OLDER HERCULOCSHow the HercuLoc was invented
By Gary W. Thacker
No other type of vehicle has the versatility, utility and capabilities of a pickup. But if you are using it for a work truck, the problem is how to secure your tools and equipment and still have easy access to them.
In the 1990’s I was in the farm equipment business, travelling around the country with a pickup full of tools. I tried every kind of truck topper on the market and despised all of them. None had the security or access that I needed. Most of them were poorly made and fell apart.
This conundrum led to the invention of the HercuLoc. I invented the patented locking system that locks the front of the cover to the bed, like a fighter canopy. The lift assembly takes the cover up and over the tailgate, where it provides shade (a huge benefit in Arizona and Texas).
To commercialize the HercuLoc, I started a company with some retired GM executives and other investors. We manufactured and sold Electric Series HercuLocs with steel covers, powered by electric ball screw actuators and remote control. These awesome products proved to be ideal for land surveyors who carry $100,000 worth of instruments to job sites. HercuLocs are famous with surveyors for their outstanding security; many HercuLocs have crow bar dents from break-in attempts. One survey truck was stolen and a few days later the police recovered it. There were crowbar dents all around the HercuLoc but the thieves never got it open.
While the Electric Series HercuLocs are excellent for surveyors, they were too heavy and expensive for most other applications. Fleet managers had been telling me for years that if I could get weight and cost out of the product they would buy them for many other applications. This led to the re-invention of the HercuLoc…it is now about the same weight and price as a quality utility shell but far more secure, durable and versatile.
HercuLoc, LLC is now the exclusive licensee of the HercuLoc patents. We are having fun opening HercuLocs and blowing people’s minds with the best truck cap on the market.
We’re also in the process of developing specialty applications such as a hunter’s package which include pop-up tent and camping gear. Stay up-to-date on the latest news and products from HercuLoc by joining our e-mail list.