Got my new Capri Cowboy camper last week. I have unloaded it, but have not loaded it yet. Not too crazy about it being bolted to the bed and unbolting/bolting it to unload/load. I have to crawl under the truck and put vice grips on the nut to unbolt from inside the camper. Not that difficult but loading and getting those 3/8 bolt holes lined up may be a challenge. Camper weighs about 900 lbs, loaded it may weigh 1,100 or so, no water tanks and the usually heavy items. Would really like one of the tie down systems that are mounted on the outside, but I have a step side 2002 Silverado extended cab. Called both Happijacs and Torklift, neither have a product for the step side. One of them mentioned a belly bar and getting that fabricated to work. So - anyone gone down this road that can get me pointed in the right direction to get a tie down system that is easier to access?

Stepsides are scarcer than hens teeth, so no surprise there. What about the plates that mount to the front of the bed between the cab and bed and then the bumper buttons on back? It’s a small camper so not going to need a lot for tiedown if you keep it from sliding. Agree, if I had to line up and bolt the camper down to the bed each time I’d sell the camper and buy a tent!

x2 get on the truck camper sight and beg for help.

I had an 8' cabover on a stepside pickup and I bolted it to the bed.Another inexpensive option is heavy duty straps to the frame or steak pockets.I have had several like the Cowboy,some with floors and others that sat on the bed rails..I always bolted them down either to the bed rails or PU bed.It's not all that heavy so a solution should be fairly easy..Bed mats help keeping them from sliding also.

Torklift charges about $1000 for their ties and tie-downs, so even if you find a kit that fit, you might not like the price. I would work on fabricating better guides and fast release bolts for existing set up. Would you post some pictures, we can brainstorm the ideas.

Seems the happijacks should work but maybe front of the step side bed wont allow mounting. Second thought was the Brophy style bed pocket or clamp style mounts.Brophy makes a few different styles. Brophy Camper_Tie Downs @etrailer.com but unsure if the Capri has external tie-down points? Snagged this off the http://capricamper.com/faqs/ siteTrap door/turnbuckle installation vs traditional bolt downThis is our new favorite way to install your camper. Each of our campers will have four heavy duty hooks mounted under the wings of the camper (2 on each side) and there will be four access trap doors below each hook. After the camper is on your truck, you will be able to reach inside a trap door with a turnbuckle, hook above to the camper hook and then below directly to a hook mounted in your truck bed. Tighten the turnbuckles to secure your camper, loosen and unhook to remove the camper from your truck. We will install the four hooks in your truck bed using four small heavy duty eye bolts, plus washers and nut and a heavy duty steel plate that mounts under the truck bed out of sight. For those that rarely or never plan to take their camper off the truck, we can easily bolt the camper to your truck bed using four 6” long hex bolts that are easy to ratchet out of the floor."

Tie down options for step side truck - need advice

Kayteg1
Explorer II
Feb 17, 2018
I have set like I pictured for 30 years.
It was often used when I work in heavy machinery. Even now can rest for 2 years but when it is needed, it really helps.
Like the hitch mount I did for Honda 3000 last year. I can slide it into receiver with generator attached, but doing final 1/8" adjustment without such a tool can take forever.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Feb 17, 2018
Thanks Kayteg. I have them all 3 ways. Rocker end (like you pictured), straight and open end wrench end (what Iron workers use today).

Picked up a 6 foot long aluminum handled Rigid Stillson when I worked on the boats too. It leans in the corner of the shop. I should sell it. No pipes that big around here. A few large nuts though....me.
TxGearhead
Explorer II
Feb 17, 2018
kayteg1...that's a combo heel bar/spud bar. But it will work.
Think of what a Ironworker uses 30 floors up to align holes in I-beams, without the open end wrench on one end. For the visual just eliminate the hooked end in Kaytegs pic.
You should be able to find spud bars/alignment pins in different sizes.
https://www.protoindustrial.com/en/industrial-tools/Proto/Striking-%26-Struck/Punches/J155%7c8S2_Proto®-5%7c8%22-x-3%7c16%22-Long-Aligning-Punch/

If you have room to get the alignment pin in both holes you should be able to move the camper enough to drop the bolt in, if the jacks are on a piece of plywood or a wide board.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Feb 16, 2018

seven bucks bars
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Feb 16, 2018
breeves2245 wrote:
I've come to the same conclusion, work with what I have. I am curious about the spud bar. Googled it some but did not get a real good idea of how to use one. Seems like there are quite a few different types.

Basically a round steel bar with a long tapered to a blunt point tip you insert in a hole to line 2 surfaces / objects up with. Sears has them, MSC has them and I think you can get one on Amazon as well.

Fitters (structural steel erectors) use them all the time to align beams before bolting up or riveting.
breeves2245
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
I've come to the same conclusion, work with what I have. I am curious about the spud bar. Googled it some but did not get a real good idea of how to use one. Seems like there are quite a few different types.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Feb 16, 2018
breeves2245 wrote:
I'll look into the Brophy tie downs. Pete at Capri had the turnbuckle system ready to go but due to the step side bed, the brackets would not fit into the bed and there was no room to work with it. So we had to go to option B and bolt it down.

Lots of armchair suggestions. I happen to own and operate a fabrication and weld shop so in my humble opinion, I'd stick with the through the bed mounting for a couple reasons.

Most importantly, there are no external cleats on the sides of the unit to secure the camper to external tie down, you'd have to add those and correct placement and securing them could be problematic in as much as you have no idea how the framing under the skin is arranged or if it's suitable for external cleats.

If you absolutely want to go to external tie downs, any competent weld and fab shop can build a set of mounts (frame) with removable square tube extensions for conventional tie down's but you still have the cleat issue.

My opinion of the TL mounts are they are overpriced but then most people like the convenience of buying a pre made set. I've built external tie down's for a couple trucks already and all in, they are about 2/3rds the cost of the TL tie downs and that is installed as well.

I'd stick with the bed mount and buy yourself a spud bar. With a spud bar (alignment bar) aligning the camper to the drilled holes is a simple matter of inserting the bar through the bed to camper hole (from underneath) and moving the camper to align with your drilled holes. The camper is light enough that after getting it close, the spud bar will move it into alignment.

How I'd address the issue.

Myself, I like the 'no external tie down' look. Much cleaner. There are a couple builders that employ the no external tie down method, 4 wheel campers is another.
breeves2245
Explorer
Feb 16, 2018
As requested, inside pics.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Feb 16, 2018
Sweet looking camper! How about a pic of the inside?
KD4UPL
Explorer
Feb 15, 2018
I agree with stevenal. Why in the world would the Torklift system care what the bed it. It mounts to the frame and hooks to the camper. It should work even if you didn't have a bed on the truck.