Update: After very careful examination, what happened is the crossmember supports are made of the same sheet metal the side of the bed is made from. They are flimsy. They are cheap. I can’t believe anyone’s actually stand the test of time. It’s amazing they do. So, they are being replaced by quarter inch steel square tubing. That will prevent this problem from ever happening again. The towers are being replaced by steel plate bent at a 90° angle to hold the weight up there. This will add 128 pounds to the vehicle. I will have to lighten the load a little bit to make up for that. But, this will be indestructible. I’m also putting pieces of old tire in between the frame and these new supports for a softer ride. Now it will be indestructible.
for anyone that plans to put high miles on a truck camper, this is probably a good idea. OEM beds are made very cheaply.
I’ll post some pictures of the fix once it’s done. I decided not to do this myself because I am just too busy to do this project. So, it’s outsourced to a local fabrication shop. Their first opening is April 12. So, that’s when it will be done.
