Forum Discussion

New2Rv_s's avatar
New2Rv_s
Explorer
Jul 21, 2021

Custom truck camper tie down mounts?

I wanted to ask if anyone has employed any "custom" mounting points to secure their truck camper to the bed of their truck?

Of the 2 typical options, Happijac and the Torklift frame mounts I feel like I'd like something more low profile than the Torklifts and stronger than Happijac bumper mount.

I realize I could combine both.

I was wondering if anyone has seen a different set up? I know Phoenix pop-up campers that are hidden.

My truck is a 2018 Ram 3500, SRW, 4wd, diesel, double cab. The camper I'm buying is Northstar Liberty, dry weight 1775.

Are there angles of attachment that I am not considering? Four wheel campers attach within the bed of the truck. Lighter goes without saying but still.

Would it be reasonable to create attachment points within the bed that run through the bed with significant reinforcement on the underside. Use turnbuckles, heavy duty ratchet straps (like HEAVY DUTY), to attach the camper to bed?

With something like E-track used in moving vans etc. you could create multiple attachment points. Say 6 attachment points spreading the load.

This would be low profile, secure and strong.
Truck Campers
  • joerg68's avatar
    joerg68
    Nomad III
    Jul 21, 2021
    Most truck campers here in Europe are held down inside the box.

    But:
    - they are smaller and lighter (like your FWC example)
    - the campers are designed for this type of application - the anchor points may need to be in a different location for this approach to work
    - the tiedown anchors are usually bolted to the frame through the truck bed floor, the floor sheetmetal is not strong enough
    - you need to be able to access the space between camper and truck bed in order to set the tiedown straps. For many (most? all?) bigger campers, this will be impossible. It always means some gymnastics.

    It would not work for our Northstar Arrow. The front wells are somewhat accessible as the camper has no basement and there are access doors on both sides from inside the camper. The rear anchor points would be inaccessible, and on the side with the bathroom there is no useful space between camper and bed sides.

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