Camper tie down points

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I have a 11. 5 Arctic Fox pickup camper and was wondering where the best tie down points were. It is tied to the bed of the truck in front and on the bumper in the rear. When I bought it the salesman and service manager said those were the best points to tie it down. My son has his tied to the frame and it seems a little more stable than mine. Does anyone out there in TDR land had any expierence with camper tie downs?

Dewdo in the other Washington

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2000 Ram 3500 4 X 4 dualie W/B-D Exhaust Brake, Auto-Loc, Armr bed liner, DeeZee running boards, mud flaps, steps, leather, white with color splash on sides, would like to BOMB it, but after warranty. VA Box waiting to install.

34' King Of The Road 5th wheeler & 11. 5 Arctic Fox pickup camper. Winter in Arizona (Martinez Lake)

 

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I have had a turck camper on 5 trucks in last 22 years and my preference is to weld 2 2" square box pipes to frame to come out on either side right below the tie downs. put chain and turnbuckles to tie points and attach to eye bolts in holes drilled in the ends of these box pieces. This makes the camper, the truck bed and the frame one solid piece and, yes it is the most stable set up I have found. I have had mine mounted to my 92 since the beginning and live in it and have made three trips to Alaska like this and am pleased with this set up. I am ordering a 2001. 5 and will set it up this way. Hope this helps. I also added 3 leaves to each set of the rear springs and have Firestone airbags on rear axle also, but would not reccomend the extra springs unless you are going to leave camper on all the time. .

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92 EXCAB 176k miles DRW AT 3. 5 Firestone Air bags, 3 extra rear leaf spngs, no overloads. w/Sunline 9. 5'camper(my home).

 

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Thanks John for the prompt reply. I was thinking that should be a better way of doing it. I have the camper special and it already has the overload springs and the air bags plus the Rancho 9000 shocks front and rear.

I have a fifth wheel hitch mounting rail in the bed of the truck and had to put a couple sheets of 3/4 inch plywood to clear the rail, so I stick up a little higher than most and hitching to the frame seems a better way to stabilize it. It rocks a bit the way it is now.

Thanks again John

Dewdo in the other Washington

 

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I have just purchased a very clean '94 Lance 990 from an individual. It now has the Happi-Jac tiedowns on it. I will order a Troklift system for the camper before I put it on my truck. I've had the Happi-Jacs before and think there is a better way.

I too will have the Reese hitch rails in the bed of the truck. I have been thinking about going ahead and taking out the 8 mounting bolts and remove the rails completely(I have an air impact wrench--will be easy) and using the rubber bed mat to prevent the camper from sliding forward and back. In the past, I just used plywood to space up the camper base over the rails, but didn't like the extra height.

Bill

 

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Hey AK John,

Haven't I seen an article about your truck and a picture in a previous issue of the TDR?

Bill

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Y2K 3500QC, 6 Speed, 4. 10, SLT+, Camper & Tow Pkg. , Westin Chrome Nerf Bars, Mopar Flaps, Reese 20K Hitch, V-A CPC, EGT & Boost Gauges, RPM 45 Gallon Aux. Fuel Tank, Highway Products 5th Wheel Toolbox, ECM Controlled PacBrake, Painless Wiring Kit, Mag-Hytec Diff. Cover, 80% Towing Hitchhiker II 31', 2 slideouts, 19,750 GCW

 

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I have the so called "hapi jax" on my 11. 5 and not too happy with them. They just aren't sturdy enough for a camper weighing over 4,000 lbs. I was going to have the "Stable Lift System installed last week in Kalispell, Mt. but they couldn't get the system to work on a camper with a slide out. Seems the base below the slide isn't strong enough to support the camper. Wasted a trip. I guess I will have to be satisfied with what I have got now until someone comes up with something new.

Dewdo in the other Washington.

 

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I have brand new happicraps installed on my truck. After lugging a 4000-lb. Bigfoot 3000, 10. 11 for 70-miles, I quickly ordered the Tork-lifts!

Also, I have the Rhino liner. I am convinced that this camper would not budge without tiedowns at all due to the non-slick surface. But better safe than sorry. Go with the Tok-lift rigid tie downs and use the happijak spring loaded turnbuckles.

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David Dressler
2001 Driftwood 3500 Quad Cab 4x4, 155 inch WB, 5. 9L HO Cummins Diesel (ETH), 6-Speed HD Manual (DEE), SLT+, 3. 54 Anti-Spin Axle, Camper Special Group, Trailer Tow Group, Leather, Sliding Rear Window, Jacob's E-Brake, Rhino Liner, VDO Vision (pyro, boost, engine oil temp. ), Weather Guard Diamond Plate Saddle Box, AND functional Halo light!
Bigfoot 3000 10'11" Slide-in Camper.

[This message has been edited by dresslered (edited 08-27-2000). ]

 

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I have the thick rubber mat in my 3500 4x4 for similar reasons with my Lance 1130 camper (3275 pounds) and also have their optional centering guides which prevents any sideways or crosswise movement. I believe that by mounting the front of the camper to the bed of the truck (pulling up), you eliminate the possibility of cracking a bed mount if you pulled down (as with a frame mount). This camper is already exerting a lot of downward force on the bed mounts without adding any more. I've got over 15,000 miles of hauling the Lance up and down mountains in Colorado, etc and haven't had a single problem with the bed/bumper mounting system. I too have air-bgs (Air-Lift, inside dual controls) used mainly to stabilize the camper on uneven roads and cross winds...



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Y2K 3500, 4WD, Auto, 3. 54, Custom Brush Guard, Mopar nerf bars & rock guard, Camper package, Towing package, all options except leather, Air-Lift Air Bags, Hadley 'BULLY' air horns, Lance 1130 Camper (3400 lbs)

 

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I have several friends with the Torklift frame mount tie downs on their Rams; both really like them and have not experienced any problems (including bed cracking problems... and one of them takes his Ram off-road WITH his camper quite a bit).

 

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I have used the torklift mounts on a '99 3500 and now on a 2001 3500 and really am impressed at how well they handle my Lance 1130. The best combination seems to be using the Torklift mounts along with the spring loaded Happi-Jacks. My truck has RhinoLiner, but I also use a thick rubber mat under the camper so it cant slip whatsoever.
I have traveled thousands of miles between Florida and Canada several times using this setup and highly recommend it. Of course, rear airbags and Rancho 9000s are needed as well to ensure maximum stability at interstate speeds.
Take a look at the site, www.torklift.com for full info on the Torklift mounts.

Jack

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2001 RAM 4x2 SLT "ETH DEE" 3500 QC Flame Red! Rhino Liner, Airlift Airbags, Lance 1130 Camper.

[This message has been edited by cjackg (edited 08-28-2000). ]

 

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I've got about 50,000 miles with my Elkhorn slidein, including two trips to Alaska. Front is mounted to the bed with spring type turnbuckles and the rear is mounted to the bumper with solid turnbuckles. In the last year I've cracked both forward frame ears (where the bed bolts to the frame). They were fixed by welding a 2"x2 1/2" plate to the ears. Just returned from a 3,000 mile trip and they seem to be holding.

I think the best bet is to attach the forward end of the camper directly to the frame, but I don't like having stuff hanging down under the truck. Maybe there is a way to attach mounts directly to the frame and come up between the cab and the truck bed?

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1995 2500 SLT Club 4x4, auto, 3. 54, 3300 pound Elkhorn slide in camper, AirLift air springs, Ricka dual wheel adapters, K&N, DC tow hooks, Rancho RS9000, Hellwig rear sway bar.
101,000 miles and counting.

 

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Have been using just what Lance Corporation recommends---The Happi-Jack system. Along with a rubber bed mat, works fine. Been to northern most Nova Scotia to Florida, great, simple system. Works for me.

Ron

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98 3500 QC 4X4 Int Blue, 6BTA5. 9, Auto 3. 54 LSD, PIAA Pro90's, RS9000's, Tonneau, Running Boards, 5K Air Bags, Hadley Air Horns, EGT/Boost/transmission Temp Gauges, Cobra / K40, Valley class V, Bugflector II, Bedliner, Tow Hooks, Cup Smoothie, Meg's turn-down tip, SS Fender Flares... .....

99 Lance 1110 Slide-On Truck Camper

 

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Hey FF1063, What are you using for a rubber mat and where did you get it? I'm using the hard 1/4" thick mat that came from the camper dealer, but I think a 3/4 or 1" softer mat would support the camper better. Anyone ever seen a mat like that?

 

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I've seen people use the large rubber horse mats (you can find these at a tack shop). If it is strong enough for a horse, it will surely support a camper. This is what I was going to use but the Rhino liner seems to be doing the job.

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David Dressler
2001 Driftwood 3500 Quad Cab 4x4, 155 inch WB, 5. 9L HO Cummins Diesel (ETH), 6-Speed HD Manual (DEE), SLT+, 3. 54 Anti-Spin Axle, Camper Special Group, Trailer Tow Group, Leather, Sliding Rear Window, Jacob's E-Brake, Rhino Liner, VDO Vision (pyro, boost, engine oil temp. ), Weather Guard Diamond Plate Saddle Box, AND functional Halo light!
Bigfoot 3000 10. 11 Slide-in Camper.

[This message has been edited by dresslered (edited 08-29-2000). ]

 

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What about the big-time no no concerning welding on the frame?? Some guys on the board feel pretty strong against any welding on the frame. Just a thought.

 

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The Tork-Lift mounts bolt to the frame (not welded). The extension sections slip right off when not in use.

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David Dressler
2001 Driftwood 3500 Quad Cab 4x4, 155 inch WB, 5. 9L HO Cummins Diesel (ETH), 6-Speed HD Manual (DEE), SLT+, 3. 54 Anti-Spin Axle, Camper Special Group, Trailer Tow Group, Leather, Sliding Rear Window, Jacob's E-Brake, Rhino Liner, VDO Vision (pyro, boost, engine oil temp. ), Weather Guard Diamond Plate Saddle Box, AND functional Halo light!
Bigfoot 3000 10. 11 Slide-in Camper.

 

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My Camper mounts are Hybrid or cross between Happi Jac and Torklift. Fronts mounted HappiJac style with the required cross support and the rear (bumper to weak = tweak) is 2" x30+" long square tube that slides into the side of the receiver hitch and has the HappiJac bottons on plates at the ends. Cost was $20 for the steel and a 6 pack to weld the plates on the tube ends for the buttons.

I have never had a problem with our #2,200 camper but I would consider the Torklift type system on a heavier slide-in.

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'99, 3/4, QC, SLT, 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 3. 5xlsd, tow pac, HD tcase, tow mirrors, camper pac, White over driftwood, Mist gray interior. 4-sale with less than 17,000 miles.

 

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Hey guys,

I know this isn't about tie downs, but while we're on the camper subject, do any of you have the Lance camper window boot and does it work as advertised? I have just purchased a '94 LC 990 and was wondering about adding it. I have used those air up boots before and there just about useless and changes in altitude makes them a PIA.

Thanks, Bill

 

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I heard that the air cushions they use wears off the vehicle and camper paint. Only heard it. Never have used them. I think the company that makes them is in either Auburn or Kent, Wa. and named "Camper Cushion. "

Dewdo in the other Washington


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2000 Ram 3500 4 X 4 dualie W/B-D Exhaust Brake, Auto-Loc, Armr bed liner, DeeZee running boards, mud flaps, steps, leather, white with color splash on sides, would like to BOMB it, but after warranty. VA Box waiting to install.

34' King Of The Road 5th wheeler & 11. 5 Arctic Fox pickup camper. Winter in Arizona (Martinez Lake)

 

[Archive]

Hey Bill, I have the Lance boot with my 1130, it's a big block of airfoam, they cut the center out when the camper is mounted to the truck (different sized holes I guess)...

It works resonably well, no water gets past it. . But, there is quite a bit of road noise that gets through and, if you leave a roof vent or window cracked in the camper, it will suck all the air conditioning out of the truck cab.

We do install it every time and mostly use it to let the dog get to her food and water in the camper when we are parked.

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Y2K 3500, 4WD, Auto, 3. 54, Custom Brush Guard, Mopar nerf bars & rock guard, Camper package, Towing package, all options except leather, Air-Lift Air Bags, Hadley 'BULLY' air horns, Lance 1130 Camper (3400 lbs)