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Pop-Up Truck Box Topper Doubles As A Tonneau Cover
This first-of-its-kind truck box topper pops up when you need it and folds down and out of the way like a convertible car’s top when it’s not. When it’s down you can pull a conventional-looking tonneau cover over the truck box.
The dual cover Fas-Top system can be reconfigured in less than a minute, according to Jay Schmeichel, Bismarck Canvas.
“We started working on the Fas-Top design about 10 years ago, but we couldn’t find heavy enough materials at the time to make it viable,” he says.
When the company finally found an American-made, vinyl-coated fabric that met their standards, the Fas-Top became a reality. The tonneau cover is 18-oz. fabric with a 7-mm thickness, almost twice as heavy as most tonneau covers. The topper cover is made with a slightly lighter, 13-oz. fabric.
“The topper folds down and stows away under the tonneau cover at the front of the pickup box. It’s suspended off the bed of the truck, so you can carry cargo under it. When the topper is down, you can roll the tonneau cover out over it or leave the box open,” says Schmeichel.
The fold-down topper can also be removed for storage if it’s not likely to be used for a time. Schmeichel notes that the main reason people don’t take traditional toppers off is the weight and difficulty.
“The Fas-Top topper comes off by removing a couple of pins and Velcro straps,” he says.
Aluminum side rails mount to the top of the box, providing a secure mount for both covers. Built in North Dakota, prototypes went through harsh testing.
“We have fairly extreme conditions here, so we need high-quality materials for our weather,” he says. “It is not uncommon to get 40 mph winds, and when you drive into the wind at 70 to 80 mph, it adds up. On a windy day, we take our toppers out and test them.”
The tonneau cover can be ordered by itself for $449. The topper by itself is $549. The dual system is priced at $989.
Check out a video of the new topper at www.farmshow.com.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bismarck Canvas, Inc., 16000 Andre Loop, Menoken, N. Dak. 58558 (ph 701 673-3777; www.fas-top.com)


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2019 - Volume #43, Issue #6