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Duck Amuck

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I installed my Bison tonneau a few days ago, and today finally had some time to make some adjustments and take some photos of the finished product. Overall, I am very happy with the product for the price. At $720 CAD delivered, I think it's amazing value and can overlook some of the minor niggles I have with it. It looks great and feels incredibly solid. Bison says it can handle 350 lbs of weight - I'm 180 lbs and stood on it with no issues (you can see my dusty shoe prints in some of the photos). We haven't had any rain and I didn't think to spray it with the hose to see how waterproof it is, but I guess we'll find out.

First, some pictures:
2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9267

2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9269

2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9264

2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9265


My negatives are mostly related to installation and quality control. The included instructions are next to useless. I wound up finding a YouTube video of a guy installing one on his third-gen, and that was very helpful as installation is basically the same. The biggest issue is that they don't tell you that you need to remove the factory tie-down rails as the tonneau rails use the same bolt holes. The factory rails then get relocated onto the brackets that come with the cover. Once you figure this out the install is pretty intuitive and goes very quickly, except for one quibble I'll address below.

This leads me to my first big negative, which is that by repositioning the tie down rail, you block access to the in-bed 12V power. Today I removed the rail and took the door off the power port, which solved the problem. I just kind of set the door in its place and visually it looks normal, we'll see if it jostles loose on dirt roads. I read a post on here from someone installing a different product with a similar issue, they were recommended to use little magnets to keep the door in place, so I may try that if it becomes an issue later on.

2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9261

2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9263


Although a minor issue, it would have been really nice to know because getting the factory tie down rails back on was for me the hardest part of this install. It's hard to describe, but the bolt is very short and the head is shallow, so I couldn't get it started with a socket, and because it's inside the factory rail, I couldn't get another tool in there. I had to very gently get it started by hand before I could finish it up with a socket. This was tedious and took a lot longer than it should have - if they'd used a screw with a Torx head (or literally any head) this would have been a LOT easier.

Finally, the bars that hold the cover in place when folded up were not located properly and were not usable. I had to unscrew the brackets and shuffle them a bit further back, and now they're fine. Literally a two minute fix and not the end of the world, but a little annoying.

2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9266


2024 Tacoma Bison Tonneau Cover Install and Review Impressions IMG_9270


Overall, I have to say I am very happy with this cover. It looks great, it seems well-made and secure, it locks, and of course it can be used in a variety of positions. Considering it's by far the cheapest hard cover I've seen, I can deal with a couple small inconveniences and poor instructions.
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Sner

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having to move (lower) the factory bed rails to mount hard tonneau cover is a deal breaker for me. I have the OE bed divider that slides on the OE rails, if the rails were lowered I wouldnā€™t be able to use my bed divider. The OE soft tonneau cover has solved that problem for me, the drawback to it is you canā€˜t flip the third panel up against the rear window To give you full bed space. If you want full bed space you need to remove the whole cover.
 

SnowmanJPS

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Wait, regarding the relocation of the rail, and the power outlit, does this also happen on the mx4/oem hard tonneau ??
 

maxx075

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Wait, regarding the relocation of the rail, and the power outlit, does this also happen on the mx4/oem hard tonneau ??
In regards to lowering the rails:
OEM - Yes, they are lowered. But I can access the power outlet as normal.
MX4 - IIRC they updated to where you don't have to lower them.
 

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Goriders

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Looks a lot like the OEM tonneau which is a bakflip MX4

i have the cargo divider as well. I managed to get it in but had to trim the ends a bit and it probably wonā€™t work with a bed mat. It also runs into the arms that hold the tonneau up.

i just used it as a toolbox so it works for what I needed.
 
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Duck Amuck

Duck Amuck

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Looks nice but blocks the review cam.
We don't get the rearview camera in Canada, so no real loss.

The cover can be used in 2/3 mode if the load doesn't fill the entire bed, which would leave the camera uncovered.
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