My Texas Sidecars Ranger came with a tonneau cover that attaches with several snaps. The snaps aren't easy to use. I'd like to replace some of the sanps with another kind of fastener. My son's Liberty on his Harley has both snaps and another kind of attachment. I'd like to find the nomenclature and maybe a source.
What I'm looking for is a flattish pin that you place the cover over and then twist 90 degrees to lock in place.
Suggestions?
pbrowne - 6/1/2015 3:02 PM
What I'm looking for is a flattish pin that you place the cover over and then twist 90 degrees to lock in place.
Suggestions?
Sounds like what the new URALs are using.. Maybe a local Ural dealer can help you source them?
These are Dzus fasteners. Any boat or auto upholstery shop should have them.
Lonnie
I found what I was looking for at www.sailrite.com. It's called a DOT "Common Sense" twist stud. You may or may not want to get the hole cutter tool (pricey but looks like it would work nicely). These will make installing and removing the tonneau ever so much easier.
I made my own of my own design. An aluminum pin that is fastened on by a screw from the inside. The aluminum pin is about .4 inches in diameter and less than an inch tall. An ordinary brass gromet is put into the tonnau and goes over the pin. "Twerks good for me, never breaks or wears out. You can't say that about snaps or the twist type that boaters use. Yea Yea, I'll go take a picture of it.
Cut a piece of aluminum rod and turn on a hobby lathe to a diameter about 1/32nd of an inch smaller then the grommet hole and round the shoulder. Leave a wide area at the bottom so that it can't wobble.
drill a hole in the bottom and tap for threads of the size of the allen screw you want to use. I prefer the butt head allens.
<img src="bikepics-2743951-800.jpg">
Paul, when ordering them take note that there are tall ones and short ones. The tall ones will accommodate two overlapping grommets but will give you slop and flapping if you use them on just a single grommet. In other words, get the short ones unless you have a specific need for the tall ones.
Hey Paul, Mrs. SwampFox found that applying a small amount of Vaseline® petroleum jelly with a Q-Tip® into the snap on the tonneau cover significantly improves snapping/unsnapping.
Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox
Ah, one more use for petroleum jelly! Entirely too cheap and simple!
I've also heard them called "Turn Buttons". While researching them a few years ago, they look like a great option, but the grommet punch was a bit spendy for me. Tho I'm not 100% sure the punch is a requirement.
http://www.mytarp.com/fasteners-turn-snap-stud-25.aspx
OldSchool_IsCool - 6/2/2015 6:11 AM
...Tho I'm not 100% sure the punch is a requirement....
It's not. I've used an xacto-type knife to first cut the slits where the diamond-shaped 'teeth' go through the cloth to mate with the female side.
Clamp the male and female half together with a small 'c' clamp, peen over the teeth.
Cut out fabric in the centre with xacto knife.
Seal edges of fabric with a 40 watt soldering pencil.
Not recommended if you're trying to do this for a living, but if you're only going to do a few dozen, simple enough, and not terribly time consuming.
Twist studs is the right term. The most common are "Common Sense" by DOT Fasteners. I lubed my snaps as Swampfox suggested, butstill not happy. I then replaced several snaps with twist studs. I may replace all but now have enough to easily open the tonneau enough to stash things. A nice thing is that, once you have stretchhed the tonneau and have the the eyelet over the stud, iit stays in place. It's easier to then twist the stud as opposed to trying to stretch the tonneau and secure a snap at the same time.
I still like my fasteners best of all for simplicity, durability, longevity, ease of use.
