A truck bed is the area that makes your pickup so useful, but it comes from the factory without the protection it needs. Bed liners and tonneau covers are the most common accessories used to shield your truck’s bed, each providing its own benefits and different types of protective properties. Though, you can use them together to get maximum protection!
Can a tonneau cover be installed on a truck with a bed liner already on it?
Most tonneau covers can work with under-the-rail and spray-on bed liners without any issues. In some cases, retractable covers will require trimming of the liner at the bulkhead. Installing a tonneau cover with an over-the-rail bed liner will require more time and some effort.
These liners cover the bed’s lip which serves as a fastening point for most tonneau covers, that’s why you’ll need to notch your bed liner by cutting small reliefs or notches in areas where the cover’s clamps attach in order to ensure secure installation. In case your pickup has neither a bed liner nor a tonneau cover, the liner should be installed first.
To install a tonneau cover, follow these steps:
- Attach the rails of your cover to the truck’s bed. If you have an over-the-bed rail liner, don’t forget to follow the recommendations in the section above.
- Align its rails and tighten the mounting hardware.
- If there are cab-side or tailgate seals included, install them.
- Set the top of your tonneau cover and make sure that it sits evenly along the perimeter. Check the alignment and readjust it in case of need.
- Check sealing surfaces of the cover for bulging or visible gaps and make some readjustment or realignment if necessary.
- Connect and route your drainage tubes to the corners of the truck bed in case your tonneau cover comes with them.
12 Jul 2023You can find most common types of tonneau covers on that cataloque.