Installing A Vertical Lift Tonneau Cover On A Ford F350 - Better Than A Six-Pack!

The Install
1. Our guinea pig was this Ford F-350, and it was time to get this innovative camper on it. First thing at getting the tonneau cover on the truck was to mount the scissor tracks to the side of the bedrails. It would be a good idea to have some friends around and ready to lend you a hand at this.

2. With those helping hands, the tracks are spaced out properly beside the bedrail. Then, the tracks are secured with the use of the provided clamps. They are placed in the slots of the underside and are tightened closed.

3. Then, the scissor tracks are opened up to double-check the alignment of their mounting. This should give you a good idea of how high the lid will lift up. Now that we've checked the tracks, we need to brace them together. A pre-measured piece of box tubing is placed in between the two tracks and bolted to both of them. This bar will also prevent flexing of the tracks when the tonneau is up.

4. To move the tracks and pop open the lid, a set of hydraulics are used for their lifting capabilities. To secure them down, a set of brackets are attached under the tracks on all four corners. Then, the hydraulic cylinders are placed in, from under the track, and connected to the brackets.

5. The cylinders are matched up to the holes on the scissor lift. Washers are placed on both sides of the hydraulic mount to reduce friction. Then, a pin is slid through all the holes, and outside C-clips lock everything into place.

6. The pump for the cylinders is electrically powered, and cables must be run to the battery. A big enough hole must be cut in the bed to pull the two wires through. Luckily, on this F-350, there is a plastic piece that can be trimmed to accommodate the lines. The wires are run to the battery, and a fuse is connected in between to prevent a short.

7. This pump will push out the fluid that will extend the hydraulics upward. It is placed in the front, driver side of the bed. It can be mounted with either hook-and-loop tape or, in this case, self-tapping screws.

8. The hydraulic cylinders, pump, and lines all come preassembled in the box. The lines are all measured out from the manufacturer and come connected with fluid in them. All that has to be done is to snap them into the pre-cut holes on the tracks.

9. Once the hydraulics and their components are installed, it is time to cover them up. Plastic covers are screwed to the bed and the scissors tracks. Now all the working mechanisms are to remain hidden as the sturdy covers are to conceal everything that looks out of place.

10. With the hydraulics wired up, a switch is positioned on the lower dash and to the left of the steering wheel. Now the driver can lift the tonneau with the ease of a tap from this switch.

11. After the scissor lifts and hydraulics are fully completed, the tonneau can be put over the assembly. Then, again, your friends can help you do this as the fiberglass lid has a good amount of weight to it. The tonneau is then simply bolted to the top of the tracks.

13. To wrap up the camper, the waterproof vinyl sides are placed on with hook-and-loop tape. It only takes five minutes to go from the compacted lid to full-on camper that isn't lacking in space or size. It's a good way to go from full-custom truck to a complete housing for the weekend warrior. The tonneaus and campers are available for most trucks with long or short beds. Now you can have your camper and drive off like it was never there.