Commercially produced aerodynamic pickup bed cap

[cerondipity]

I do not know how many commuters are buying a pickup for its potential, though typical usage must be considered for the design and ultimate cost of the cover. With a couple of (simple?) changes, it could be more much more practical for all-around bed usage. The competition has already begun, just as another member has pointed out with the dune buggies, so I see no reason to spell it out and possibly inhibit the success of Brett's work. If he is interested he can contact me but I'll bet he has already got other design(s) on the drawing board. If not I will make my own inelegant version, with function winning out over beauty.

[Chris D.]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Hi,

Have you looked earlier in the thread? The cap "expands" up for when you need the room underneath it.

I've been in this thread from the getgo..

hauling with things in the bed that requires you to have the cap in the upright position would be sort of pointless for construction people let alone being able to secure and protect the cargo if you have to leave it overnight in the upright position..

[bluetwo]

It looks good, don't get me wrong, but at first when people see it I'm almost certain people will scratch their heads and have a lot of questions. I'm sure, as a guy in the Army if I were to have one, a lot of the guys will just made snide remarks or say something crazy about it behind my back and still others would have the decency to come up and ask me about it.

So the point is any pickup guy or gal is going to have a little bit of that if he/she goes beyond what is normal and regular or thinks outside the box as it were, especially for the purpose of being greener. I'm not saying I encourage stereotypes because I don't but they do exist and in the case of truck owners at their own design.

If you still don't get what I'm saying it's that it's hard to market something like this without it having the tough guy image because most people who put aftermarket parts and things on their trucks don't necessarily make the most out of the upgrades and unless other people are doing it... it's just kind of hard to market it.

[GoodOak]

So you guys are talking about two different types of people here. People who use their trucks for utility, and people who primarily own a truck for show.

Regarding "construction people", yeah I don't think this cap will hit that market very well. For folks like that, there is already a cap or other accessories that are specifically designed for them. A few might be able to use an aerocap, but most would/could not.

However, people who actually use their trucks for utility on a weekly basis are in the minority. I would estimate that about 90% of truck owners are the folks bluetwo describes. People who might tow a boat a couple times a year, or pick up construction materials for a project once or twice a year or perhaps drive on a gravel road from time to time. In other words, these people would be find with a compact car with a trailer that they hitch up on rare occasion, but want a truck because it is "cool" or "tough" or whatever. I am looking through the clubfrontier.org forums right now, and it amazes me the $$ people spend on improving the power and off-road ability of their trucks, and yet these trucks are perfectly clean, no scratches or wear, indicating very little actual use. The first thing it seems everyone there does is jack the truck up 3" and get bigger, burlier tires. That said, most truck owners out there that want the utility and image but don't bother to take it to the extreme of the guys on the online forum, after all, most of the trucks and SUV's you see out there are quite stock in appearance.

My point is, I don't see why an aerocap can't appeal to this truck-for-the-image crowd. The latest aerocap on the white F-150 looks totally slick and it seems as or more functional than any other cap (for me, just removing the lid of the aeroback would be a lot easier than removing the whole cap on the one I am buying) and it can save you 20% on gas? What's not to love?

I agree that careful marketing is critical and the focus must be on on the performance improvement and practicality of it more than fuel economy, but the fuel economy thing should be in there too. Also a few stylish design elements and graphical flairs will appeal to this crowd. But in the end, a cap like this isn't competing for the hearts of the real gear heads, but instead it is competing head-to-head with other caps. And if bondo can get this design in the market when fuel prices start to rise again, I think he'll have a real winner. And I CAN'T WAIT TO GET ONE FOR MY FRONTIER!

[bondo]

Thank you for keeping this thread alive. You are keeping my drive alive by doing so. I value all the discussion here and I appreciate all the kinds words and help I have received from so many of you.

GoodOak is spot on about how important the marketing of the aerodynamic camper is. The other very important factor is manufacturing capability. You must be able to build it before you can market it. The expense of setting up manufacturing gets into the millions of dollars real quick. That is why I felt so fourtunate to have found a company last fall with a capacity to built 250 units a week which agreed to build the aerocap for me. I quit my good paying job in a design studio and prepared to finally start producing and marketing the aerocap. About that time last fall a bunch of investment paper pushing side betters realized they had bet too much and it was all going to collapse without a bailout. All the work I had done to get things to happen evaporated, along with the hopes and dreams of many other people and thousands upon thousands of jobs in the manufacturing sector disappeared.

When you get knocked down, you get up agian. You guys have helped me to get up off the ground and dust myself off. I'm back working on the aerocap presently tooling a new one for the 2009 Ford F-150. It has been very difficult without a paycheck for over a year now and no unemploymenty benefits either. But I'm not going to sit around on my ass and feel sorry for myself. No sir. I have a score to settle with Wall Street and I wish to thank you all again for keeping me motivated.

Bondo

[bluetwo]

You da man bondo, ha ha, it's important what you're doing, at least to us it is I think.

I wish there was something we could do to help you get some capital together even if it's just a small amount, and if for nothing other than to help out a little bit.

I admit I'm hoping you'll make one for the Colorado or Canyon crewcab too.

[bondo]

Originally Posted by bluetwo

You da man bondo, ha ha, it's important what you're doing, at least to us it is I think.

I wish there was something we could do to help you get some capital together even if it's just a small amount, and if for nothing other than to help out a little bit.

I admit I'm hoping you'll make one for the Colorado or Canyon crewcab too.

Thanks for the offer you made to help find some capital for me. I appreciate that. I noticed in a post above you said you are in the Army. I have a younger brother who is also. He will be leaving for Iraq again this fall.

bluetwo, you don't need to raise money for me because I owe you, my little brother and all the other good people in our Military a debt I can't even begin to figure out how to repay.


Bondo

[bluetwo]

Originally Posted by bondo

Thanks for the offer you made to help find some capital for me. I appreciate that. I noticed in a post above you said you are in the Army. I have a younger brother who is also. He will be leaving for Iraq again this fall.

bluetwo, you don't need to raise money for me because I owe you, my little brother and all the other good people in our Military a debt I can't even begin to figure out how to repay.

Bondo

Thank you sir, it's always nice to know it's appreciated. Best of luck to your younger brother for sure. I may be going over again for the 4th time at the beginning of the year.

I'm kind of used to (trying) to organize fund raisers becasuse we do that quite a bit in the Army for various causes. Just last week we got together about 1500 dollars worth of school supplies for kids who need 'em so it's totally possible to get people to contribute to something worthwhile.

[round.boater]

I think you guys overestimate the hatred truck guys have for an Aerolid. I've had way too many people to count come up to me at gas stations / parking lots / etc and ask about it, many wanting to buy one, and have gotten quite a few thumbs up / mouthed "that's cool" / etc while driving. Sure, the people on forums only care about lift kits and mudders, but the real world has more shades of gray.

And no, I don't use my truck as much as a contractor, but it's pretty rare to have two weeks go by without either pulling a trailer, hauling big heavy stuff, or sleeping in the back. I haven't yet found a time when I'm both so loaded that I need the cap up and have to leave it locked overnight.

Bondo, keep up the good work, and hopefully someone will finally jump on this and start manufacturing for you.

PS - I'd be getting ~25mpg right now if my commute didn't have traffic and I quit taking trips to Home Depot.

[round.boater]

Oh yeah, the fact that the lid comes off is a huge selling point to dirt bikers. Being able to haul your bikes on the weekend and then lock up your bed all week with just a couple pull-pins damn near had a guy try to steal mine from me at Safeway the other day. As it is, he pulls his entire hard shell off his truck pretty regularly - which means he's stronger than I am!