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Retrax Retractable Tonneau Cover

36K views 124 replies 26 participants last post by  DAK60 
#1 ·
The Retrax (and likely Gator's version?) retractable tonneau will be a no drill install - it will use brackets that replace the upper tie downs. However it two 16" drain tubes that use the bed drain holes. Has anyone considering this cover (yes cpolubin, this is for you) looked to see if the existing drain holes at the front of the bed might work? Do you think the bed side or front cover may have to be notched at the bottom to accommodate the tubes? Could notching the panels affect the bed audio sound? Do you think the existing drain hole might have to be drilled a bit bigger to accommodate the drain tube?

I'm seriously considering a Retrax cover but don't want to end up with a major engineering project for the drain tubes. What say you?

Oh and one more question. I've looked at the Gator covers too & they could be twins to the Retrax. Anyone know of any differences in quality or reputation?

Thanks to all in advance!
 
#2 ·
This is a big part of the reason why I don't want to have drain holes from my tonneau. Let's just drill some holes and see what we hit in the process, this looks like a good spot right here [brake line]. Of course it's partially on Honda; many truck makers build drain holes into their beds these days. Even the Tacoma has rudimentary pencil-sized holes directly below the rear window. I didn't want my truck to be somebody's experiment.
 
#11 ·
The Retrax (and likely Gator's version?) retractable tonneau will be a no drill install - it will use brackets that replace the upper tie downs. However it two 16" drain tubes that use the bed drain holes. Has anyone considering this cover (yes cpolubin, this is for you) looked to see if the existing drain holes at the front of the bed might work? Do you think the bed side or front cover may have to be notched at the bottom to accommodate the tubes? Could notching the panels affect the bed audio sound? !
The sides of the bed are just plastic. No different than a door panel. Behind that its pretty open and will drain down and out. I've had both sides off to install a tie down rail system. The bed "speakers" are about center of the side panels and as long and they can still vibrate they should work. I haven't tried mine after installing the bed rails but the rails were at the top and mostly used the OEM mounting points. You can see into the bed by the cabin from the under carriage.
 
#18 ·
Has Retrax said how they're attaching the tonneau to the Ridgeline? Are they using the upper tiedowns or the three side bolts? If it's the former, and that would match the configuration they use with clamps, they could be waiting for the brackets to be manufactured. In which case they may not even start manufacturing until the 30th or whenever the brackets show up. I spent a good chunk of this evening researching the Retrax. It has a very wide bed rail, like Peragon. I really like the Retrax design from a keeping-the-bed-dry perspective. And it looks great. Fabulous in fact. Not sure I can afford it though.
 
#19 ·
I agree with u Phineas, the rails look as wide as the Peragon ones and the price of their covers are twice Peragon's. I am pretty committed to getting the Peragon cover and am going to pay the extra to have it color matched. The only concern that I really have with the Peragon cover is the ice issue....I spend alot of time in Idaho and the cold there is pretty brutal.
 
#22 ·
So....I spoke to a representative from Retrax today to find out if the promised ship dates would be met. I was told , unfortunately, that they would not. We are now looking at the end of October! I then asked about why there was a delay. She said, because of the unique characteristics of our vehicle, i.e.: in bed trunk . They are trying to make sure the design functions properly!
 
#30 ·
Looks like it restricts the trunk just about as much as the Peragon. Which model of Retrax is it?
 
#32 · (Edited)
Mine's installed as well.



A couple of things I found during installation -

- After they tell you to tighten the clamps they tell you to check a coupe of things that will require you to undo the clamps if they aren't right. Check them before you clamp.

- On mine the passenger lock rocker arm was hitting the bed when the cover was all the way to the tailgate.



Checked with Tech Support and they suggested tiliting the rail up about 2 degrees (from the outside to the inside). Unclamp the back passenger side, push down on the outside of the rail (I also gave it a slight twist) and reclamp, adjusting the nylon adjustment screws on either side of the clamp as needed.

- Also I found I could still use the top ties-downs on the tailgate end. Just put them on top of teh Retrax bracket. The bolts reached just fine.

Cliff
 
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