Tie-down systems performance/safety vs cost
I have no doubt this has been beaten to death.
Now that we have a new truck camper, I need to outfit the truck to safely carry it. If it matters, the truck is a 2007 2500HD Chevrolet Silverado crew cab 4wd 6.5' bed.
It seems that the torklift stuff is the crème de la crème of tie-downs and they are at the top of my list.
But, I would like to balance cost as well, at least until we know if truck camping is for us. The camper cost us $3K and I am looking at probably $2.5K in truck upgrades if I am not careful. I need to upgrade the hitch so I can run a 24-36" extender to be able to safely tow our boat. That alone will cost me a bit over $1K between the hitch and the truss.
I also plan to do some suspension upgrades with a sway bar and/or airbags.
That leaves tie downs and the truck attachment points. It came with Brophy tie downs which will I will use to get the camper home (5 miles).
I want to balance performance and safety with cost. Safety is always the top consideration, but if two systems are both safe, then cost can come into play. This goes for the tie down points and the turnbuckles to connect the camper to the tie down points.
So, from your perspective, what do I need to consider?
What are safety/performance benefits of torklift over happyjack, etc.?
I want to make a good choice and not overspend or make things unsafe.
Now that we have a new truck camper, I need to outfit the truck to safely carry it. If it matters, the truck is a 2007 2500HD Chevrolet Silverado crew cab 4wd 6.5' bed.
It seems that the torklift stuff is the crème de la crème of tie-downs and they are at the top of my list.
But, I would like to balance cost as well, at least until we know if truck camping is for us. The camper cost us $3K and I am looking at probably $2.5K in truck upgrades if I am not careful. I need to upgrade the hitch so I can run a 24-36" extender to be able to safely tow our boat. That alone will cost me a bit over $1K between the hitch and the truss.
I also plan to do some suspension upgrades with a sway bar and/or airbags.
That leaves tie downs and the truck attachment points. It came with Brophy tie downs which will I will use to get the camper home (5 miles).
I want to balance performance and safety with cost. Safety is always the top consideration, but if two systems are both safe, then cost can come into play. This goes for the tie down points and the turnbuckles to connect the camper to the tie down points.
So, from your perspective, what do I need to consider?
What are safety/performance benefits of torklift over happyjack, etc.?
I want to make a good choice and not overspend or make things unsafe.
