Can anyone recommend a better tonneau cover clamp?
The ones I have suck, they don’t get tight enough and constantly fall off, they look like the ones shown below (Access brand)
I see a plethora of different styles out there, and honestly they all look like a better design.
Screenshot_20200330-155351.png
Stainless bolts..
What kind of truck do you have and what brand of cover? Over time these do loosen up a bit but most times the cause starts because the cover is loose and flaps going down the road.. keep tension tight and it should hold better. Also, be sure to have the clamps lined up with each other. If one side is higher than the other it won’t hold as tight. You can see on your picture that one part of the clamp is below the other.
I’ve had two Access covers on two different pickups over the last ten years. I’ve never had one clamp get loose. The Access products are heads and tails better than most others. Double check that you have them installed correctly.
What kind of truck do you have and what brand of cover? Over time these do loosen up a bit but most times the cause starts because the cover is loose and flaps going down the road.. keep tension tight and it should hold better. Also, be sure to have the clamps lined up with each other. If one side is higher than the other it won’t hold as tight. You can see on your picture that one part of the clamp is below the other.
I have an Access brand, it’s the same type of clamp in the picture above.
That’s the only way they work, one part below the other. It’s a terrible design in my opinion. The bolt acts as a pivot point, and it’s below halfway. The geometry doesn’t make sense.
When you wrench down hard on it the entire clamp just spins sideways. If you start it at the top of the slot, it just rolls down as you tighten it. Then it pinches the bottom more than the top (where it needs to tighten). A regular C clamp would be much better.
I was thinking about going with something like this?
Screenshot_20200330-193606.png
Had Access brand since 2003 and never loosened up.
Ive installed hundreds of them when I used to sell them. Those are the best clamps for a cover. The customer service at agri cover is pretty good. Give them a call or send a quick email and they can help you out and trouble shoot it. The c clamp for toppers won’t work very well and I know that from experience.
Also, where you clamp them on certain types of vehicles can make a difference. Some vehicles have a bit more metal under the bed rail in certain areas.
Was gonna say the same as Andrew. I cant even think how many hundreds of them covers ive sold and or installed including 4 to myself over the years. Never heard of or had one come loose.
You may also have it backwards. Its been awhile but im pretty sure the tall part of the clamp should face the inside of the box.
I’ll play with it when I get home and see if any of them are backwards. Thanks guys
Apperently its been a while since I installed one. I went upstairs and opened one to look at the directions. It looks like you have it on the right way.
I have the same and when I used a Milwaukee small impact rather than tightening with a ratchet they have held in place much better
The pic in B-man’s post appears to be a screenshot of an ad by an E-Bay seller. Not a pic of his cover and truck. Hope he gets it figured out.
It was the first image I found of the same style clamps I have.
In my first post I said “constantly fall off,” that was an exaggeration, but I’ve had problems with a couple clamps loosening and dropping even after tightening and installing just like in this video. If I really try to tighten them down they want to spin.
The impact drill idea will definitely be worth a try.
I really think it’s just a bad design on how they tighten. The bolt is below the center pivot point, not above it.
I love my cover, it’s my third Access cover on three different trucks, but I just can’t keep these tight for more than a handful of months. It’s the rear most ones that give me the most trouble.
I don’t remember having any troubles in the past, but I don’t remember if the clamps were any different either.
The one I have now is a Tonnosport Low Profile, maybe it uses different clamps than my other ones had?
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