Scramblin_Jim
Legacy Registered User
- City
- Goodyear
- State
- AZ
A couple of years ago I went down to the local tent & awning company and had a custom soft tonneau cover made. It attaches via snaps and fits nicely around the roll bar tubes. While it works great in keeping rain and most of the dust out of the bed area, it is a real pain to snap up first thing in the morning when it is cold. I usually have to park the Jeep in a sunny spot for 10-minutes to allow the vinyl to warm and stretch allowing the rear snaps to engage.
I have a custom made rack that mounts just above the tonneau cover and between the roll bar tubes. It is roughly half the length of the bed and allows access to the rear half of the bed's contents fairly easily. My plans have always been to put the wood side rails on to complete the looks and hide the rack from view, at least from the side view. To go that next step, I would have to modify the existing cover or get a new one made to allow for the side rail mounts.
I would prefer a hard tonneau cover instead as the soft cover sags in the middle and holds a puddle of water after a rain. The hard cover provides better security as they can be locked compared to just a bunch of snaps.
I was wondering if anyone had come up with a hard tonneau solution. The Ford Explorer Sport Trac has a hard tonneau cover that is hinged in the middle allowing the same kind of access I am desiring due to the equipment rack being in the way.
Not sure what the dimensions are on the Sport Trac tonneau, but was wondering if it might be modified to work on the Scrambler's bed. It would have to have cut outs for the roll bar tubes and then place the hinge just aft of the back tubes to allow it to open.
Any thoughts, tips, suggestions??? Jeff (JSCHERB) have you given any thoughts to doing something like this for your builds?
Jim
I have a custom made rack that mounts just above the tonneau cover and between the roll bar tubes. It is roughly half the length of the bed and allows access to the rear half of the bed's contents fairly easily. My plans have always been to put the wood side rails on to complete the looks and hide the rack from view, at least from the side view. To go that next step, I would have to modify the existing cover or get a new one made to allow for the side rail mounts.
I would prefer a hard tonneau cover instead as the soft cover sags in the middle and holds a puddle of water after a rain. The hard cover provides better security as they can be locked compared to just a bunch of snaps.
I was wondering if anyone had come up with a hard tonneau solution. The Ford Explorer Sport Trac has a hard tonneau cover that is hinged in the middle allowing the same kind of access I am desiring due to the equipment rack being in the way.
Not sure what the dimensions are on the Sport Trac tonneau, but was wondering if it might be modified to work on the Scrambler's bed. It would have to have cut outs for the roll bar tubes and then place the hinge just aft of the back tubes to allow it to open.
Any thoughts, tips, suggestions??? Jeff (JSCHERB) have you given any thoughts to doing something like this for your builds?
Jim
