truck bed camper bolts

[Wyomingcowboy]

Hey guys I got a question for you:

with my little light weight capri camper (less than #1k) I have four holes drilled through the bed to hold it down. The holes are right into the sheet metal and not the frame though. It is the same setup the guy I bought it from had, as well as the guy before him, and they had no problems. Hace any of you ever heard of anything bad happen from this scenario? I know all that COULD potentially happen, but I'm trying to avoid the tough task of hitting the frame rails.

 

[HBarlow]

You could probably get away with it the way it is for 200k miles but in the event of a serious accident the camper would probably tear out the thin sheet metal and separate from the bed.



Large steel washers or steel strap drilled to the bolt size and cut into 3" to 6" strips and mounted under the bed would strengthen the mount considerably. That is the way some of the fifth wheel hitch manufacturers suggest mounting their hitches in pickup beds.



I admire the practicality of the Capri Campers. They are a good product for the money. Simple, light weight, and not too expensive to buy. I considered buying one several times including just before a trip to Alaska when I had a pickup but stopped short of the purchase because I used a large auxilary fuel tank in the bed I didn't want to give it up.

 

[DonTX]

You might take a look at the Happijac method I have on mine. In the second gen one ton beds at least, there are some holes in the bed floor that allow you to drill some holes thru the bed support brackets, NOT the frame itself. You could use those points to easily give you a "frame mounting" system, really cheap, far far more secure than bolting thru the tin box floor. .

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

Where could I see this Happijac method?





Nevermind... . I just googled it!

 

[Grizzly]

Happijac Company A division of Lippert Components Inc.