For our hunting and camping trips and because we will be attending more and more sports shows selling our bow holders and broadhead sharpening guides , we need a bit more security in the long bed of our truck (8 foot bed). We looked at tonneau covers and didn't care for the fabric versions as they can be breached with a knife. Other versions did not do what we wanted and it seemed all came in Black and that is not an option as the items under that black cover in the heat of the sun would be cooked in the incredible temperature that would be generated under a black cover. That heat would cook or bows and other gear. Also, the top of the line covers are very pricey.
So we opted to make a project out of it and make our own folding cover. It will be made from wood. We expect it to come in under $100, be about 50 pounds so one person can take it on and off and it will be the color of our choosing (a very light color to prevent heat build up). We may even decorate it our company logo. The frame will be pine and the cover will be 1/4" plywood. Everything will get two coats of raw wood primer and then 2 coats of paint in a color yet to be determined.
Until we began this project we were unaware that the bed of this truck actually tapers/narrows from front to back. We assumed it was a simple rectangle. The 3 sections of the cover will fold on themselves (3 hinges on each section) but would also be able to be opened individually as needed. Here are some pictures of the progress so far.
To match the curve of the tailgate we added a curved segment to the rear most section.
Construction is complete and its time to move onto the protecting it. 2 coats of Kilz primer.
The top side will be Behr Exterior "Silver Screen" in semi gloss.
But first, the underside (side nobody sees) will get two coats of exterior semi gloss in a camo green from a past project.
While the coats of paint dry, time to figure out how to project our logo on the cover so it can be painted on the top side.
So we opted to make a project out of it and make our own folding cover. It will be made from wood. We expect it to come in under $100, be about 50 pounds so one person can take it on and off and it will be the color of our choosing (a very light color to prevent heat build up). We may even decorate it our company logo. The frame will be pine and the cover will be 1/4" plywood. Everything will get two coats of raw wood primer and then 2 coats of paint in a color yet to be determined.
Until we began this project we were unaware that the bed of this truck actually tapers/narrows from front to back. We assumed it was a simple rectangle. The 3 sections of the cover will fold on themselves (3 hinges on each section) but would also be able to be opened individually as needed. Here are some pictures of the progress so far.
To match the curve of the tailgate we added a curved segment to the rear most section.
Construction is complete and its time to move onto the protecting it. 2 coats of Kilz primer.
The top side will be Behr Exterior "Silver Screen" in semi gloss.
But first, the underside (side nobody sees) will get two coats of exterior semi gloss in a camo green from a past project.
While the coats of paint dry, time to figure out how to project our logo on the cover so it can be painted on the top side.
