I recently decided I need some kind of covering for my load body. I don't like canopies very much, so a toneau type cover was the obvious next step. My initial idea was something like a canvas toneau cover, but the factory toneau costs about AU$500 Not something you notice when you buy it new and a spec a few options, but as an aftermarket extra, way too much in my books.
I then looked at hard covers, of which there are a few options:
-Glass fibre lid, about AU$1200, doesn't open much, therefore limited access.
-Roll-up type covers, AU$1500, takes up quite a bit of space at the front of the load body.
-African Outback cover, about AU$1350, but you need AU$450 slide drawer to get to your stuff, because it doesn't open very much either.
One thing that really peeved me about existing options was the limited opening angle!
I had some parts from my trailer building days and some steel, so I decided to build my own lid. I had a chat to a friend who builds canopies, who's opinion I respect, but the way he suggested, didn't work for me, so I went ahead and did it my way using the materials I already had. I decided to cover it with aluminium tread plate, although a bit expensive for a cheap cover, it would help with the aesthetics.
I had some 40x40x3 angle iron, so I used that with the angle iron resting on the edge of the load body and going into the load body.
First obstacle to overcome was the fact that you don't get an aluminium tread plate wide enough to cover the entire load body, so I would have to cut a sheet into 4 pieces. I built the frame to suite the 4 pieces of plate.
This is the frame already welded up and bolted to the load body at the front.
Another pic of the frame. The jack is standing on a scale. I jacked up the cover in the area the gas struts would attach to get an initial idea of the forces involved.
I used 4 mild steel hinges I already had. I welded them to the frame and bolted then to the front lip of the load body. I don't usually weld hinges, but I didn't want protruding fasteners visible from the top.
Another view. Here you can see the angle iron resting on the edge and going into the load body.
I had a set of these latches, but the one's key was missing. I paid AU$14 for the key, instead of buying a new matching set for AU$45.
The bottom of the frame was already painted with 2 coats of black etch primer, but the top was left bare for the gluing to follow.
I decided to bend the frame a bit to create some preload in the frame at the point where the gas struts will attach.
Then came the gluing of the plates. I used the entire tube of Sikaflex 252, put the plates in place with the help of a friend and left it overnight with a bit of weight along the joints.
After the gluing I refitted the latches, and I mounted the gas struts. I had to buy a longer gas strut than intended, so I had to ad an extra bracket for them to attach to.
One of my clients made up some latch blocks for the locks and I added 2 extra aluminium reinforcement tubes under the rear section. I don't intent to ever load anything on the lid, so I don't need a lot of strength and I don't want to ad much more weight to the rear section as it puts a lot of extra force into the struts.
To keep the tail gate closed when the lid is locked, I fitted these little latches on either side. Not much, but you only have the plastic handle to pull on when the lid is closed. I might replace them later on with something better.
This is the end result! Probably not to everyone's taste, but exactly what I wanted, and it perfectly suits my needs and it suits the look I want for my vehicle.
When you open the latches, 2 gas struts lift the lid to about 80 degrees open. This gives me easy access to load stuff from the side of the load body, because it is almost completely out of your way. The nylon rope is there to help you pull it back down, or to prevent it from going too high when you're inside a building.
The total cost was about AU$335.00
..........ps what was the total man hrs involved 
