Shakedown Tow - EII and GMC 2500 crew cab/4wd/Duramax - with Cat Scale numbers

[Kkmain]

Look great!

[Kkmain]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!  We’ve read about protecting the front of the Ollie against the roughness of the road to Alaska and will do so when the time arrives - that trip is a couple years out.  Looking forward to the rally in May to visiting and learning from all of you seasoned travelers.

[BackofBeyond]

Ok lets see here- NOPE - I cannot post pics. Is there something I need to do differently?

[BackofBeyond]

test

[dbp05ret]

Been shopping for Truck Cap for 2018 Siverado 2500HD. I have decided that I  want to get a truck cap for my truck. I have ruled a tonneau out for personal reasons and was going to go with a truck cap. I have started researching Leer, ARE and Century. I realize that Century is owned by Leer. Also, I realize that I want a window that opens so I can clean the back window of my truck window easier. I have watch countless videos and have read many forums. After reading and watching, I was sold on Leer. I went to 3 dealers this past week in Evansville, Indiana. The Leer distributor does not carry any on premise. He seems to want to sell tires, wheels and brush guards and trick items for trucks and not want to deal with caps. The Century Distributor and ARE Distributor were awesome people. The ARE Distributor said that he use to carry Leer's but it was an issue at times dealing with Corporate on warranty issues.  My gut tells me to go with ARE due to my comfortableness with the dealer with fixing any warranty issues if needed. I just want a cap that doesn't leak and looks good and serves its purpose. Any advice or input on Leer or ARE (quality)? 

 

We pick our Oliver Elite II in December. Thanks in advance for your input. I truly admit I am a novice in the RV and Truck Cap world but so far I really love my 2500HD Duramax and this forum.

[KountryKamper]

The picture in the previous post of the silver truck shows our Leer. I went with the 100XL. It took 5 weeks to get because they custom match the paint. Our dealer said he used to carry ARE but had too many problems with them. I'm sure they all bash whichever one they don't carry. The removable front window is a must if you want to be able to clean the back window of the truck. We got a slider too but probably don't need that because when I open the rear window in the truck air still flows through the truck because of the space between the cap and cab. Might open it to help air through the cap sometime but have not done that yet. We also added the liner to the inside and it gives a much nicer finished off look. We had a tonneau cover on our last 2 trucks and the cap is so much nicer and easier to deal with.

 

I have a friend that has a ARE and he is very happy with it. I had a ARE hard tonneau a few years back and it was a very nice product that was on the truck for 8 years. I do love my Leer cap and it seems to be a quality product too.

[RnA]

I had an top of the line ARE cap on my Tundra for 11-1/2 years.  Leaked around the tilt out windows from the begining.  I pointed out to the dealer where the window glass was not curved properly to seat againt the gasket and form a seal.  His response was that it was the glass manufactures fault not an ARE issue and he wouldn’t deal with them!  I wrote and called ARE multiple times.  I never got a resolution from them.  I told them it was not for me to deal with the glass manufacturer, I bought the cap from ARE and they were responsible for fixing it.  Crickets.  Within a year the seals between the tilt out window and side glass fell out.  The tilt out mechanism on one window had to be repaired , then the  latch mechanism on the back access window broke.  If ARE would have worked with me on the leaks I could have dealt with the other issues.  They didn’t so I am going with Lear.

 

A couple of other things:

 

When I requested the Lear quote from 3 dealers via their website; one dealer responded within a couple of hours, one took two weeks and one never responded.  The dealer that responded quickly had a much better price than the other dealer.  I was suprised at the variation in price.

 

Second, I am very leary when a dealer says they dropped a manufactures line.  My experience is that it could just as well be that the manufacture dropped the dealer.  The dealer no longer can carry the manufactures line so now they are a competitor and they start bad mouthing them.  Just something to consider.

 

You definitely want to have a removable front glass or no glass with cab to cap seal so you can clean the windows.

 

I don’t have my Lear yet so time will tell on that.  I do know I will not buy ARE again.

 

-Randy

 

 

[BackofBeyond]

 

 

I went with Lear, although my research indicated there wasn't much quality difference between them. I had two local dealers, one of each brand, both were responsive to the quote process.

 

I went with the Lear simply due to the manufacturing process video I found on YouTube. Both companies had a video, I liked the Leer one better.

 

So far I am happy with my purchase, great color match, fits and looks great, no leaks, and have not found any flaws in any part of it. Happy customer. I'd post a pic, but seems not workable currently.

 

 

[BackofBeyond]

Ok I got the pics loaded - see up one post.

[KountryKamper]

It looks like there is going to be quit a few new Duramax's at the rally next year.

[dbp05ret]

Thanks for all the great input. I have a few additional questions below. I have chose to ask them here vice a PM and I hope that is OK with all.

 

GaryJona- Where did you purchase the (bra?) covering for the front of your Oliver?

 

BackofBeyond- Where did you get your mudflaps? Did you have to make any mods?

 

KountryKamper- What was the primary reason for buying the Lear XL Top over the other Leer models such as 100 XQ?

 

Thanks!!

 

Darryl

 

 

[BackofBeyond]

BackofBeyond- Where did you get your mudflaps? Did you have to make any mods?

 

I purchased the rears off of Amazon.  Gatorback GMC Sierra Red Truck Mud Flaps - Rear Pair, I don't remember where  I got the Gatorback  fronts. I also purchased the rear mounting brackets at the same place, specifically fit for the truck. The bracket made mounting very clean. They are not hard to install - just remove the tires/wheel, and have at it.

[KountryKamper]

KountryKamper- What was the primary reason for buying the Lear XL Top over the other Leer models such as 100 XQ?

 

I chose the XL over the lower priced ones because of the rear window latches and hindges, the way the side windows look and open and the corners are more rounded off. I did not like the way the XQ windows open

[Kkmain]

Darryl and Kim

 

We were vacillating between the SnugTop (which is owned by Leer)  and the ARE, our local distributor has both.  We put a deposit on the ARE yesterday.  Being comfortable with the dealer is good, but know that they will not fix anything if the manufacturer won’t agree to pay them.  BUT they did say the ARE has the best warranty.  Our new cap has the back window that opens, LED lights, side windows that open and vent, dual rear locks, fabric headliner AND two clothes rods.   We picked up our Duramax 2500 and now we just have to get our Oliver in January!!  We agree this forum is awesome for us RV newbies.

[GaryJona]

The bra for my Oliver was 1/8 inch or so closed cell foam I bought at a flea market, just like the material you would buy for under sleeping bags etc.  I used the closed cell foam so no water or dust etc. gets behind the material to rub the gel coat. I made the pattern and just put it on in British Columbia and left it on through Alaska and south on the Cassiar into Washigton state and then removed it. I put it on with Non - Residue duct tape which worked really well, stayed on for around 6 weeks, never came lose in the mudd, rain, heat all the weather conditions you get through the Yukon including the Top of the World Highway through Dawson City and Chicken. You can find the Non-residue duck tape at Home Depot, Lowes or most hardware stores.  The foam worked really really well you could see all the areas where the rocks hit the front area. A friend traveled with us to Alaska and have the same truck with Mudd Tamers and still had many spots that the rocks hit the foam. I was able to remove the foam as stated and still saved it for our next trip back. Hope this answers your question. Thanks Gary

 

 

 

[dbp05ret]

Thanks for all the replies to my numerous questions.  The ideas and advice that you share is very much appreciated. I am growing in knowledge daily. We are fortunate to live within 40 miles of numerous Amish and a Mennonite families. Attached is a picture of Day 1 of my new 30 by 30 building with (2) 12x12  doors. The Duramax 2500HD will park in one stall and the Oliver in another. The Amish Father and Son arrived at 7:30 AM and left at 4:00 PM. They worked non stop.