims, they look terrible...come on man, give the truck some respect

 

Sorry, I tryed washing them, but I guess I am not so good at that. By the way I offer free detailing!

 

b careful what u say....lol...whats included in that detailing?

 

I always thought Shells were kinda old manish lol...No offese to anyone who has em. I think it looks okay and a good thing to have when camping, hunting etc...

 

I had a snugtop on my old '02 Tundra, very high quality. It was a sweet top and blended with the body style, but I dont know which one would look best with 2nd gen tacos...


http://www.snugtop.com/products/toyota_truck_caps.php

 

Dday... before I detail it, I get to take it in my woods for some mudding fun, not responsible for damage, and you have to provide the beer for the detailing. Remember nothing in life is free!! LOL

I absolutely agree!!! But I love having it. Having a fiberglass contoured cap looks A LOT better IMO.

 

no doubt bro...beer it is what you drinkin...we will figure it out soon. haha good times..i wont just watch...well not the whole time..we will do both

 

Buy an SUV...

 

booooo -1 for you lol

 

sorry you had a bad experience with Leer. From my experience-mainly from spending time with those who had Leers-they are great. I plan on getting a Leer. I had some negative experiences in the past with ARE. But I am sure there are pro's and cons of each. What do you plan on doing with topper? Camping or just general storage/security? I plan on using mine for camping and have been spending the past few weekends fabricating a platform to sleep on in the back that is removable and light. I know that many toppers require special options for roof racks. If you plan on carrying alot of weight on top, you will need to go with some kind of commercial grade topper that has stronger structure.

 

I love my cap, I have the ARE Z series. It has the fold down front window, pop out side windows, dome light. I also ordered it with the tracks for a rack which I now have a cargo basket on top. I am about 210 lbs and have stood in the basket to take some off roading pictures, so it is vers strong. I had a Leer on my Tundra and didnt like it as much as the ARE. It had the sliding rear windows which I didnt care for, and the front window didnt fold down, and the locking/ open button seemed to freeze when it got really cold.
I have a sleeping platform in the back that sits on top of the wheel wells and it makes a parfect place to sleep when it is raining when I am out camping.

 

I just ordered a Bestop for my truck, should be in any day now. I got ti because of the versitility, you can have it up like a camper or down like a truck.

 

Cap on a pickup is nothing like a SUV I thought so in my younger days too though. I have a Jason less expensive good quality my second and I love it.

 

I wanted a Snugtop shell for my L/B because they are f'in sweet... It was a hard sell for my finace.

We compromised and i bought a Best Top Super Top which looks bad ass and still givea my truck the extra space for any gear i though back there.

 

I had no issues with the LEER toppers on my last two trucks (10 years combined ownership). I have a few issues my current 100R - the front slider is a four panel which does not match up to the slider in the truck.

Other owners here on TW have posted pictures of their sliders with the three panel design that matches the truck. My dealer has ordered a new slider multiple times, but it always comes in as a four panel... Doesn't really bother me much, but the girl is really annoyed (I'm just sick of listening to her complain about it when dhe drives the truck, maybe I shouldn't let her have the keys anymore! Problem solved.)

I have a warranty issue I'm waiting to hear back from LEER on (chunks broke out of the fiberglass by the rear window). I'll report back on how they handle this.

Mike

 

I looked into buying a topper back in 2006 and really liked the ARE's. Too bad they are so expensive and no where near where I live in VA.

 

09 DC Long bed. Snugtop Cab Hi 'bout a month old - also had the Thule mounts installed by dealer (not hard to do - but easier to get it done by them before mounting on truck). Regarding Roof Racks - the Snug Top had a thick roof - high load rating. I think any of them you may be able to special order for higher load ratings.

The dealer recommended the piano hinge vs the sleeker (hidden) glass mounted 2 hinge on higher end Snugtops and others - he caled those the "SUV" tops. He said the piano hinge will last longer under my conditions. They also pointed out that (over the long run) framed (aluminum or other) windows provide better seal than just the fiberglass molded window frames.

I use Truck for work. Much of it offroad. Topper allows to securely stow my equipment, and fairly theft-proof. As good as any could be I suppose.

The Snugtops were most spendy on his lot - sold Leer and Century also. These are the brands he ended up marketing after 35 yrs in the business.

Like it so far, did some extra weatherstripping at installation time to "dustproof" and has worked extemely well so far (I hate the bug dust on my gear - enough of that on the outside of the rig!).

This is snugtops "old style" top with the sliding windows. I really was leaning toward the Super Sport or Xtra Vision models - those "SUV" styles. One other thing I noticed is the extended sides that run over the bed rails. Other toppers tend to sit on top of rails.
Reason I got this one? It was on the lot and dealer gave me $100 off.
I guess he invested too much time in me to have a sale slip by...HaHa



Good Luck!