Caps/Toppers/camper shells

[65plymouth]

Guys.. Looking at "Caps" (as they are called in this part of Michigan). Looking at Leer vs A.R.E. Owned both in the past and seemed to like the Leer better. Although the Leer was a 2006 vintage and the ARE was a 2012 Vintage. I hated that the ARE drained water into the bed from the top corners of the back glass every time it was opened during or after a rain. I prefer a basic model with sliding side windows, framed back glass, and double locking T-handles in the back. Not looking for the SUV or Limo look. I still want the truck to look like a truck. Nothing complicated. Unfortunately Snugtop is out of the question as they have no dealers east of the Mississippi and I refuse to pay $800.00 shipping for that reason.

I am interested in seeing some photos of PW's with caps and also interested in opinions on brands. The cap will be used off road quite often and I need something that isn't going to fall apart. Not sure if LEER or ARE have cheapened up over time or if they are still built pretty stout.

It seems that Leer dealers in this area are few and far between yet ARE dealers are all over the place. I visited the Leer website and had to request a custom quote for the 2016 2500 crew cab. Not sure why... caps for 2015's were also not available to build online.

Thanks

[yooper68]

some yoopers call them "toppers". mine is not on a PW; I have been very happy with it. See photo in my signature, or I can post more photos. (I'm pretty sure it is Century brand, "Royal" model). Cost was around $1500 but that was 10 years ago & was a custom special order. My boys don't like it because I make them crawl inside to stack firewood (and to unload firewood). It has never leaked (except if side windows are left open).

[verdesardog]

Off brand, don't remember which one it is. I have used it extensively off highway, no problems after the 5 years I have owned and it was used when I got it with my truck.

[RustyPW]

I have a Leer 100XR with the sliding side windows with screen, the sliding front window that folds down for cleaning. The cap has a front and rear led lights, and a 3 way 12v plug in the rear. It also has a headliner. I've been happy with it.

One thing that happened to mine. I had a stainless tail gate cap. When they installed the bed cap and shut the tail gate. The stainless tail gate cap broke the corners of the bed cap. I have a small chip gone from each corner. That's the only place the bed cap leaks water when it rains. I have since removed the tail gate cap.

[Ducky's Dad]

Out here we call them shells. I have SnugTop cab-high shells on three trucks (PW, Z71, Tundra). Bought two of the SnugTops used and the one I bought new is about 18 years old. The old one leaks a little around the rear window, but it's been backed into a tree and the rubber seals are shot. Don't know if you can get SnugTops in your area, but when I look around, they seem to have the best build quality. Went hunting last week with a guy who has a new 2016 Ram 1500 LB with a Leer shell on it. I like my 11-year old SnugTop better than his two-week old Leer, but I think he got one of the low-end Leers without a lot of features.

The fold-down front window is very handy. Otherwise, you'll never get those glass surfaces clean.

[TwinStick]

I have an ARE MX series custom made to my specs. Never thought I would live long enough to see that less actually costs more, but it does. Mine was $3689.00 out the door. I absolutely LOVE it.

Toolbox on d-side only.
Yakima roof rack w/keyed alike locks & 2 bars.
Interior carpet spray on stuff (free), normally a $135 option.
Dual rear handle/locks.
No windows at all (except the front cause there is no choice there. It is a non opening window---NO LEAKS at all), body colored inserts instead of windows. Better security & one less thing to break.
2 Handle/Locks on both side opening windoors
Power block (3 -12v plug in outlets)
Full LED lighting. 3/4 led in rear facing forward, w/switch to shut them all off, come on when rear door is opened, or all on. 4' led strip in tool box, 4' led strip when opening pass side hatch. In total darkness, they are wicked bright.
4 attachment C-clamp thingies
Cloths rack that folds up into roof

I have stood on top of mine (230lbs) & felt zero give or flex. I would have no problem putting some plywood in my basket & putting a chair up there to watch races & such. Actually getting up there safely is the issue. Yes it was expensive but it works great & is exactly what I wanted. Color matched red to my truck.

The little bit of extra room (5-6") does not seem like much but it really makes a HUGE difference for me. Getting in & out of the bed is much easier & I have had MANY things in the bed that would not have fit with a cab high cap. GL with your choice.

[Ducky's Dad]

I have stood on top of mine (230lbs) & felt zero give or flex.

I added Yakima rack bars and a Con-Ferr 4'x6' basket, plus an EZ-Awn Bat 270 (270 degrees of shade, seven feet wide across driver's side and rear) and a big water tank (was 18+ gallons, new one is about 13 gallons). Shell handles everything nicely, but I had to replace my Yak bars with their HD version (double wall thickness). The old Z71 with standard Yak bars has had 1100 pounds of lumber on it, bent the bars but did not damage the shell. SnugTop and others offer a reinforced roof for heavy loads, but none of mine have that.

Just added pics of the SnugTop on my '05 PW. Right side has the water tank, left side has the awning. Rear shot shows Yak bars, Con-Ferr basket, and the four MaxTrax that are padlocked up there. Still lots of room in the basket for camping gear, decoy bags, gear carts, etc.

[Reloaderguy]

I have a Snugtop, I think it is well made but it has needed a warranty repair. As a 4th Gen owner I think the single most important feature is the strength and durability of the rear tailgate lip/cover. The 4th Gen Rams have spoiler built into the tailgate that necessitates a cap structure built into the rear window. If you buy a cap without one water will pool on the gate and leak into the bed. The cheaper caps have poorly designed rear windows <COUGH>ARE<COUGH>. Snugtop and Leer have the best. All the rest is purely preference.

As far as preferences go, I have electric locks on the rear window/gate that lock and unlock with the tailgate. That is a feature I would not go without, the dual T-handles suck in comparison. My rear window lock is wired directly into the harness under the truck along with the brake lights.

[RustyPW]

If I had roof racks on mine. I would have ripped them off, off-roading because of the trees. I have pin stripping on my roof.

Here is firerecuse and me trying to put pin strips on our roofs.

phpBB [video]

Clickable link for Tapatalk

[Ducky's Dad]

If I had roof racks on mine. I would have ripped them off, off-roading because of the trees.

Trees? What trees? We don't need no stinkin' trees.

[Will]

The GOOD

I had a Century Royal Top on my truck for 2 years and absolutely loved it. It never leaked a drop of water and has the cap for the tail gate so the window closes tightly. It had a single lever in the middle but locked on both sides, a cable is attached to each lock from the twist lever in the middle. Locks are very secure. The shell is really tough, I drive aggressively off-road to the point that the clamps would not hold it still enough, I through bolted it to the bed rail to hold it still. LED interior light. the side windows turn out with a hand knob, screens. Sliding window up front and what they called the clothes hanger inside. I had two of them put in mainly for the extra support embedded in the fiberglass in case I ever wanted to hang something from the ceiling.

The Century top was cheaper and just as good, if not better quality, in my opinion, versus the ARE, Snug, and Leer, we have all of them here. I liked the look better as well, but all opinion.

I would measure your bed in comparison to the other years, I dont think the bed size changed from say a 2012...

The BAD http://forum.powerwagonregistry.org/vie ... d+with+cab

I thought it was from very aggressive driving but discovered at about a 20mph roll on the right wash board road where the cab and bed shakes, my top connected with the cab. The cab rides on hydro mounts and I believe the cab would try to remain stable while the frame and bed would take the shaking. Basically, the cab and bed do not ride together very well. There was 1.25" between the top of the cap/shell and the top of the cab but it managed to connect. I flexed it extremely and there was still a good inch between them so it was the shaking that did it. Needless to say, the topper took the hit but the cab didn't. I got the cab repaired and sold the topper...

[Ducky's Dad]

the clamps would not hold it still enough, I through bolted it to the bed rail to hold it still

All my shells are through-bolted for stability and to provide tie-down points inside the shell. I used some footman's loops with backing plates and some galvanized eye bolts, depending on where I was bolting. Very handy for strapping stuff down on rough roads and for stabilizing loads of lumber and crates of material.

[65plymouth]

Awesome pics guys... Nice rigs.. Long day at work today. I will post a response tomorrow. Still waiting for a leer dealer to contact me regarding availability for the 2016 PW. Also, Reloader you mentioned that the cap glass/tailgate is of concern. I want to avoid issues. Does A.R.E have a poorly designed rear cap glass? Without actually looking at the different caps for the 4th gens, I wouldnt even know what is poorly designed vs good designed.

PS... If anyone was following my LED pod thread a week or tow ago, i finally got everything installed and working. I will update that thread with photos and the issues I ran into. Reloader, Thanks again for all your help with that thread. I copied your wiring harness pigtails (with resistors) and everything works perfectly.

Will add more tomorrow. Tired like a dog..

[Reloaderguy]

It isn't the glass, it is the lip (for lack of a better term) at the bottom of the glass. Snugtop and Leer have structures at the bottom of the glass that cover the top of the tailgate. ARE does also but there are tons of reports of ARE's breaking. On the caps that do not have the tailgate cover, water pools and can leak under the glass.

You can see it in this picture:

[Reloaderguy]

I'm glad you got the lights working, it's really pretty easy. Post up pictures when you get them.

[65plymouth]

It isn't the glass, it is the lip (for lack of a better term) at the bottom of the glass. Snugtop and Leer have structures at the bottom of the glass that cover the top of the tailgate. ARE does also but there are tons of reports of ARE's breaking. On the caps that do not have the tailgate cover, water pools and can leak under the glass.

Thanks for the responses guys. Lots of good opinions here. I am pretty serious about a leer or A.R.E and would consider Snugtop but the closest dealer is in IL (Not sure why the have nothing east). As Reloader mentioned, Being a 4th gen owner, I am concerned about the tailgate and cap glass fitment. I read that leer is/was requiring an Aftermarket cap on the tailgate to mate with the back glass on the shell and that they did not try to incorporate the cap lip into the glass like other manufacturers... Not sure if This is still the case or not. I am not having a lot of luck finding many 4th gen owners online with Leer caps for some reason. If anyone has links to threads let me know. I think I like the Leer better based on my previous experience but I cant get a fricken dealer to contact me.

There are 3 Leer dealers within 50 miles of me. I emailed the two closest dealers on Tuesday and am still waiting on a response. I also submitted a customer service comment directly to Leer via their website and have yet to get a response. Maybe Leer doesn't want me to buy a cap from them. It is also odd that when I bought the A.R.E for a previous truck that the big cap dealer in town dropped leer because they were not standing behind warranty work and not taking care of customers. Huh... we will see what happens. I am ready to buy now and really need something before deer season gets going and the snow flies.

[cruz]

Have you considered a commercial shell ? Lots of ways to configure them , including height . One thing I really like are the double doors in the rear , no more tailgate to deal with . Down the sides you can go with no windows or doors , windows only , doors only , doors with windows . Paint to match . Not cheap but if I were ever to go that route that would be my choice .

[TwinStick]

I was "told" by my dealer, that the MX series w/roof rack option is reinforced with either plywood or 2 x 4"'s sandwiched in between the fiberglass, in a rectangle, to help distribute stress of weight on the roof. I have not been able to confirm this & at the same time, have no reason to doubt this. The inside of roof is definitely lower (by enough) than the top, to think this is the case.

Looking at their wed site, all it says is F- "reinforced roof" & G- "extra reinforcement."
Looks like plywood to me. The "extra reinforcement looks like some type of mesh that is layed into the fiber glass.

Click on "product info", then click on "construction". http://www.4are.com/product/mx/

[Ducky's Dad]

I was "told" by my dealer, that the MX series w/roof rack option is reinforced with either plywood or 2 x 4"'s sandwiched in between the fiberglass, in a rectangle, to help distribute stress of weight on the roof. I have not been able to confirm this & at the same time, have no reason to doubt this. The inside of roof is definitely lower (by enough) than the top, to think this is the case.

When I bought my PW SnugTop in 2005, their reinforcement was supposedly some sort of carbon-fiber honeycomb laminated in the roof. Their factory was right down the road from the old Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas plant in Long Beach, so that seems to possibly be true. I did not get it, too expensive.

Re the issues with shell dealers and manufacturers getting back to you (or not), that seems to be endemic to the industry. SnuTop's customer service is non-existent. They won't answer questions, won't sell parts, won't even give you part numbers. Standard answer to any inquiry is "call your dealer." I used to work about two miles from their factory, but I had to drive 35 miles to get a part I needed.

[TwinStick]

Same here. But my dealer has been fantastic. The salesman even called me after a week & asked how I liked it. Told him I loved it. Hit a torrential rain storm on the way home from getting cap put on & for about 20 min after I got home too. I crawled up in the back of my truck & saw zero signs of water. It has been a year now & still zero signs of water. They used this shinny black cap seal caulk & it worked great. I don't plan on taking it off but they said if I do they won't gaurentee waterproofness. But he also said, stop back by if you do & for $20 or so they would re-seal it. Can't ask for more than that.

[Ducky's Dad]

They used this shinny black cap seal caulk & it worked great. I don't plan on taking it off but they said if I do they won't gaurentee waterproofness.

No caulk or sealant on mine. All three trucks have plastic caps over the bed rails to protect the paint, and the shells have compression gaskets on the undersides. Never a leak in those areas, but I have the shells through-bolted pretty snugly to the bed rails.

[TwinStick]

Mine has the "over the bed rails" as well & the compression gaskets. they said they found that doing that virtually eliminates anyone ever coming back & saying it leaks. Maybe it was not necessary, IDK. Just happy mine is still leak free. They said it does peel off easily if I ever want to remove the cap.

[Reloaderguy]

My truck has two OE side rail caps and the front bulkhead rail is bare metal. The Snugtop uses a dual bulb seal but the dealer squirted a small amount of silicone where the side rails end and the bare metal begins (at the front). There is also a rub shield that sits in front of the cap between the bed and the cab.

[65plymouth]

My truck has two OE side rail caps and the front bulkhead rail is bare metal. The Snugtop uses a dual bulb seal but the dealer squirted a small amount of silicone where the side rails end and the bare metal begins (at the front). There is also a rub shield that sits in front of the cap between the bed and the cab.

Still trying to get in touch with a Leer dealer that is less than an hour drive. Sungtops sure sound nice, I just wish they had dealers in MI.

[Ducky's Dad]

Just a note to OP: If you are thinking about a spray-in bedliner (a good idea with or without a shell), you might have the bedliner shop just spray the top rails of the the bed and maybe the top of the tailgate to protect the paint and eliminate the plastic rail caps. My old truck has a drop-in bedliner and the bottom edge of the shell's rear window has rubbed through the paint on the top edge of the tailgate because the window edge is lower than the lip of the tailgate liner. On the PW with a spray-in liner, I had the shop wrap the liner up and over the top of the tailgate so that the liner edge is below the bottom edge of the back window. Works great on a 3G, may work on a 4G with that lip.