Diamondback Tonneau Cover

Yes. I have the 8 inch. One of the best purchases I have made for my truck.

 

I also have the 8 inch model and it's perfect for me. I think that the deeper model would have made it a lot more difficult for me to reach equipment in the middle section and it also would have cut off the front of the bed making it unusable for longer items.

 

FYI, there's a few covers in the outlet section for any thinking of possibly getting one, if you're ok with a blemish on the cover.

https://diamondbackcovers.com/collections/diamondback-outlet

 

Phew... checked both Craigslist and the DB outlet... at least I don’t have to live with buyer’s remorse. Neither had what I was wanting.

 

Good deals I was hoping to see cross bin for Tundra. Wish I was still buying the cover good deals on those

 

If there was a Tundra one there I likely would have scooped it At some point I'll get one, just not a fan of the price

 

I’m so torn in buying one of these or a Cap for my 05 tundra... which surprisingly they make one for the 8ft bed

 

One thing I want to do this spring/ summer is install LED lights on it so when I open it up I can see inside the bed. We do a lot of early morning fishing and cannot see shit

 

https://www.amazon.com/Access-Cover-80312-Light-Strip/dp/B00FPOSNZK These work great

 

Thanks I will look into them

 

Sorry for the late response. I have not installed the bed lights yet. It’s something I will probably have someone take care of for men.

 

okay, I really want one of these... but the all important part of the truck bed, is 'riding in the bed'... can the front section fold (struts dis-connected) to rest 'upside down' on the rear sections? so wife and Kid can ride "in" the bed still?

can anyone with a cover try this? fold it all the way over and see if it's 'secure' enough, maybe I'll need to add a strap or something, but if it can't fold "180*" over... I'll have to keep looking. My only fear would be how easy would it be to 'slide' off... sideways or something...

I'm looking at the HD.

 

That won’t work for you at 90 degree is install and removal. But you could install the cover remove one side or both sides easily, even leave the middle on and they can sit on that

 

Just added the HD model

 

Yes you can do that. it's in the manual for them that you can. You just have to secure the side you flip over to the other side using ratchet straps. I love this cover.

 

See this (go through the rest of his thread as well):
https://www.tundras.com/threads/mgm16trdpro-build.17183/page-4#post-397198

 

The strength of the bed would be my question, not the DB equipment. Quick maneuver I would have no doubts for, and if you're only using 1 inch straps (usually 3k lb rating) they would be just as likely to break as the bed side would be.


If you're going to be hauling a quad (Tundras can't do 2 unless one is a kiddie quad) up there a lot I would recommend a sled deck with a cargo slide. The DB cover with quads is like towing 9k lb trailers with a 1/2 ton - if you're doing it the odd time than sure no problem, if you're do it almost daily there's better, safer equipment to be doing it with.

 

I miss the 6.5' bed I used to have, but the DB really helps make up for it.

 

Finally finished the rack, now just have to get a rooftop tent on there. I love this thing. Has out preformed my last 2 covers by a long shot.

 

I have been debating on how to do something like that myself,let us know how it performs

 

Just so everyone is aware...Front Runner and Diamondback have teamed up on a top mount similar to @Dilsky (which is pretty cool I might add).

I'm currently running KB Voodoo Rack with my DB but saw this a few weeks back in case anyone isn't wanting to try and build their own.

https://diamondbackcovers.com/colle...oducts/front-runner-x-diamondback-rack-system

 

Might be the answer

 

Don’t have a diamondback but there’s a few options. Yakima, proline and decked all have t-rails which are pretty much interchangeable between all the different rack companies. Proline is the cheapest at ~$30 but are also the highest profile. Look for a set second-hand. You can usually find them cheaper if you just search for truck bed shells with them mounted on top. In the middle of putting some rails on my hard tonneau. Trouble comes when you want to add a ladder rack. Going to attempt to make custom feet that fit over the rails and give a flat surface for the ladder rack to sit on. Then just bolt it all up.

 

I have not done a write-up in great deal. It took me about a year to get it all together, but that is because I am slow and get distracted easily. I also have still not bought a rooftop tent yet so there was no rush to get it completed. The top rails are just extruded aluminum from 80/20. I went with three 70"x3"x1.5" which is probably a little bit overkill in thickness I think, but better safe than sorry. I still might cut them a bit shorter once I get the ten and figure out what other accessories I might want. I spent a lot of hours thinking about how to get this to work. Of course Front Runner came out with this system after I was down the rabbit hole and had already purchased the crossbars.

Then I wanted to utilize as many of the stock holes as possible and I could not find bases that would work with the dimensions. I took a panel and a cross bar to a hobby welder and basically had him make up 6 bases for me. Overall it was cheaper than me getting the Front Runner system, plus I could do thing s like this (which I just wrapped up tonight).

 

Now that's pretty slick! And it's hard to beat a Diamondback!

 

These are some great setups! If anyone has an interest in how our Core Trax and T-Rails could integrate as a secondary option, take a look at these products below.
DECKED T-Tracks - https://decked.com/products/at3
DECKED Core Trax - https://decked.com/products/copy-of-core-trax-midsize-long-bed

DECKED
DECKED.COM
Work Smarter. Play Harder

 

You can add me to the list of Diamondback owners. I haven't had mine for very long but thought I'd do a review on it anyways as it might help others who are considering a Diamondback tonneau cover, in particular the HD model like I got. Any maybe some current owners experienced some of the same things I did might want to chime in. Overall, it's been great, though it took a while to gather up the nerve to make the purchase due to the high price point. The Visa bill came in already. Once I pay that and forget about how much it cost, I'll be able to enjoy it, haha!

Maybe in a year or a few years if I remember, I'll do a follow-up long term review. But for now, here goes (sorry it's so long, I didn't have time to write a shorter review):

I got a Line-x coated Diamondback HD in the smooth finish (not the diamond plate pattern that most people get). I first heard about Diamondback tonneau covers quite a while ago, first on Canadian Prepper's YouTube channel (he had one on his Tacoma, then on his current Tundra). I also noticed LastLineofDefence (who got a Diamondback SE for his Tacoma) and many others on YouTube (quite often on Tacomas, but other trucks too) doing reviews on Diamondback tonneau covers. That was well over a year ago - even before I bought my (new to me) 2009 Tundra SR5 TRD Off-Road Crew Max. It took a while to win me over - partly because of the price and partly because of the design.

My old tonneau cover: I wasn't even going to buy ANY tonneau cover since my Tundra came with a Bakflip MX4. It was a tri-fold that fully opened up and folded flat against the back of the cab, making itself into a headache rack. But, I found the Bakflip very heavy and hard to use. The first panel was still manageable, but I'm not as strong as I used to be. It was a bit of a struggle, but I could flip it to the second flip (which is the first two panels), but there was no way I could flip all three panels. I either needed someone on the other side to help, or to climb into the box and use both hands, which I avoided doing. One day while flipping it back down, it crashed down on my hand and injured my finger so badly it took over six months to heal. As for the tonneau cover, a little bit of water would leak, but not too bad. The middle panel sometimes didn't lay flat. But one day I accidentally damaged one of the panels and decided that was the turning point. I wasn't going to repair it, but I still needed a tonneau cover to keep valuables safe and dry (though BakFlips are apparently very easy to break into). Sidenote: My previous Tundra Double Cab came with a Leer one piece fiberglass tonneau cover. Those are about the same price as most other mainstream tonneau covers, but very limiting, since they don't open very high, and are easy to break into. The previous owner put it on, I would never have chosen that style.

The "other" tonneau covers on the market: I looked at a few roll up tonneau covers that looked promising, but reviews mentioned they didn't do well in cold weather. Some of the tonneau covers suffered from poor build quality and would start falling apart in a few years. Some brands actually showed poor build quality upon arrival. I discovered that none of the local truck accessory stores sold Diamondback tonneau covers. If I wanted one, I'd have to order directly from them, which wasn't very appealing because I'm not physically capable of installing it or very mechanically inclined. If I bought a tonneau cover locally, that store would install it for me.

Sticker Shock! Diamondback tonneau covers are about double the cost of many other popular tonneau covers. Price is usually an indication of quality, and Diamondback covers, for the most part, are no exception. I needed something with good theft protection and that would not fall apart in a few years, and that would work in cold weather. I decided not to get any of the other brands of tonneau covers. It was a Diamondback or nothing. And I needed something to keep valuables dry and secure. I briefly considered a topper/cap/canopy but that wouldn't work for me, is easy to break into and would block my rear cab window of the CrewMax that fully rolls down. Plus, I'm kind of on the fence about their looks. The Snugtop models can look good, but I don't like other models that are higher than the cab roofline or just don't flow well with the body style of the truck.

Disadvantages of the Diamondback: The one big thing I didn't like about the Diamondback HD is that the center bar divides the box in half. Of course, you can remove the tonneau cover for full access to the entire box (either as a whole or remove the panels and center bar separately), but that's way too much hassle for me, and I don't have the physical strength or dexterity to hop in the box and disassemble and reassemble the tonneau cover. I thought about the amount of times in the past I actually needed access to the entire box... one time to bring home a washer and dryer, another to bring home a fridge and stove, and a few times for some bulky furniture (with someone helping me). And some lumber, building supplies, etc. Most of the time, the things I haul are smaller and lighter since I need to be able to do so myself, and they fit under the tonneau cover. However, if they don't, the folks at Diamondback will be quick to tell you that you can put it on top of your tonneau cover so "you can use your truck like a truck" (especially if you get the HD version like mine which can hold 1600 pounds), and use the cleats and ratcheting straps to secure it. Yeah, in theory it sounds nice. But in reality it's not as easy as just opening the tailgate and sliding in a couch or chest freezer, closing the tailgate and driving away. Now you need to hoist it up a lot higher, spend time to make sure it's securely strapped. And yes, you can haul more in one trip now, (put things under and on top of the tonneau cover) as long as you don't exceed the payload capacity of your truck. I use my truck for its towing capacity to tow my travel trailer, whereas others might use the box of the truck more if it's a work truck. For me, it's my tow vehicle, road trip vehicle, daily driver, etc.

Advantages of the Diamondback (for me): The best part of the Diamondback HD tonneau cover for me was that it is so secure. I don't think there is a more security minded option out there. Other tonneau covers are easy to break into. Arguably, a determined thief can break into anything. The weakest link in a Diamondback tonneau cover is the lock cylinder on each of the handles. I was told they are the same kinds of locks that are used for travel trailer and utility trailers, and that there's no other lock cylinders available. So, if someone can pick a lock, they can get in, despite the "deadbolt" style locking arms. The other advantage of a Diamondback tonneau cover is the quality. Everyone says it will last for years, it will outlast the truck, etc, which is good, because many of its competitors won't last that long or be as theft resistant.

Compromises I had to make: It took me a few months to accept the fact that I should either get a good quality Diamondback tonneau cover or not buy any tonneau cover. Go big or go home. Going along with that mentality, I figured if I'm going to buy a Diamondback tonneau cover, might as well get the top of the line HD that can hold 1600 pounds - especially since I will probably never remove it to have full open access to the box, I might regret trying to save a few hundred dollars and then not be able to haul heavier and taller items on top of the tonneau cover. Worst case, if I still can't haul something on top of the tonneau cover, I will have to rent a U-Haul trailer once in a while. I liked the gullwing doors on the Diamondback 270 model, but it is only rated to hold 400 pounds, costs $100 more than the HD and does not come with cleats (can be added for an extra cost). The HD can hold 1600 pounds and comes with 12 cleats. To improve versatility, I got the 8" deep crossbin. I didn't want it too deep so it would use up too much bed space, or be too deep to reach into.

Extra Costs and Expenses: When I ordered, Diamondback had just resumed manufacturing after the COVID-19 shutdown with a rather large backlog of orders, and once a week offered a limited number of "Fast Track" spaces where you could pay an extra $250 to move to the front of the line and have your order shipped in 1-3 days instead 36 days plus an extra week for shipping to the west coast/Canada. With so much uncertainty around the virus, who knows if we'll see a second spike and shutdown, and I didn't want to wait six weeks, pretty much the end of summer, so I waited for a Friday afternoon and ordered, with the Fast Track option. And the cross bin, and a few sets of ratcheting straps. And $150 shipping to Canada. I live right across the Canada/US border, which is closed to non-essential travel due to COVID-19 for who knows how long. Otherwise, I could have had free shipping in the US, and picked it up across the border in Washington state. So, I've just invested a big chunk of change into my 11 year old Tundra. But, when I bought it a year ago (used, for cash, no payments), I decided I will drive it for at least 10 more years to get my money's worth out of it. I ended up spending about $3000 USD (or about $4000 CAD) with Diamondback, total cost with tax and prepaid duty. A friend of mine just bought a nice clean low mileage minivan for that same amount of money and will probably drive it for the next 10 years and probably put no more money into it unless it breaks down and won't run. Looking at it that way, this is a lot of money to pay for a single truck accessory. On top of that, since I do not have the physical strength or mechanical aptitude, I paid a local garage to install the tonneau cover for me. I had it shipped directly to them. Ended up costing about $250 to get it installed, paid straight time ($125/hr x 2hrs). Unfortunately it did not take 45 minutes like the instructions suggested (that also included removing my old tonneau cover). And this garage said they have installed a Diamondback tonneau cover for another customer in the past.

Overall Impressions: As most people have mentioned, the build quality is excellent. I have to agree with that. This is a solid, well made tonneau cover. I don't think there is anything else like it on the market. The only weak link is potentially the lock cylinders. They are the same types used on travel trailers and utility trailers, so if someone knows how to pick them, they can open the tonneau cover. I don't think they could force open the lid. The deadbolt style arms that latch into the bed rails are quite secure. Someone would have to hack apart or cut the box of the truck or tonneau to get in if they can't pick or force open or pick the lock. It may not be perfect, but it's light years ahead of any competing tonneau cover I know of. I hope the seals flatten out soon so I can open and close the tailgate without needing to open the tonneau cover lid first in order to close the tailgate. The mechanic who installed it said I should do it this way or the seal will get ripped. I think as it compresses (especially in the hot summer temperatures), that will help. I also bought some rubber seal conditioner that's meant for RV slideout seals, though I should check the instructions (which the mechanic kept). I believe Diamondback recommends applying Armorall to keep the seals soft and lubricated.

No major flaws, just a minor one: A few people mentioned manufacturing flaws in their tonneau covers and there's a clearance section on the Diamondback website for these kinds of returned items. That was a bit worrisome, but luckily those are few and far between. Mine did not have any flaws. I've gone in once to have it adjusted, after 10 days, as the seals take a while to compress and form to their new shape, but the garage told me I'll need to come back again in about three weeks as the seals on the compartment close to the cab still need a bit more time to set. All of the cleats (along the edges, for the straps) came pre-installed from the factory. Two of them were slightly crooked. That was driving the OCD in me absolutely crazy. The garage that did the installation was able to get them mostly straight. But still, for a premium product at this price point, it's a bit disappointing.

I know it's asking a lot, but... I had one special request that Diamondback was not able to honor. The "DIAMONDBACK" lettering on the back of the tonneau cover is apparently attached with an adhesive before being sprayed with the Line-X bedliner spray coating. Since my truck is debadged, I asked if that lettering could be left off. They said no. I even offered to pay extra. They still said no. Apparently it wouldn't work out in their manufacturing process. I didn't quite understand the technical explanation, but the general gist probably means that it's just easier for them if all of the tonneau covers are the same rather than watching for one that needs to not have lettering on it. So now, if I want to remove the lettering, I need to pry it off, smooth it out, maybe sand it, use some filler, sand again, go to a place that sprays Line-X bedliner, pay them to spray that area and hope they can blend it in so that the color and texture matches. The way I see it, it would have been so much easier to have just left off the lettering in the first place. I know I'm just a number to them, one of many thousands of customers and it would have just been a hassle so it was easier to say no. And if I said it was a dealbreaker, they probably would have said said "ok, no problem, we hope you find another brand of tonneau cover you like." I'm sure losing one sale while they've got a 5 week wait for orders would have been no big deal to them. But to me, that's a lot of money, and a big decision, and I otherwise really, really like their product. And now if I want to keep up with the debaged theme on my truck, it's going to cost me a bunch of money and effort. Oh well. Aside from that, and the high price (and the extra fees in my case), I still like the tonneau cover.

Anyways, I don't want to end on a sour note, because I really do like the tonneau cover, even though I haven't had it for very long or used it much. But, I can see it is very good quality and will probably last as long, or longer than the truck (which should also last a very long time!). The Diamondback HD tonneau cover with its 12 cleats and Line-X bedliner coating gives my truck a tough, bad @ss look! So, it not only looks tough, it IS tough! It will support 1600 pounds on top of it (which is more than my payload capacity). I've had several compliments on it already, although I kind of like to look ordinary and go under the radar, but can't have it both ways. Being able to open the front half (the part close to the cab), with the optional 8" deep bin is great, so I don't have to reach all the way down, or try to reach from the tailgate to the other end of the box, though if I have something taller, there is still room for that too. Or for larger items, they can go at the back by the tailgate. I'm not sure that I'll ever need to haul anything close to 1600 pounds on top of the tonneau cover, but it's nice to know that I can.

This tonneau cover will fit 2007-2013 Tundra CrewMax models only, so if I get another truck, (it would probably be a third gen 2014+ Tundra CrewMax, maybe DoubleCab) it won't fit. But I plan on keeping my 2009 Tundra for at least 10 more years. Who knows what the value of it will be then, but hopefully having a Diamondback HD tonneau cover on it will boost the resale value and desirability a bit. Now that Diamondback has been around for a while, there have been many repeat buyers as well as others who bought a Diamondback tonneau cover many years ago and still have it. So, that's a good thing.

I didn't get any pictures of the cross bin, but maybe I'll get some pics of that later, or if I'm hauling some large piece of furniture on top with ratcheting straps, or set up a patio table and chairs and have a party on top, lol!