Dickie
12-02-2004, 20:05
I can't tell you the number of times I wished I had a topper on my truck and then, for some other reason, wished I didn't. I was looking for a topper that had the versatility of a full sized topper yet light weight so I could take it off by myself when the situation called for an open bed. As an example, When I want to load my motorcycle on the truck bed, I don't want the topper. Yet, when I want to take the dogs along to go bird hunting, I like to put on a topper for their protection from the weather while traveling.
When I tumbled upon Can-back I was confident I found the right product. When the topper arrived from the Azuza, CA manufacturing plant I was impressed with the effort that went into protecting the shipment. Even though there were footprints all over the shipping carton from the rigors of commercial transportation, there was no transit damage. All the components inside were securely wrapped.
As I removed the packing material from the components, I was impressed to see the quality employed in every facet of the product. All the welds made at the rib and flange were ground and polished. I opted for the stainless steel version as opposed to the standard black powder coat. The rails to which the ribs are mounted are pre-drilled for the ribs with the stainless steel allen head machine screws in place so you don't have to worry about having the necessary parts to complete assembly. The rails also have a strong rubber seal to mate with the truck side which will not break down while moving the topper around for centering in position. When I looked at the bends in the ribs I was sure there would be some additional bending or adjustment necessary when connecting them to the rails. Not so. Every component fit (and I hate to use this word) perfectly. The canvas cover (only available in black) is also very high quality. In fact, I took the time to try to find some fault or defect, but to no avail. The stitching was straight and tight and the plastic windows were well finished. All the components were so clean, the bride and I assembled it in the living room.
Once assembled, we carried it out (about 60 lbs.)to the 2500HD and easily put it into place. The topper comes with 4 mounting screws which require holes to be drilled in the rail and top of the truck sides. Rather than drill holes, I used clamps which I purchased at a local RV store. I had to take back the first set of clamps (said to be for GM trucks) because they didn't have enough reach to cover the Can-back rail. The ones for Ford do. It took a little time to adjust the roof straps properly but no big deal. The rear window flap is held down with a strip of snaps that comes with an adhesive backing. At first I thought it was kind of worthless but changed my mind once I realized removing the backing paper from the strip somehow causes a reaction between the air and the adhesive which made it tacky. The strip had to be held in place for about 10 minutes for a bond so there is no need to be concerned about putting it on crooked as one would with a contact cement. Ropes sewn into the cover are finally used to stretch the cover tight and tied off on some clever little marine style cleats located inside the rail. Ample velcro areas are provided to secure the overlapping flaps. My compliments and thanks go to the engineers and skilled factory workers at Can-back.
Now, for the rest of the story.
When I first orded the topper in May, I specified I needed delivery by July 15 for a planned trip. Since Can-back manufacturers only to order and carries no inventory of finished goods, there is a substantial wait period, obviously a function of order backlog. To the credit of the broker from whom I purchesed the topper, Truck Candy, they called be and said they might not make the date but it would be close. He agreed to intervene on my behalf to meet the shipment date request. Efforts I made to telephone the factory for better visibility about shipment either yielded no answer or evasive talk about backlog and other unspecified problems. When I asked where I was in the production schedule, I was told there was "NO way of knowing"! Numerous e-mails were sent, even after I recieved the product, requesting information and went unanswered. Promises made about shipment dates and tracking numbers turned out to be bogus. It finally was delivered in late October!
It really is sad that an organization producing such an excellent product in terms of engineering and manufacturing is crippled by an almost non-existant sales/marketing department. As I understand it, the plant was being re-tooled to improve through-put but the company doing the work went belly up and subsequently orders piled up. This, I think, everyone can understand. $hit happens. But that which is intollerable is the disdain of the sales/marketing people virtually ignoring customer requests for information. What else do they have to do? For one thing, they could improve the quality of the assembly instructions by putting some toner in the copying machine. Another item would be to update their web page which gleefully announces "What's New" for October 21, 2003!
Was it worth it?
Normally I have a very low tollerance level when I am being mistreated in a $1200 transaction. Canback did everything in their power to cause me to cancel my order. Now that its over, I can strongly recommend the product. I sincerely hope for the benefit of all the skilled employees working there that management can solve their problems and become a reliable supplier.
When I tumbled upon Can-back I was confident I found the right product. When the topper arrived from the Azuza, CA manufacturing plant I was impressed with the effort that went into protecting the shipment. Even though there were footprints all over the shipping carton from the rigors of commercial transportation, there was no transit damage. All the components inside were securely wrapped.
As I removed the packing material from the components, I was impressed to see the quality employed in every facet of the product. All the welds made at the rib and flange were ground and polished. I opted for the stainless steel version as opposed to the standard black powder coat. The rails to which the ribs are mounted are pre-drilled for the ribs with the stainless steel allen head machine screws in place so you don't have to worry about having the necessary parts to complete assembly. The rails also have a strong rubber seal to mate with the truck side which will not break down while moving the topper around for centering in position. When I looked at the bends in the ribs I was sure there would be some additional bending or adjustment necessary when connecting them to the rails. Not so. Every component fit (and I hate to use this word) perfectly. The canvas cover (only available in black) is also very high quality. In fact, I took the time to try to find some fault or defect, but to no avail. The stitching was straight and tight and the plastic windows were well finished. All the components were so clean, the bride and I assembled it in the living room.
Once assembled, we carried it out (about 60 lbs.)to the 2500HD and easily put it into place. The topper comes with 4 mounting screws which require holes to be drilled in the rail and top of the truck sides. Rather than drill holes, I used clamps which I purchased at a local RV store. I had to take back the first set of clamps (said to be for GM trucks) because they didn't have enough reach to cover the Can-back rail. The ones for Ford do. It took a little time to adjust the roof straps properly but no big deal. The rear window flap is held down with a strip of snaps that comes with an adhesive backing. At first I thought it was kind of worthless but changed my mind once I realized removing the backing paper from the strip somehow causes a reaction between the air and the adhesive which made it tacky. The strip had to be held in place for about 10 minutes for a bond so there is no need to be concerned about putting it on crooked as one would with a contact cement. Ropes sewn into the cover are finally used to stretch the cover tight and tied off on some clever little marine style cleats located inside the rail. Ample velcro areas are provided to secure the overlapping flaps. My compliments and thanks go to the engineers and skilled factory workers at Can-back.
Now, for the rest of the story.
When I first orded the topper in May, I specified I needed delivery by July 15 for a planned trip. Since Can-back manufacturers only to order and carries no inventory of finished goods, there is a substantial wait period, obviously a function of order backlog. To the credit of the broker from whom I purchesed the topper, Truck Candy, they called be and said they might not make the date but it would be close. He agreed to intervene on my behalf to meet the shipment date request. Efforts I made to telephone the factory for better visibility about shipment either yielded no answer or evasive talk about backlog and other unspecified problems. When I asked where I was in the production schedule, I was told there was "NO way of knowing"! Numerous e-mails were sent, even after I recieved the product, requesting information and went unanswered. Promises made about shipment dates and tracking numbers turned out to be bogus. It finally was delivered in late October!
It really is sad that an organization producing such an excellent product in terms of engineering and manufacturing is crippled by an almost non-existant sales/marketing department. As I understand it, the plant was being re-tooled to improve through-put but the company doing the work went belly up and subsequently orders piled up. This, I think, everyone can understand. $hit happens. But that which is intollerable is the disdain of the sales/marketing people virtually ignoring customer requests for information. What else do they have to do? For one thing, they could improve the quality of the assembly instructions by putting some toner in the copying machine. Another item would be to update their web page which gleefully announces "What's New" for October 21, 2003!
Was it worth it?
Normally I have a very low tollerance level when I am being mistreated in a $1200 transaction. Canback did everything in their power to cause me to cancel my order. Now that its over, I can strongly recommend the product. I sincerely hope for the benefit of all the skilled employees working there that management can solve their problems and become a reliable supplier.