Truck bed covers are as varied as the individuals who drive trucks. Some offer weather protection and security, others simply provide a shield to help deflect a portion of the dust and grime the bed accumulates during normal use. A third type offers a high-and-dry place to sleep. Should you cover the bed of your pickup truck, or leave it open? And if you cover it, which type of bed cover best suits your needs? We'll help you decide.

Pros and Cons of Truck Bed Covers originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Friday, February 10th, 2012 at 09:39:50.

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Reviews are a big help for truck owners who want to install a bedliner, bed cover or other accessory on their pickups, and owners searching for reviews always like to hear what you think about the products you use every day.

Review Your Truck Bed Cover
My truck is fitted with a ReTrax bed cover, but I know there are hundreds of other popular pickup truck tonneaus. Before they make a purchase, pickup truck owners nearly always search the Web for pros and cons about specific brands of bed covers. If you have a few minutes, tell us what you think about yours.

Review Your Truck Bedliner
Use this short form to tell us about your truck's bedliner. Would you recommend the liner to your friends, or is it one that should be avoided?

Review Your Truck Accessories originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 06:00:34.

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I installed a RETRAX retractable bed cover on my 1997 Ford F-150 pickup several years ago. After I sold the truck, I sure missed that cover, and must have talked it up enough, because my wife ordered a replacement for the new pickup. I'm still not sure if she missed the cover, too, or if she just didn't want to hear about it anymore. Installation steps vary a little depending on your truck bed, but  you don't need much mechanical expertise to install any of their covers. RETRAX has introduced newer versions since my last purchase was installed, but my bed cover installation and review still offers a good preview of the product.

RETRAX Bed Cover Installation and Review originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at 11:45:34.

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No, the photo isn't scrunched. Suzuki's X-HEAD concept really looks like this. The little truck can be set up with one of three distinct modules to make it useful for specific needs, like the Camper module that sleeps two, and the Fashion configuration that's designed for urban use. The third setup is called the Rescue -- it preps the truck for search and rescue operations.

Photo © Dale Wickell

Suzuki X-HEAD Concept Truck originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 07:45:17.

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Tacoma outsells all of the other trucks in its segment, and appears to be part of Toyota's long-term production plans at a time when other manufacturers are eliminating compact trucks. Maybe Ford and the others should look more closely at Tacoma's success, and then build a truck that buyers want to drive.

Get the facts about features and options you'll see when you shop for a 2012 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.

Photo ©Toyota Motor Corporation.

2012 Toyota Tacoma Truck Features & Options originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 12:41:31.

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Two manufacturers were absorbed into General Motors one hundred years ago to became the company's GMC brand. Newly released facts and photos of trucks from the first hundred years include the company's early electric trucks, buses built for GM's Parade of Progress in 1936 and motorhomes from the 1970s.

Photo © General Motors

GMC Celebrates 100 Years of Trucks originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 11:37:48.

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You'll find all sorts of cargo tie downs to choose from when it's necessary to secure items to a trailer or in the bed of your pickup truck. Ropes, ratchet straps, tarps and different types of netting are a few examples. Each type of tie down system has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes it takes a combination of products to keep your cargo from shifting around during a trip.

Pickup Truck Tie Down Options originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Saturday, January 21st, 2012 at 06:22:10.

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Meet the 2012 Toyota Tacoma Baja T/X pickup truck, actually a pre-production version of the new limited edition truck. Toyota introduced the Tacoma at the Texas State Fair, always the perfect spot to find crowds of truck enthusiasts. The Baja Tacoma isn't one of the big trucks we usually associate with Texas introductions, like the Ford King Ranch, but it should be an attractive option for drivers who want a smaller pickup with off-road capabilities.

Toyota Tacoma Baja T/X Pickup Truck originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 07:01:38.

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Ford showcased its newest collaboration with Harley-Davidson at last year's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a huge annual gathering in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The 2012 truck is an F-150 (we've seen other Harley-branded F-Series trucks since the two companies partnered-up in 1999, even a big F-450). The 2012 truck is available with a white exterior, a first for the limited edition pickup. The interior's snakeskin-like leather trim and glossy black panels are among the truck's unique design elements, and you'll find some fun and useful instrumentation within easy reach. Expect to see plenty of Harley branding inside and out, including a cloisonne logo on the truck's console lid.

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Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Quick Look at the 2012 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Pickup Truck originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 06:23:17.

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With thousands of smartphone apps available, I doubt that any short list could actually cover the "best" automotive-related applications, but I've found several that look very good. A couple are fun, trucks-specific apps. Others give you a helping hand no matter what you're driving.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll find a link to a form that you can use to tell us about your own favorite automotive apps. If you have a few minutes, I hope you'll explain the pros and cons of your favorites.

We're starting to get responses about favorite smartphone apps --> top picks from auto enthusiasts.

Best Automotive Smartphone Apps originally appeared on About.com Trucks on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 at 05:00:58.

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