Lund Tonneau Cover

[Bronco638]

I recently purchased a 2001 Edge 4x4. I've never owned a pick-up without somehow protecting the bed (this is my fourth Ranger and I've owned an F-150). My first Ranger ('85 ST/X) had a Motorcraft tonneau which used the hook & loop tape. My second Ranger ('88 XLT) had a cap, my third Ranger ('90 ST/X) had the same tonneau as the first (as did my F-150).

This time I tried a Lund tonneau (after using their bug defectors on my wife's Escape). They offer two different types; hard shell and soft. The soft tonneau covers have two styles of attachment; snaps or a rubber bead (similar to a Zip-Lok bag) called "seal & peel". The rubber bead uses adhesive to adhere directly to the bed. The snap style uses a frame that's clamped to the bed. I purchased the snap style, with clamped frame, on Amazon. It was $186 with free shipping (the price may vary based bed [styleside versus flareside] and bed length [6' versus 7']). If you have an Edge with the plastic bed rail protection, they will have to be removed. If you have an over-the-rail bed liner, the liner will have to be modified (as noted in the instructions).

There's really not much to the installation. The front rail of the frame comes attached to the tonneau. I simply draped the tonneau over the top of the cab with the front tonneau rail approximately in-place on the front of the bed. Next, snap the side rails into the front rail. Each side rail is identified (driver or passenger) and an arrow points forward (towards the cab). Next, snap the tailgate rail into the side rails completing the frame. Now, you need to orient the frame so that it's centered, side-to-side and front-to-rear. I used a pencil to make light marks on the top of the bed to help locate the frame. Each rail has sticky tape on the underside. I simply peeled the protector sheet off, with the frame in place, by gently raising the frame (just a 1/4" or so) as I peeled. Double check the alignment of the frame by referencing the pencils marks. After that's done, use the supplied frame clamps to secure the frame to the bed. Each side rail indicates where the clamps go. Lund also supplies an Allen wrench for the clamp bolts. Install and lightly tighten the clamps in a zig-zag pattern. If the frame remained centered, tighten the clamps fully. There are three bows that are installed to support the tonneau. Each bow straddles two clamps, one on each side rail. Again, the side rails indicate where the bows go and the bows indicate their order (1, 2, 3) back from the cab (even though they all look the same). Now, flip the tonneau off the cab and onto the frame. There are two snaps at each corner of the tonneau, each one on a rail that forms the corner. Snap them down (8 - two at each corner) to stretch the tonneau over the frame. At this point, I took a short break to let the tonneau fabric 'relax'. If it's a sunny day, the warmth of the sun will do the same thing, only quicker. To complete the install, snap the rest of the snaps and you're done. The hardest snaps were the ones on the front rail because you can only really reach them with one hand and because they are so close to the cab, they can be hard to snap.

I would recommend this tonneau to anyone. The directions are clear and concise. Everything you need is in the box (from Lund). Install time was 30-45 minutes which included clean-up and a pre-read of the directions. If you have a basic mechanical understanding, this should present no challenge to you.

I have yet to test it in the rain. Based on the fact that my tailgate has seen some abuse, I would not be surprised if some water gets in at the tailgate. However, it will keep the bed mostly dry and certainly keep snow out.

Pictures available upon request. I'll be happy to answer any questions.