Bison Tonneau Cover (6 foot) installed

[Blue Crush Taco]

Hey there, ya the side rails can be tricky. I lined up and started all the fasteners on the side rail and slowly put tension against the box side. The rubber lip seal on the top underside can be the issue. Once you have the lip against the box, carefully and slowly using a small flat screwdriver work the lip on to the top of the box by sliding the driver under the seal. You want that seal on top of the plastic bedside. There are some YouTube videos or if you are close to Bison they do free Installs. Let me know if I can help further. Cheers

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[Blue Crush Taco]

That trailer looks similar to mine. Whats it like to tow with the tacoma?
I have a 14' v-nose interstate.

Ya she a 6x12 with ramp back door. Usually not pulling too much weight ( maybe 1500 lbs +trailer) it pulls it fine with no issues. Does

Ouch. That looks several inches taller than the roof.

Ya maybe the 5 foot bed ones are shorter. I don't drive with the cover up alot so hopefully will be alright

 

[avp]

The instructions leave a lot to the imagination for sure...

I was having the same problem with the little rubber sides, but then I found that if I took the rail and laid it on top of the side of the bed first, then rotated/clicked it down (with the brackets on, in approx the right position), the rubber was not folded back over. I had someone hold the rail in place from the outside, and I attached the bolts from the inside.

Couple other tips (or maybe I was just stupid).
- Make sure the box is closed when you install the rails, to ensure the rails won't interfere with the box closing.

- When you first put the cover on, unfold it all the way to make sure it is forward enough so it will fit inside the closed tailgate.

@Blue Crush Taco did you use the 2 drain pipes? Did you cut the hole in the bed bigger? I had a LOT of extra parts - what are those little metal black plates for? A lot of extra plastic pieces too?

Tonneau looks sharp, it almost seems too good to be true for the price...

 

[Blue Crush Taco]

The instructions leave a lot to the imagination for sure...

I was having the same problem with the little rubber sides, but then I found that if I took the rail and laid it on top of the side of the bed first, then rotated/clicked it down (with the brackets on, in approx the right position), the rubber was not folded back over. I had someone hold the rail in place from the outside, and I attached the bolts from the inside.

Couple other tips (or maybe I was just stupid).
- Make sure the box is closed when you install the rails, to ensure the rails won't interfere with the box closing.

- When you first put the cover on, unfold it all the way to make sure it is forward enough so it will fit inside the closed tailgate.

@Blue Crush Taco did you use the 2 drain pipes? Did you cut the hole in the bed bigger? I had a LOT of extra parts - what are those little metal black plates for? A lot of extra plastic pieces too?

Tonneau looks sharp, it almost seems too good to be true for the price...

The cover is pretty wicked for the price. Seems to fit and seal up ok.( instructions are awful though) I didn't drill bigger holes in my bed for the drain pipe. I had a couple 1/4 inch air fittings that I machined down a bit on my hobby lathe to fit existing holes( I think the holes are 6mm) the other end of the fitting fit snuggly in the drain hose end.

 

[Blue Crush Taco]

The instructions leave a lot to the imagination for sure...

I was having the same problem with the little rubber sides, but then I found that if I took the rail and laid it on top of the side of the bed first, then rotated/clicked it down (with the brackets on, in approx the right position), the rubber was not folded back over. I had someone hold the rail in place from the outside, and I attached the bolts from the inside.

Couple other tips (or maybe I was just stupid).
- Make sure the box is closed when you install the rails, to ensure the rails won't interfere with the box closing.

- When you first put the cover on, unfold it all the way to make sure it is forward enough so it will fit inside the closed tailgate.

@Blue Crush Taco did you use the 2 drain pipes? Did you cut the hole in the bed bigger? I had a LOT of extra parts - what are those little metal black plates for? A lot of extra plastic pieces too?

Tonneau looks sharp, it almost seems too good to be true for the price...

Those are some great tips for future installers of this cover. I had lots of left over parts as well. I'll save them in case I need them or some future project- lol

 

[avp]

So far so good with the cover. We had a lot of rain here lately, and the bed hasn't been noticeably wet...

One thing though - I had to fully open the cover the other day, and it appears the prop rods are too long - anyone else have this issue? I suppose I can just cut them off a little?

I guess I'll grab a couple of fittings to try and run the drain hoses into those little holes as well. @Blue Crush Taco that seems to be working ok for you?

 

[Blue Crush Taco]

So far so good with the cover. We had a lot of rain here lately, and the bed hasn't been noticeably wet...

One thing though - I had to fully open the cover the other day, and it appears the prop rods are too long - anyone else have this issue? I suppose I can just cut them off a little?

I guess I'll grab a couple of fittings to try and run the drain hoses into those little holes as well. @Blue Crush Taco that seems to be working ok for you?

Hi there, the prop rods are definitely too long with this kit. Some people cut the rods abit. I unscrewed the bottom brackets and moved them back a bit. ( you would of course have to drill some tiny holes for the brackets) then I put a touch of silicone in the old holes. I'm happy with the cover so far at this price point.

 

[d4v]

Just installed this today, took about 2 hours. The lions share of time was lining up the side rails to make sure the rubber seal wasn't being crushed. It's a TIGHT fit between the plastic rail (inside the bed) and fitting the aluminum brackets. Nearly zero tolerance kinda tight. Good news is that once installed feels pretty solid!

Oh, worth noting I ordered from BC and it showed up in 2 days. Unreal.

 

[d4v]

I had a couple 1/4 inch air fittings that I machined down a bit on my hobby lathe to fit existing holes( I think the holes are 6mm) the other end of the fitting fit snuggly in the drain hose end.

Oh man, pro tip there. Thanks!

This made me hunt through my garage to see if I had any air fittings and I found some! I just wrapped the threads in rubber tape and it's a snug fit to the rubber drain hoses. Sweet.

 

[Blue Crush Taco]

Oh man, pro tip there. Thanks!

This made me hunt through my garage to see if I had any air fittings and I found some! I just wrapped the threads in rubber tape and it's a snug fit to the rubber drain hoses. Sweet.

Looks good!

 

[tacoyeh]

wondering where you applied the weather seal? along the cab side? and how far from the edge?

 

[ZezzLe]

Oh the bed cleats are there, the bed rail gets re attached to the new cover brackets and I can then use the bed cleats if nessesary. ( to be honest I've had a Tacoma for a least 5 years and have never used the bed cleat....I always used the d rings)

Is this how your S-brackets came? I got the same cover and mine have these little metal pieces what seem to be double sided taped on.

 

[Blue Crush Taco]

Is this how your S-brackets came? I got the same cover and mine have these little metal pieces what seem to be double sided taped on.

Which s bracket are you referring to?

 

[Blue Crush Taco]

wondering where you applied the weather seal? along the cab side? and how far from the edge?

I installed mine close to the bed side. There is a weather strip on the cover itself that it will cover.

 

[Blue Crush Taco]

I installed mine close to the bed side. There is a weather strip on the cover itself that it will cover.

Like along the edge of the front of the bed but more toward the bed if that makes sense

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