Sled Hauling Made Easy

If you tend to haul your sled in the bed of your pickup, then having a tonneau cover for all of those other times you're not heading into the mountains is hard to justify. The main problem is most tonneau covers roll or fold up when not in use and take up a large section of the front of your bed. This can be a real deal-breaker for sled hauling, especially if your truck bed is 6-foot, 2 inches like the one on our 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. With every inch counting in an attempt to keep your sled from hanging too far past your tailgate, you simply can't afford to give up precious room with a traditional folded tonneau cover. Plus uninstalling and re-installing your entire tonneau cover between riding trips would waste a lot of time and is just not practical.

However, one manufacturer has it figured out. Peragon Bed Covers is a Wisconsin-based company who specializes in a variety of tonneau covers for all makes and models. What makes Peragon different from others is its covers are quickly folded and easily removed when you need access to your entire truck bed.The key-locking tonneau bed cover provides deadbolt level security when you need it most, and keeps your gear out of the elements when you're not hauling your sled. Simply put, there is no permanent canister taking up space so you can use your entire truck bed when loading your sled to go riding. The cover retracts to just 7 inches and the panel assembly quick-releases in 30 seconds or less with no tools needed. And at just 35 pounds you can wrap the strap around it a couple of times to create a handle and the lightweight panels can easily stow in the cab of your truck or in your garage. Re-installing it is just as easy.Based on the year of our 5.9L Cummins project truck, we had three options to select from, the Classic, the Platinum or the LimitedHD Edition. In a typical Goldilocks response, we went with Peragon's top-of-the line retractable tonneau cover that proved to be “just right” for our needs.

The LimitedHD comes with a five-year warranty and uses stainless steel hardware, sealed ball bearings and an aluminum track. The no-drill QuickClamp install was simple and the step-by-step video series was easy-to-follow and took all the guesswork out of it while providing helpful tips to ensure it was being assembled correctly. The install was done at Powertech Diesel in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and the only real time-consuming part was fine-tuning the cover so it would roll smoothly before tightening everything up.

Key features of the LimitedHD Edition include dual deadbolt security that truly provides peace of mind and its trademarked XRP Rugged Matte Finish. We absolutely love the look of it, but more importantly, we appreciate the design and function that provide us with a best-of-both-worlds scenario. For years we wrongfully assumed we couldn't have a tonneau cover if we needed the entire length of our truck bed for sled hauling and Peragon proved otherwise.The American-made and family operated company is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and just released its LimitedHDx Edition for RAM trucks 2019 and newer with a ruggedized powdercoat finish. If you're in a similar situation and have been looking for a better system, Peragon truly offers what you've been searching for in a versatile tonneau truck bed cover.

The Peragon cover is just one of the many upgrades we've made to our SnoWest project truck that includes an Iron Horn 5.9L Turbo Kit and injectors from BD Diesel, intake and Monster exhaust from Banks, Juice with Attitude CTS3 tuner from EDGE, Fusion Bumpers with Rigid SR-Series Pro 6-inch spot/flood lights, and 18-inch Fuel Krank Wheels from Wheel Pros that were wrapped in Geolandar A/T XD tires. A full build recap is coming in one of our early fall issues.