Tonneau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tonneau (US: /tʌˈnoʊ/, UK: /ˈtɒnoʊ/) in modern use describes a bed cover for a pickup truck. It can be hard or soft. Hard covers optionally hinge or fold.
Its original (now archaic) use was for an open rear passenger compartment on an automobile and, by extension, a body style incorporating such a compartment. The word comes originally from French, roughly meaning cask, container, or cover. Most tonneaus were fixed in place as an optional element at purchase, but some could be removed as on the Crestmobile. Early tonneaus had a rear-facing hinged door as a rule, but single- or dual-side doors were soon introduced. The first side-door tonneau was made by Peerless, but others quickly followed suit. This led to the development of the modern sedan/saloon, with Cadillac manufacturing the first production closed-body four-door car in 1910.
In the post-World War II era the term has come to refer to the area behind the front seats of an open car (a convertible or roadster). The term tonneau cover is sometimes used for a hard or soft cover that encloses the well for the convertible top and/or the rear seating/storage area. The tonneau cover dates to the days of horse-drawn cargo wagons, and later to early trucks, where a tarpaulin was commonly used to protect a load from road dust or weather. Similarly, early open-bodied touring-type automobiles used tonneau covers to protect unoccupied rear seats. Quite often the word is spelled incorrectly as "tonno".
A tonneau covering the rear half of bed was often used on electric trucks to reduce wind resistance and increase the range.
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[edit] Current use and styles
Tonneau covers are used by owners of utility vehicles and trucks to cover and secure their pickup bed, and they come in a variety of styles.[1] [2]
The most basic type is made from cloth or vinyl and uses a rib-like system to support the fabric and keep it taut. A snap-based system can also be used, but is less common now because most truck owners do not want to install the snaps on their vehicle as they typically require drilling or using permanent adhesive.[3]
The next most common type of tonneau cover is called a "roll-up", which is a unit mounted at the front of the bed just behind the cab. This unit is usually a small rectangular box attached at each side of the bed. Inside this box is a retractable fabric or plastic cover that can be rolled out and secured to the end of the bed. These have the benefit of being more convenient to use as they don't involve any difficult or time consuming assembly or disassembly unlike other styles.[4]
Fiberglass or hard plastic tonneau covers are quite popular because they have what is generally agreed upon to be the best appearance. They tend to be painted to match the truck, (unlike the other styles which are generally black), they are solid in construction, and they can be locked making them more secure than the other options. These covers are usually heavy and require gas struts to assist in opening and closing. They operate much like a vehicle's hood, typically opening from the tailgate end of the bed (back to front). However, some are available with multiple compartments that will open front to back, back to front, side to side, or even raise vertically. Fiberglass or hard plastic tonneau covers are sometimes installed as a factory option with some new vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Silverado and Avalanche, Ford Sport Trac, and Honda Ridgeline (to name a few).[5]
[edit] Benefits
Tonneau covers offer a number of benefits to pick-up truck owners:
- Protection from weather A tonneau cover will protect truck contents and the truck bed itself from rain, sleet, snow, and hail. Tonneau covers also protect contents from the damaging effects of the heat of the sun.
- Security and theft protection Tonneau covers offer increased security because the time it would take to open or remove a truck bed cover would discourage theft. For added security, a locking mechanism is available.
- Organization and safe transport Truck bed covers keep cargo from rolling and rattling around, and can help prevent damage and breakage. Tonneau covers also keep contents from being blown around or blown out of the truck by wind.
- Improved aerodynamics and gas mileage Because of their open truck beds, trucks are not aerodynamic or fuel efficient. By adding a tonneau cover to the truck, air slides off the cover rather than getting trapped in the bed and creating drag. It will immediately improve gas mileage as a result of the aerodynamic improvement gained by covering the truck bed.[6]
[edit] Other uses
"Tonneau case" is used to describe a type of watch case, with rounded, bulging sides resembling a barrel (or cask).
Optional tonneau covers were once available for open sport cars such as the MGA and Austin Healy 3000. These covers, made of leather or vinyl, covered the entire passenger compartment, and were zippered to enable the driver's seating area to be uncovered, while the passenger seat and small rear storage space remained covered. These were often used in lieu of a hard or soft convertible top.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Tonneau Covers Tonneau Cover Styles
- ^ Tonneau Covers Tonneau Cover Styles
- ^ Snapless Tonneau Cover TruXedo: Tonneau Cover Manufacturer
- ^ Roll-Up Style Cover Roll-N-Lock "Roll Up" Style Cover
- ^ Factory Installed Tonneau Chevy Silverado Factory Cover
- ^ Tonneau Covers Truck Champ Learning Center
- ^ MGA Style Tonneau Tonneau Cover on MGA
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