Brophy on a new aluminum ford

Just noticed my profile is way old. I will change that

What camper do you have?

I am using Torklift tiedowns on all four corners.

However, since my Jayco is so light weight, if I had it to do over again, I would probably do torklifts on the front tiedowns, and Happijacs on the rear bumper tiedowns.

whizbang wrote:
What camper do you have?

I am using Torklift tiedowns on all four corners.

However, since my Jayco is so light weight, if I had it to do over again, I would probably do torklifts on the front tiedowns, and Happijacs on the rear bumper tiedowns.

Anyone with the last gen F150, 2009-14?, take a look at the rear bumper before putting tie down buttons on it. There's nothing there! Each bumper half is a little 2lb piece of tin with not much holding it on. Not being one piece, in itself, will limit the amount of uplift it can take, but that gen F150 is extremely poor.

I'm looking at the travel lite 770 or the livin lite truck camper. Big difference in price and quality. About same weight for both. I'll be at around 1800 lbs. same as I was with my old truck camper.

I use Brophy clamp-on tiedowns because I never know what truck will be carrying the 1000# camper - and in that respect, they work great. But their "solidity" depends on the strength of the truck's rail - and there's a remarkable amount of flex to those; enough so that I could watch the camper lifting/rocking as we went down the highway. It also made me wonder if the "feet" on the Brophys could somehow dent the bed from the inside out if the camper pulls upward hard enough? I've not seen that happen - but then again, all our trucks have had steel sides.

If I actually owned one of those beautiful new Fords, I'd go with Torklift frame-mounted tiedowns.

PS: the Brophy stake-pocket tiedowns require holes to be drilled in the truck.

Deb and Ed M wrote:
If I actually owned one of those beautiful new Fords, I'd go with Torklift frame-mounted tiedowns.

X2

Absolutely go with Torklift - they attach to the steel frame of the truck, not the body, and there is no drilling required. Win - win. Completely solves your problem.

Ya I think the torklift would be the best idea

I'm assuming we're talking about stake pocket tiedowns here?

I have a set that I scored mere hours before going to look at the TC I ultimately bought. Otherwise I would have had no way to tie the camper down for the trip home.

I had planned on using a short ratchet strap between the tiedown point on the camper and the stake pocket tiedown, but they were so close that there was no way that would work. So, I tossed a 2" load strap over the roof, front and back, and snugged them up against the tiedowns.

The camper did not even so much as wiggle on the trip home. No lifting. No pulling on my bedsides. Granted it's a popup, but I would have expected SOMETHING. I was resigned to some sort of bed damage, but nothing happened.

...and the outer fenders on my bed are PLASTIC, so the rails are only about 1/2 strength of a normal steel bed rail of the same era.

Viken wrote:
Ya I think the torklift would be the best idea

Now that the tie downs are settled, why not look at a GREAT camper made in you home state? Give Rex Willett a call at Northstar truck campers.

I just looked at north star and they seem real nice, but they are to heavy for my truck.