Well Covered Roll-N-Lock Retractable Cover

We installed a Roll-N-Lock retractable bed cover on our 2011 Ram 3500 and have been testing it for the past six months. We'll show you how this install went and give you our feedback on this bed cover.

Roll-N-Lock's retractable cover features an aluminum cover that is made from extruded tubes of aluminum. These tubes are segmented together for strength and then covered with a naugahyde skin that makes the cover look smooth like leather. The cover moves forward and back on tracks that are mounted along the top of the truck bed. When the bed cover is in the open position, it rolls up in an aluminum enclosure that is mounted at the front of the bed. The cover is lockable and is supposed to be secure enough to prevent theft of your cargo. The manufacturer has even produced a video which shows a man standing on top of the closed cover and striking it repeatedly with a crow bar.

All parts and hardware for the bed cover came included in the kit from Roll-N-Lock. Installation was simple and only required one person to perform in about 2.5 hours.

First, we mounted these guide rails to the bed with self-tapping metal screws on the inside edge of the forward section of the bed.

Next, we mounted the cover enclosure. It fits between the guide rails we mounted first.

These tracks for the cover clamp to the inside edge of the bed rails, which doesn't require any drilling in the bed.

The aluminum clamps are able to adjust as needed to ensure that the tracks are aligned for smooth operation of the retractable cover.

Next, we attached this latch strip to the inside edge of the tailgate with self-tapping screws. This is where the cover latches when it's in the closed position. We like that the cover locks to the tailgate with its own lock and latch system. In addition to that, the Ram has an integrated tailgate lock in its handle.

When the cover is in the closed position, water may run on the cover into the cover enclosure where the cover is stored in the open position. Because of this, the enclosure has a couple of drain tubes that allow water to drain out of the bed. The tubes go through the rubber plugs that came in the bed from the factory.

Roll-N-Lock's cover is able to latch in several positions along the bed tracks, which allows for the cover to be closed partially while the truck travels.

We really like this cover. Tonneau covers are a great idea, but they're not always practical in their design. We like this cover because it easily retracts to give you almost full use of the truck bed (all but 12 inches). It's lockable and secure. It has a low profile, laying flat with the top of the bed rails. The connection system is clean, reliable, and easy to use without snaps or hinges. To open the cover, you simply twist the latch and allow the cover to retract into its "garage" at the front of the bed. To close, you just pull on a nylon strap to bring the cover toward you to the rear of the bed, where it locks in place.

It's no big deal to get a foot of snow buildup on this cover, because it will hold the weight. We give the Roll-N-Lock an A on its report card. We'd definitely buy this cover.