Special Notice: Global Accessories, the original manufacturer or Downey and LeBra Tonneau Covers, has been liquidated and it no longer sells Tonneau Covers. We are working to get a new Tonneau Cover Vendor online and are looking at Lund, Extang, Truxedo, and other brands to add to our selection. We apologize for the inconvenience in the meantime.
Soft Tonneau Covers, (also spelled Tonno Covers ) are a popular way of securing cargo, protecting it from the elements, and saving on gasoline. Among the many brands of coverings for pickup trucks, Downey and Lebra are two of the pioneers in the industry, having designed models that require no drilling whenever possible. By using aluminum frames and specialized clamps, they have designed system including the popular snap on, channel lock, top mounted, lift (with the same system found in car trunks) and even glowing covers. On top of these, the rolling (top spin) and tri-fold (quick flip) covers make it possible to choose how you want to cover your truck bed. Some models allow you to mount the frame and still use camper tops and other hardware that mounts to the rails of the truck. All of the tonneau covers in our inventory are easy to install and remove. We've even got glowing models for truck enthusiasts who like to cruise the town on Saturday nights.
How Does the Tonno Cover Save Gas? If you've watched the Mythbusters show on cable television, you may remember the show where a truck was driven with the gate down while another was driven with the gate up. It turned out that the truck with the gate up got better mileage because the scooping motion of the truck created an air vortex that channeled air over the pickup bed. Two problems with this simulation are that you probably want a tailgate on the back of your truck and you're still creating drag by scooping up all that air. A better solution is to turn the truck bed into a flat surface that does not scoop up air and create any drag at all! Just about any tonneau cover will do this for you. The consensus among drivers is that you can save from 7-11% on gas consumption, but obviously this depends on how far and how fast you drive. Many of our customers are rural farm workers and contractors, so they drive long distances on a daily basis, because for some reason the job is never next to your home, and if it is then you need to go and get something (animal feed, anyone?) that isn't. Sure enough, you don't want to leave your tools and perishables in the rain, and even out in the country there are lots of prying eyes, so those expensive tools might be better off out of sight. Even if you're just driving in the city and do too much stop-and-go to save gas, your tonneau cover is still an insurance policy.
Given the variability in the price of Gasoline from one month to the next, the Tonneau Cover is still an economical idea, just as it was before the gas crisis. Vinyl tonneaus reduce the overall cost of gas in addition to securing goods from theft and loss. For those of you who have loose trash in the back of your truck, you know that you can sometimes buy 2 tonneau covers for the price of a single littering ticket. You're also adding to the overall value of your vehicle. You can even buy tonneaus that protect against heavy snow, and anyone who has had to shovel out a truck bed will see the value of the LeBra or Downey model tonno cover.
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