[twoslo4five0]

I need to break down and buy some tie downs and turnbuckles. First off my truck is a work truck and my camper is a 94 fleetwood, neither very pretty (my shit gets used and abused :flipoff2 I'm a cheap ass that doesnt want to have a third of my campers cost in tiedowns.

I dont really care about looks of fancy shiny stuff i just want something secure. I dont want to spend a bunch of money. torklift seems so expensive and seems like a lot of guys on the net who use it dont use theyre trucks (worried about a drilling, bumper bending,blah,blah). He is the kit im looking at, will this be fine for my 4k camper? its a 11.5 model.

compared to torklift (still have to buy a stabilizer bar) this is a steal.

http://www.amazon.com/HappiJac-FM-CG9-Frame-Anchoring-System/dp/B003VAPGOQ

 

[crashnzuk]

My buddy and I both use HappiJac tie downs. Mine doesn't have the frame tie-in feature, but my buddy's does. Neither of us have had any issue with them. My camper is under 2k, and his is probably like 2500, so not as heavy as yours. I have seen many big ones with happijac tie downs though and wouldn't be afraid to use them on a big camper.
Travis..

 

[oldenginebuilder]

My solution was heavily bashed on an RV forum, but I drilled 1/2" holes through the floor of my slide in, then on through my bed of my pickup. Next I unloaded the camper and removed the bed. Then I bolted pressure-treated 2x8s to my frame. Reattach the bed, re-load the camper. Some allthreads, washers and nuts.
Predictably, this led to some stubbed toes. However, it's nearly free, totally secure, and now proven to work.
I haven't yet tried loading it over my GN ball, but I have no problem with the idea of cutting a 2.3" hole in the floor of my slide-in.

 

[Harold Phipps]

Northern had their 2" wide, 27 foot long ratchet straps on sale for like $12.00 each, so for like $24.00 and tax, poof, 2 camper tie downs.
Throw them up and over the top, around the outside of the bed to the bottom lip of the frame rail and ratchet them down.
HAUL ASS !!!!

 

[78jeepstang]

Before I had my GN trailer I did the slide-in thing & just used ratchet straps. Worked absolutely fine for the 5 trips or so I used them for. I just ran them from the rear tiedown points on the camper to the rear bumper, and from the front, around the edge of the bed & down to the frame. Granted - my slide weighs a lot less than yours does, but I don't see why it wouldn't at least be an option.

 

[az-k5]

I don't trust the happijac bed mount with dodge paper-metal and tend to be a cheap ass. I built my own like the torqlift for the front and use the happijack buttons on the rear bumper.

2x3" 3/16" tube receiver with 1.5x2.5" out riggers.

 

[twoslo4five0]

what does the piece of dom on top tie into? i bought this earlier for the rear buttons alone. im thinking about just making a removable belly bar for mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230729144460?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

 

[az-k5]

It ties into the front bed x-member. I tried it without but the outriggers moved more than I would like (using the tried and true "jump up-n-down" on the part you just made testing method).

The torqlifts also tie in here and there are some decent picks in Lance's (PBB former owner - not the camper company) tie down write up.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/productreviews/torklift/tiedowns.html

 

[twoslo4five0]

thanks that helps, mabye its just me but torklift seems to be way overpriced for what you get.

 

[EasyXJ]

I did the same frame tie in as az k5 without the tube brace. I use cheap chain and a turnbuckle w/o springs. It's worked for my 9.5' for 5 years now. Hasn't pulled the camper apart at the seams like everyone said it would.

 

[[email protected]]

Have two cross members going across the bottom of the frame. 2x2" 1/4"wall with eyelets on the ends for the tie down points. Some pictures, bed off, on and one with a camper.

 

[twoslo4five0]

any opinions of the ones shown first in this thread?

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/17013492/srt/pd/pging/1/page/2.cfm

 

[drnut]

I use the Happy Jack tie down to the bed of the truck it cost about $400 installed and i have not had any problems. I have a Lance 825 that is not light and 06 Dodge Ram. I wouldn't change a thing it works great!

 

[rrobbins]

I built my own tie down mounts. the front are off the crossmember off the bed and comes down around the edge of the bed. the rear slides into the trailer hitch. Works fine with simple all thread style tie downs up to the camper. I read until my eyes were sore about the best way to mount the camper. Then I remembered working on the camper and seeing how it was built. Most of them structurally look like a failing 7th grade woodshop student made them using reject wood from the toothpick factory. I'm sure some are more quality than others. But if you get in a bad wreck chances are the camper will fail on it's own anyway.

 

[bggrnchvy]

I just built something reasonable in regards to materials and effort. Wish I had had some tight fitting tube to do a pin mount instead of bolt on flanges, but it's rock solid with the bolts. The bolts take an extra 10 minutes to pull the extensions off.

My only complaint about the straps is that in high winds they oscillate enough to create a funny noise. Easy enough to drown out with a little radio, but I know it's there.

It's a light guy so the 1" 1100lb WLL straps are plenty.

EDIT:

Those pics don't show the final arrangement of the straps. I ended up hard mounting them to prevent the ratchet flailing in the wind:

 

[7938]

bggrnchvy, you might try twisting the straps half of turn to eliminate the wind noise...

 

[twoslo4five0]

this thread is full of great info, good work guys!

 

[chvyhs]

I have the Torklift set up and it works great. After buying and installing it I wish I would have just built my own. If you can find some one near you with the Torklift setup see if they'll let you crawl under their truck and take some pictures and measurement. I have an 11x Elkhorn and weighs near 4000 lbs wet and I have no issues with this set up.

 

[ksxj]

I welded receiver tubes onto the frame and used 2in square tube. Cost about $100. Much cheaper than the torklift stuff. simular to azk5.

 

[az-k5]

. . . mabye its just me but torklift seems to be way overpriced for what you get.

It's decent stuff if you have no fab skills or are using a brand new vehicle/company vehicle that you don't want to drill on. It is pricey compared to the happijac stuff though, but cheaper than sable lift.

RV's are a captive market so the stuff just flat out costs more and uses weird sizes and materials for everything. Then there is truck campers which have even a smaller niche market and command more dollars.