The first type of hard tonneau cover I will mention is the fibreglass type truck cover. The fibreglass bed covers belong to the hinged type tonneau. These are great looking lids that are usually painted to match the truck. Some of the advantages of this type of cover include things such as they offer greater security than the roll up tonneaus. These fibreglass hard tonneau covers are also great to protect your cargo from the weather. Keeping your cargo dry is a great comfort when you own a pickup truck. They open easily from the tailgate and lift up like a trunk cover with the aid of two gas struts. Some of the disadvantages of the fibreglass covers include such things as the higher cost. They are also heavy and hard to remove if you are suddenly in the need to haul larger cargo.
Next hard tonneau cover I will fill you in on is still of the hinged type which opens from the rear of the truck like a truck cover. The Undercover tonneau cover is constructed from an ABS type plastic. It is much like the fibreglass tonneaus but weighs far less and easily comes off and back on with quick release pins. This cover is also a good weather protector as well as great to secure your cargo from thieves. They do have two models to choose from, the original and the Undercover SE model.
Another hinged type hard tonneau cover is the TiltBak Tonneau Cover by Bak. This is a one piece cover weighing around 45 pounds but can carry over 500 pounds on top of it. The stake holes are left open like no other hinged truck cover. This allows you to use tie downs or bed rails that you can secure your cargo. The top of this cover is made with a TPO plastic which is very impact, ding and scratch resistant. It has a diamond plate rugged look. The underneath is made of abs type plastic and the core is filled with high density foam. There seem to be a lot of positives with this cover.
Now we are going to get away from the hinged type and introduce you to the Folding type hard tonneau cover. These give you fast easy access to your cargo area and offer great security as well. Many pickup truck owners favour this type of cover because of the use-ability factor. Some of the major competitors of this type include the Solid Fold by Extang and both the Bakflip G2 and the Bakflip HD and Bakflip F1 by Bak.
That’s my take on the hard tonneau cover. I hope it enlightens you on the different types available. One thing they all have in common is the security factor. Some lock on top of the cover others such as the Tiltbak the opening latch is under the cover away from the weather. You would have to add a locking tailgate handle to add even more security.
For these covers and many more types visit http://truckbedtonneau.com