When it comes time to cover your bed, you have several options which include a hard fiberglass tonneau cover, a soft tonneau cover, and a retractable cover. Which cover you choose is most likely based on how you use your truck. For Project Truckblog, we wanted the ability to secure the contents of the bed while at the same time having the freedom of an open bed truck for hauling. We installed the RETRAX retractable bed cover from Applied Products, Inc. in Grand Forks, ND on our Project Truckblog, a 2005 Ford F-150 SuperCrew. This retractable cover does consume approximately 13-1/2" of our bed for the canister, but that is the sacrifice we paid to have the flexibility we wanted.

The RETRAX covers are custom fitted for most common pickup trucks. They are made of polycarbonate, a durable thermoplastic commonly known as LEXAN, and easy to wash. Aesthetically, it looks great on your truck because of its low profile that sits flush with your bed rails. Applied Products has over 10 years of engineering in this product, and it shows. The cover can be locked at any point along the rails, and comes with two small keys.

Installation

Be sure to read all the instructions before installing, even though the installation of a RETRAX is a fairly straight-forward process. It should take you approximately 1-2 hours to install the RETRAX retractable bed cover, if you take your time.

Installation is very straight forward. The installation instructions that comes with the RETRAX is very detailed and should be read thoroughly before you begin. This How-To installation article gives a brief overview of the install process so you can be even more confident about how to install this product before you buy. The beauty of this product is its clamp-on design. There is no drilling required (except for the drain tubes).

First, remove the RETRAX from the box. The RETRAX is shipped in two very sturdy boxes to keep it from being damaged during shipment. The first (large) box contains the canister-spiral assembly, the cover for the canister, and the drain tube kit. The second, smaller, box comes with the two rails and clamps.


Tools Needed

• #2 Phillips screwdriver
• 9/16" wrench (ratchet recommended)
• Pliers or vice grips
• 1/4" Allen head (hex) wrench (supplied)

SOURCES: Applied Products, Inc. retrax@rolltopcover.com www.rolltopcover.com 1-866-385-8899 917 S. 46th St. Grand Forks, ND 58201 RETRAX at Truck Hownd