How to Install a Roll up Tonneau Cover?

A tonneau cover is one of the most used accessories for the truck for good reason. Roll up tonneau cover is one of the options that you can get for your truck. It is very easy to install at home by yourself.

Here we will discuss how to install a roll up tonneau cover and go through different brands of tonneau cover installation so that you can do it by yourself at home within 10-20 minutes.

Installing a Roll up Tonneau Cover

Roll up tonneau covers come with a few parts. You have to make sure that you have all the parts before starting the installation process. That way you will not have to look for parts in the middle of the installation.

Parts to Look For

In the box, you will get two side rails, the cover itself and some clamp parts to hold everything together when they are on your truck. Lastly, to put everything together there will be some nuts and screws.

Depending on the cover, there may be some additional parts like a tension adjustment block or a cover holder. Also, if the cover doesn’t have a rail then it will be a cover rail in the box as well. You have to put the cover into the cover rail yourself.

Set up Side Rails

First, you have to open the tailgate and get on to the bed of the truck. Take a side rail and fit it to the side of the truck. Check the manual to find out which side of the rail will be facing the tailgate. Close the tailgate to check if the placement is all okay or not.

Now take 3 clamps and set one at the front, one in the middle and the last one at the back. Don’t tighten it too much. Just make sure it holds the thing together. Make sure that the Velcro side is on the top so that it can hold the cover.

As for how to set the clamp, every company uses a slightly different clamp so you have to check the manual for how to use the clamp. Some clamps have two parts that are piece together with a nut and bolt. Again, some have three pieces and a little more complicated to put together. 

Repeat the same process on the other side of the truck. Make sure both of the rails align properly.

Set Up the Cover

If you don’t have the cover inside the cover rail then you need to put that in first. Just take the cover and slide it inside the rail. After the cover is set up inside the rail you have to attach it with the two side rails that you installed.

To attach the cover rail, take the cover rail and go up to the side rail. Take one corner of the cover rail and put it inside the side rail. Loosen the side rail clamp if you need to. Do the same on the other side.

Finalizing the Setup

Now that the whole thing is together, adjust and all the rails properly on the side of your truck. Unroll the cover and close the tailgate to check if it fits. When unrolling the cover if the cover straighter hits any clamp then you have to change the clamp position a little.

While you are at it, check for any open area where the water can get into the bed. If you find any open area then you have to adjust the rails to get rid of it. Then roll the cover back up again and tighten the clamps with a ratchet.

Thus you have completed installing the roll up tonneau cover for your truck bed.

How to Install Roll up Tonneau Cover with Bed Liner?

Installing a tonneau cover with a bed liner is the same as before but you have to install the bed liner first if you don’t have one. Installing the bed liner is also very easy.

The bed liner comes with a tailgate cover and the main bed liner. To set up the tailgate cover, you have to take out all the screws from the tailgate and set the cover in front of the gate. Push the cover around to align it properly. Now, just put the screws back in.

As for the main bed liner, you may need two people for it. First, take off all the screws from the bed. Then, just take the bed liner and roughly put it on the bed of the truck. 

Now, fold the middle a little to get on top inside the truck bed perfectly. Push it to align with the holes of the screw. After aligning, put the screws back in to keep it in position.

Now you can follow the steps as above to install the bed cover.

How to Install a Roll up Tonneau Cover on a Dodge Ram?

To install roll up cover on dodge ram you have to follow a similar method as stated before. Make sure the latched side is placed at the tailgate which will later hold the cover in position when closed. 

If your dodge ram cover comes with some foam stickers then check the manual for where you have to use those stickers. When placing the stickers, make sure that you do not touch the adjacent side as it can lose that stickiness.

How to Install Roll up Tonneau Cover on Silverado?

You can follow the same steps to install roll up cover on Silverado. Silverado’s gator roll-up cover comes with a tension adjuster block. It has a specific place where you can place that.

Place that tension adjustment block in its place. It comes with a clip to hold it together. So use that clip to keep the tension block in place. You can also set the tension on different levels. 

The levels are set on the tension block. If you are installing the cover for the first time set it to level 4. As you use the cover it will get looser and you have to lower the tension level to adjust it.

How to Install Mopar Roll up Tonneau Cover?

If you are installing a Mopar roll up cover on your jeep, then the basic steps are the same but it is a bit more complicated. You have to follow the manual and cut one part on each side of the truck with a sharp knife. It will reveal some screw holes for the cover to fit in.

Now, use those holes that were revealed to set up the latched system. If this cover doesn’t have any clamps, then there will be the option to set it with a screw. Just adjust the rails with the screw hole and use the screw to set it in place. Then set up the rest of the cover as usual.

FAQ

Q: Can I use other tools to install the cover?

Ans: Yes, you can use other tools to tighten the clamp if you don’t have a ratchet but the ratchet works the best.

Q: Will the cover stop the water from going onto the truck bed?

Ans: If it is installed properly, your truck bed will be completely dry even in the rain.

Conclusion

Installing a roll up tonneau cover is not hard. You can do it alone anywhere with just a ratchet. Everything else will be given in the box. Likewise, removing a roll-up tonneau cover is not a tough job too. You can achieve mastery in these jobs just after practicing for a few times.