Bed alignment bracket questions

KKELLER14K wrote:
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Simple and cheap fix. Not to overthink it but this has worked well for me with no issues with the side wall at all. Used it for years with a rubber mat. While I agree with a more permanent fix, If you want to call it that, I would like to see my money go to other projects....a custom aluminum alignment bracket can't be cheap and my other concern would be that the front and rear would be slightly elevated without support down the sidewalls of the TC. Even a slight gap could put undue pressure in the middle...it should sit completely flat on a rubber mat IMHO I think it might end up bangging around even worse if your not using a rubber mat over the top of these aluminum brackets. If you were to add two more lengths of material between the front and rear one, that would work with a mat over the top of the now new bolted down frame. Placement of how to affix it to the frame without bolt heads interfering is also a consideration. Try the wood fix first just to see how far your money goes. ..curious what it would cost though...Keep us in the loop.

For my setup I have to raise the camper up about 2" to clear my cab so I have foam, rubber mats (and will be adding a sheet of plywood soon) for that. I can shave the foam if necessary to keep the platform flat to the bed.

While thinking about these, I've had an additional idea that I might consider. Instead of using the existing bed bolts, I might have some cross members beneath the bed welded to the frame and then drill some new holes through the bed. I would then just use a simple L shaped angle iron that runs the length of the bed. Might notch it for the wheel well if necessary. Though this might be slightly more involved, it could be a better option in that removing the brackets if necessary would not require messing with the bed bolts (which I understand can be a one time bolt).

As far as the cost goes, I have a local shop that does some pretty great work for a very good price. This is also a company truck so I can write the work off. The expense really makes sense for me only because the camper never comes off the truck and I'd prefer something more permanent that I don't have to think about. If I used the truck at home a lot and was loading the camper each time I used it then I'm already going to go through alignment procedures anyway and the wood blocks would be good enough.