Installing A LeBra Ultra Lift Tonneau - Budget Bedcover

lebra Ultra Lift Tonneau cover   |   lebra Ultra Lift Tonneau cover In the world of tonneau covers, there are a lot of options to choose from. There are the hard fiberglass styles that look smooth and very custom. There are hard roll-up covers that work great for a workhorse-type truck, and then there are the soft styles. The hard-type covers look awesome but will set you back around 800 bucks or more. What if you are on a tighter budget? On the lower end of the price scale are the soft-style covers. Most of these covers don't open like their hard counter parts, instead they roll up. So, what if you are in the middle like I was? I didn't want to shell out a huge amount of cash, but I still wanted the convenience of a tonneau that opened like a huge trunk lid. After a little searching, I came across the perfect solution to my quandary, the Ultra Lift from LeBra, a Global Accessories Company. The Ultra Lift is a soft tonneau that still opens like the fiberglass unit but will only set me back about 250 bucks. This cover features an aluminum frame that mounts on top of the truck bed with a few clamps. The frame is covered in a nice vinyl and even has a rubber seal to keep out the elements. What makes this tonneau even more convenient than its fiberglass counterparts is simple removal and storage. One person is able to unsnap the gas struts, pull two small pins, and lift the cover off. The unit is stable enough to be stored as it comes off, but if you are limited on space, it can be broken down and stored in a much smaller area. I went to the shop early on a Saturday to install this cover, and as luck would have it, the California sky was not going to cooperate for very long. The normally sunny blue skies were turning dark in a hurry and ready to puke rain. I enlisted the help of my father, Sam, and we had the sucker installed in 15 minutes flat-that's while taking the pictures. We finished just in time for the rain to come down, which wasn't really a problem for me now because the stuff in my bed will stay nice and dry.
What's In The Box?
The LeBra Ultra Lift tonneau cover comes with everything you would need to install it, except for a tape measure and a few wrenches. The framework is constructed from extruded aluminum rails that provide plenty of strength without being heavy. The cover itself is a heavy-weight vinyl that has a plastic strip sewn around the perimeter. Instead of using unsightly snaps, the plastic strip will index in a slot of the frame and hold it in place netting a sturdy hold. You also get a bag of hardware, which includes two gas struts, along with everything else needed to install the tonneau.
lebra Ultra Lift Tonneau final Product   |   lebra Ultra Lift Tonneau final Product The Final Word
How's this for the ultimate seal test? A few seconds after taking the last picture, the rain moved in and soaked my brand-new tonneau. However, the inside of the bed stayed nice and dry. This cover is simple to install and does exactly what I needed it to do, cover my bed, open like a trunk, and not empty my wallet.