Where gas prices are going up, a tonneau cover with its aerodynamic design can really help you with it. As with them, less air resistance makes your truck more fuel economical. But speaking of these two, which is better?
Here the Gator EFX is very good budget pick and gives you strong aluminum panels for all kinds of protection.
While the Extang Solid Fold 2.0 comes with a spacious classic design which makes it stand out of the crowd.
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Let’s check out their designs:
With such a bulkier design, the Solid Fold 2.0 is a cover that you probably won’t find anywhere else.
It’s contoured, thick appearance may make them seem very heavy, but they are actually lightweight in comparison. With fully packed, (in a box) they only weigh about 50 pounds). So you can say almost 5 to 10 lbs per panel/plate.
So why these covers are thick and do their thickness make a difference? Well, yes, its panels are made out of polypropylene core which takes about 90% of the panel thickness.
The rest is aluminum and powder coating (which makes it texture on top). Speaking of texture, the matte finish looks great and they cover really matches with the color of your OE bed caps, so the cover looks like a trucks OEM.
On corners the thick cover has hinge caps and snap on seal including rubber made by hard polymer material.
Overall, I’m a fan of the cover’s thickness (1 inch) that gives it a tank(y) look. But I can understand why some like the low profile design of the Gator EFX.
I mean I’ve installed many trifolds on my trucks and they all look good and flushed and shiny… but with Extang’s boy here, you really get that unique appearance.
If we talk about the design of Gator EFX, it offers you with sleek, flushed design and comes with a good low price tag (compared to others, and few bucks lower compared to Solid Fold).
And being more low profiled would mean better aerodynamics and less air resistance and more fuel economy.
If we dig further… It has mounting rails which settle inside the bed caps (which adds to its patented design).
There are drain tubes that you have to install (mostly with drilling in your truck, I wish they can make this drill free).
But these tubes do help out along with the EPDM rubber seals that make the cover watertight to some extent.
Also the coating on it aircraft-grade aluminum panels provides the cover with semi glossy looks which is also for protection as you’ll see below.
Overall the panel looks great.
You can not open this cover all the way (like with prop rods seen in other covers), so if you want to load some bigger cargo/need full bed access, you have to remove the cover. But the good news is removing it does not take too much so, yes, my major concern is where to store the cover after removal. Anyways that’s how it works.
And lastly, the powder coat finish of the cover has additional benefits besides looks which you’ll see below.
Protection & Durability of both:
Let’s start of with Extang first…
The Solid Fold 2.0 has a great sealing underneath. It provides you “multiple lip” sealing under all its panels.
It’s Extang’s blade-style seals help preserve a water/weather-resistant barrier between your truck and other external elements to a very good deal.
This tonneau cover features Extang’s exclusive, solid polymer rubber corners, Snap-On seals, and hinge caps.
But still, overall, less water leakage is seen in the Gator EFX, as this cover has dedicated hinges and seals made of EPDM rubber, so it proves a bit better efficacy here. Also the dedicated drain tubes lets the accumulated water in the rails to chanel through and out of the truck, (where no drain tubes are seen in Solid Fold).
And you should keep this in mind, that no cover is 100% waterproof. (If you find any, contact me).
Also avoid putting any rain/water sensitive cargo in your truck (during rain), no matter what cover you run.
If we talk about their durability…
The Gator EFX comes with powder coated aluminum panels which provide you the protection against UV rays (sun) and against minor scratches here and there.
(But the coating has a life so it requires a little maintenance (of mostly cleaning, otherwise the coating would start fading off).
But these panels are tough and are built with aircraft grade composition and they offer enhanced injection-molded bolt housing components that add to their durability.
In the case of carrying weight, this cover is slightly less efficient and can carry approximately 300 lbs of weight.
On the other hand, Extang Solid Fold 2.0 is more powerful and firm like you can image looking at its desing and it can carry up to 500 lbs (which is amazing, mainly when you consider how light weight these covers are).
The Solid Fold is basically professionally engineered with it organic material that is able to withstand all sorts of natural damages.
The cover’s polypropylene core provides great deal of heat resistance as well. As this organic compound has a lot of gaps in between which act as a very nice insulator against heat and UV rays. So you cargo also remains cooler in comparison.
Both covers don’t come with a lock, as facing upward lock can get damaged overtime with rain), and instead the clamps and the cables (in case of Gator EFX) can only be made accessible by lowering the tail gate.
Performance/ Working:
The Gator EFX is equipped with latches that slam shut and “pull the string” opening system.
It’s pull cable locks/latches can be triggered from either side when you open the cover. And you can fold these panels and secure them in positions for partial and full bed access. But you can’t open the cover more than 1/3rd position (as there are no prop rods here) And you can secure the cover in that position with buckle straps and can drive that way.
(If you still need full access with Gator EFX, you can simply remove the cover, which does not take too much time).
The cover also provide you with dual action tail gate, which means you can close the cover over closed tail gate.
On the other side, with Extangs Solid Fold, you also have dual action cover and you can open and close your cover despite the position of you tail gate.
To open this cover, there is a rotatory release under the cover (on both sides) and you can rotate to un latch the cover to open it.
For complete bed access, there are no prop rods but, you can easily remove the panels within minutes, just like in Gator EFX.
So Whats the verdict?
Both of these covers are a great pick. Their opening closing mechanism is very similar but they sure are very different in terms of looks and durability as well as protection.
The Extang Solid Fold provides you with more durability and UV resistance, the cover is also very lightweight and scratch resistant.
On the other side, the Gator EFX is a little bit cheaper, and provides you with sleek, flushed design and greater resistance to water leakage.