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POOR MANS TONNEAU COVER w/ Plywood

MakinDoForNow

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Also could fasten blocks of wood to unitrack track in bed or if don't have use threaded holes there for unitrack, to mount blocks of wood sawn or built up to allow plywood to be attached to. Leave enough room over bed sides to compress sealer strip attached to underside of plywood when clamped/screwed to wood blocks.
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hsinking1932

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They fly off the vehicle at highway speed because they are not properly secured.
same can be said for Kayaks, life jackets(by the hundreds), beach towels, anything left in a trailered boat, or the back of a pick up.
Thanks for sharing. I will be more careful on the highway.
 

James L. Harrison

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There's other reasons to buy a new truck than how it looks.
If people want to save a few bucks and make something functional for cheaper it's up to them.
Having a plywood cover could allow you to attach things to the top really easily without drilling through metal. Also very easy to swap out different options quickly.
You will have to splice the plywood length-wise or side-wise... IMHO a PITA.
 

James L. Harrison

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I was thinking I could buy a sheet of 1/4 in plywood (not pressboard) and treat it with Thompsons water seal. Then get some type of Vinyl or Naugahyde black of course and stretch it over the plywood. I would put some eye hooks facing down so I could bungee cord it to one of the many hooks found in the XLT LUX bed. I don't think it would be too heavy for one person to lift off. I would generally use it in the fall to keep the leaves out and in the winter to keep the snow out. I really don't want to spend 1000 to 2000 for a bed cover.

Do you think that would work???
Plywood is 48" wide; Maverick bed is several inches wider I think...
 

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James L. Harrison

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Probably 40 years ago, I made a plywood cover for my Courier, and it worked out well. The Courier had tie-downs on the exterior, so it was easy to hold in position.

Like mentioned above, I'd probably use 1/2".

HRG
Which way do you plan to splice it??? Both length and width of the bed I think is about 53 [MOL] inches; the plywood has one dimension of 48".
 

04mach146

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That thing will take sail at about 75 mph and kill someone. You will have to anchor it down with metal hardware.
Plenty of others have used these on other trucks over the years as long as it's attached in some fashion it will be ok. Seen it done with bungee cords multiple times and no issues 85+ on a highway.
 

04mach146

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Plywood is 48" wide; Maverick bed is several inches wider I think...
Alot of people do it out of 2 pieces and put a hinge in it so you can still access stuff further back in the bed. Look up pmf tonneau cover on you tube their are a few on full length beds that are all water proof and most look fairly good especially the ones painted with roll on rhino liners.

 

Hot Runr Guy

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Which way do you plan to splice it??? Both length and width of the bed I think is about 53 [MOL] inches; the plywood has one dimension of 48".
No one ever said it had to be made from one 4'x8' sheet. If I had to do this today, I'd cut the first piece wide enough to sit on top of and over-lap the bed rails, with a couple of 2"x3" (nominal) cleats underneath, to provide strength and side to side location. The remaining 5 or 6 inches gets cut from a 2nd sheet, or 2 shorter pieces spliced together, again with a cleat underneath. The 60" x 60" sheet idea is a good one, albeit an expensive option. The 2x3 cleats underneath provide a solid area to add eye-hooks or similar to the attach the bungees or straps to. Having a seam is no big deal if you're going the wrap the sheet with vinyl or some kind of waterproof membrane.

I'm on a trip overseas right now, otherwise I'd make a sketch and upload it.

HRG
 
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Plenty of others have used these on other trucks over the years as long as it's attached in some fashion it will be ok. Seen it done with bungee cords multiple times and no issues 85+ on a highway.
I live just north of Los Angeles, the cross winds get very strong hear at times in the mountains etc. I had a trifold with six metal hold downs, the wind got under it and broke the front four leaving the rear in place and the rest draped over the tailgate. I got stopped before it went airborne. Flexible bungee cords are a horrible idea unless you want your plywood cover to fly through someone’s windshield and kill them.
 

clippedwings

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Trust me. You do NOT want to bevel and glue two pieces of thin plywood together (scarfing). I have had the pleasure when building wood and fabric aircraft. A proper bevel stretches back from the plywood edge for several inches. E’xtremely difficult to execute!
 

Edge Haley

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The below would be easy to build and probably quite secure with right channel metal strips.

https://shedheads.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/DIY-640x480.jpg

But as a contractor I'd look at the bare minimum costs of:
2 sheet of xterior plywood/or whatever ($45x2)=$90
6 corner metal brackets = $20
2 (5' channel metal) frame =$40
Various bolts and hardware ($15)
Hinges possibly $20
Paint - xterior, easily for anything decent ($45)
Weather proofing rubber trim $15
Easily $245 = the cheapest possible costs.
Labor Free
Weight 100 pounds

If the only option for a Tonneau was $900 I'd consider a build but not when they're some available in the $290-$400 range with probably far superior weather resistant light weight materials (45 pounds) that have a degree of engineering not to leak and minimum efforts to install and remove.

I'd bet the Tonneau manufacturers will get a kick out of this thread.
 
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Ferroplasm

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Don’t buy a brand new vehicle if you can’t afford a tonneau cover.
Don't by a unibody trucklet if you want a truck. See what I did there?

Some people enjoy thrift and DIY. What's it matter to you what they do?
 
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SantaStephen

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