Forum Discussion

finn40's avatar
finn40
Explorer
Feb 02, 2013

Raising camper height...wood/foam/rubber etc...

So...big day today. Got my happijacks installed (what a pia!!! call me lazy but I hate drilling metal and finding those bolt holes sucked...) and the truck is now wired up to a new plug in the bed.

Now that I have that out of the way, I want to raise the camper height a bit, to 2" clearance between the cab and camper. Right now with just a rubber matt it sits with about 1/2" clearance. I have the idea that plywood added to the base is probably the way to go, but I HATE the idea of screwing it into the bottom of my camper. Do I really have to? What about two sheets of 3/4" in the bed of the truck, anchored with sheet metal screws in the corners to keep it in place. Then a rubber 4x8 matt. Then I set the camper on that. I know it seems stupid, or 'the wrong way around the barn', but I really dont want to drill into the base and screw wood to the camper itself. I'd rather screw into the bed of my truck.

My truck has lots of bumps and bruises, and the ever present custom 'desert pinstriping' already so I dont mind a few small holes in the bed. Heck, I just drilled the******out if it putting in the happijac stuff. I plan on driving a bit of graded dirt road (I like to hunt/fish a lot) so I thought 2" would be better. Truck is an 01 F350 Ford.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

I wanna go camping!!!
Truck Campers
  • kerry4951's avatar
    kerry4951
    Explorer
    Feb 07, 2013
    Gripnriprod wrote:
    I use a sheet of 3/4" plywood and a factory bed mat. I also have a spray in bedliner so I don't have any movement. Like Trackrig said, with your HappiJacks it shouldn't go anywhere.

    I'm curious why you use any plywood? My AF 1140 has about 6" of cabover clearance on my 09 Chevy dually. Did they increase the cab height on the newer 2011 GM trucks? Just curious.
  • elkhornsun's avatar
    elkhornsun
    Explorer
    Feb 07, 2013
    I second the pink foam sheets from Home Depot. They come in 1/2", 1", and 2" thicknesses and you can cut them with a utility knife. Adds very little weight and adds pototenial insulation and it will conform to the bed of the truck. I have a piece on a plastic bed liner with a rubber truck bed mat on top and then the camper and there is no slippage of the camper.
  • meatwagon's avatar
    meatwagon
    Explorer
    Feb 04, 2013
    youngm357 wrote:
    The high density foam board has tremendous PSI capacity and weighs next to nothing. It makes ZERO sense to me to haul around extra lumber. I have been using the same 4 pieces for 5 years with zero compression. It also makes a great loading aid; I have a piece of tape on the center of the front of my TC and the foam is 2x8 so it has a nice center line to load with. My only regret is buying the pink stuff from H Depot when I could have had blue from Lowe's. It really does not need to be complicated.
    I've been using 2"x10"s to raise above the bed rails for my 5th wheel hitch. think i'm heading down to lowes to check this out.
  • youngm357's avatar
    youngm357
    Explorer
    Feb 04, 2013
    The high density foam board has tremendous PSI capacity and weighs next to nothing. It makes ZERO sense to me to haul around extra lumber. I have been using the same 4 pieces for 5 years with zero compression. It also makes a great loading aid; I have a piece of tape on the center of the front of my TC and the foam is 2x8 so it has a nice center line to load with. My only regret is buying the pink stuff from H Depot when I could have had blue from Lowe's. It really does not need to be complicated.
  • finn40's avatar
    finn40
    Explorer
    Feb 03, 2013
    I have a painted bed...no rubberizing. I figure to use the rubber mat against that, then the plywood. Maybe I'll just fab up some wood camper guides to snug it in place while loading...
  • Artum_Snowbird's avatar
    Artum_Snowbird
    Explorer
    Feb 03, 2013
    I used to have a framework made of 2" by 3" aluminium welded together and covered all over with Linex. There was cross pieces every sixteen inches along the length of it. Weighed only about 12 pounds. The Linex helped with the slipping and I put some wedges in to hold the camper exactly on top.
  • Gripnriprod's avatar
    Gripnriprod
    Explorer
    Feb 03, 2013
    I use a sheet of 3/4" plywood and a factory bed mat. I also have a spray in bedliner so I don't have any movement. Like Trackrig said, with your HappiJacks it shouldn't go anywhere.
  • Trackrig's avatar
    Trackrig
    Explorer II
    Feb 02, 2013
    Depending on how much room you need, I'd use the plywood. On one camper I used a sheet of 3/4" and on another I used two sheets of 1/2" with some 2 X 4s in the middle for more room. The foam isn't a bad idea, but I can always use the lumber for someting else later. I never secured any of it to the truck bed - how can it go anywhere with all of that weight on top of it? And the camper is secured to the bed, right? - therefore the plywood can't move.

    Bill
  • dave17352's avatar
    dave17352
    Explorer
    Feb 02, 2013
    Pink rigid foam from home depot works perfectly. Many here have done it including myself. It also adds a little insulation to the floor. I siliconed mine to the bottom of my lance. I used 2 inch. Very lite and will solve your problem. I know you think it would squish but it doesn't at all.

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