How to Remove a Tonneau Cover? Step by Step Guide – Cargister

Inevitably, the day will come when you may need to remove the Tonneau cover from your truck.

Maybe the cover does not look as good as it once did, or you need to haul something tall, and the cover is in your way.

This may be a pain for a lot of users since this means that all the effort that you put into installing it will be blown away.

Although the installing process may take a while and it may be a pain, removing it may not take that much time and effort.

But if by any chance you don’t have the faintest idea of how to remove it, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

We have a step by step guide on how to remove a Tonneau cover! So keep reading, you will be surprised by how easy it is to remove it.

How to Remove a Tonneau Cover

As you may know, Tonneau covers come in many shapes and sizes. Each cover has a series of specific steps that you need to take to remove it, some of them are easier than others.

In this wordy piece, we will be covering the steps in a more general way, so that anyone with any type of cover can understand the process of removing it.

We found that you can remove most covers in 3 simple steps.

In many cases, you may just require a screwdriver to loosen the clamps/screws that are securing the cover.

REMOVE A TONNEAU COVER

With other models, you won’t even need a tool.

Before we begin, you should do this with the help of someone. It may not be a hard job, but if you are working with a hardcover, it may prove a bit difficult to lift it all by yourself.

Plus, you would have someone that can pass you the necessary tools when you need them to save time.

Step 1

As we mentioned, there is a wide variety of bed covers out there, and because of this, there is a large variety of tools that are used to attach the cover to the truck.

Find any clamps, screws, or belts that could fasten the cover to the truck.

Don’t release them yet. You should check if the cover will fall if you remove a specific clamp/screw.

It is also recommended that you begin this process in a vast space since you will need it to move the cover around.

Also, make sure that you have a reserved space that you’ll be using to store the cover once you are finished.

Double check that the area is enough since you don’t want to be moving the cover a lot because of the weight.

Step 2

Once you are sure that the bed can rest on top of the clamps/screws, you can work on slowly releasing them.

Remove a Tonneau Cover

Make sure that you don’t remove them completely, since this may cause the whole bed to fall into the bed.

At this point, you should have your helpers ready to begin lifting the cover.

Step 3

You may need a few people to get this done (or a forklift).

The next step would be to have a group of people carry the bed cover so that the rails are not supporting the weight anymore.

Now quickly continue to loosen the cramps/screws and begin removing them one by one, until the cover is fully separated from the truck.

And that’s it!

Now you just have to settle down the Tonneau cover wherever you are planning to store it.

Make very certain that there are no sharp edges to the sides or heavy objects on top of it since you don’t want to ruin it.

Again, take into account that you may need more than one person to carry the cover.

You should also keep the cover somewhere where it won’t be affected by the weather.

Tips for Cover Removal

  • You should be careful with any drainage systems or any other attachments that are on the cover. While removing the cover, in case you are not careful enough, you may damage them, and you may need to repair them.
  • If you need to rest the bed on top of the truck for a moment, make sure that you place a piece of cloth between them, so you don’t scratch the cover or the truck.

Bottom Line

See? It only took a few steps!

The only inconvenience of this may be the number of people that you need to do it correctly.

Yeah, you may try using a forklift to help you with the cover, but the process is less tedious with someone around to help you out.

Other than that, removing the cover is not a great deal.

Did you find this useful? If YES, let us know in the comments!