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Thanks to the introduction of the 2015 Ford F-150 earlier this year, aluminum is officially the hot trend when it comes to pickups. A welcome extension of that trend is to aftermarket products, specifically the tonneau cover.
As we’ve detailed before, the tonneau cover is great for protecting your cargo but it pulls double duty in improving your truck’s fuel economy. And this new cover from Highway Products might improve it just a tiny bit more thanks to the fact that it is made from aluminum.
The cover’s gas-assisted shocks allow one-handed operation.Ford has gone to great lengths to prove the toughness of aluminum with torture tests and even secretly installing F-150 prototypes with aluminum beds at construction sites and mines for more than 3 years. Plus, aluminum isn’t susceptible to rust after being scratched. Highway Products says their tonneau cover is just as tough—even tougher than the standard fiberglass tonneau cover.
The aluminum cover protects your gear and tools while still allowing easy access to your truck bed. The cover easily installs with no drilling into the truck bed using the included installation parts, and removal is also made simple. The cover folds in half to allow for transporting taller items.
The cover features fully welded hat stiffeners every 6 inches to ensure strength and eliminate flex, while nitrogen-driven gas shocks raise the lid and keep it open while accessing the bed of the truck. The gas-assisted shocks are placed so the lid can be closed with one hand. A full-length piano hinge is bolted onto the tonneau cover to get rid of any gaps that might normally hold debris. A flush mounted T-Grip compression latch system provides secure locking, while weather stripping and rain gutters keep the cargo dry and protected.
The tonneau cover is available in a diamond plate finish, leopard (powder coated and shaved) diamond plate finish, gladiator (baked-on powder coated dimpled lid) finish or a range of custom designs. You can get a quote on the covers at the Highway Products website by clicking here.
