Tie downs

Those in bed eyes are not much of tie-downs.
Doubt you will have access to them once you load camper on. You need outside bed hooking points. If you have older truck and don't care about paint too much, you can hook up straps under the bed and put rubber mats between straps and paint.
Like those "friction mats" you put inside kitchen cabinets.
And if that is your truck on the picture- get rid of that slippery liner.

If it was me doing it,I would get a rubber mat under it so it won't slide on the bed insert and run the front tie downs to the frame with a ratchet strap...The rear to the bumper..

I've done it that way countless times with larger campers than your buying..

JMHO

I have been in touch with the seller and I think I got all the measurements and have done all the measuring I need. Here is a picture of the factory tie downs I was referring to.

epcolumbus wrote:
... snipped ... I am looking at a 2005 Sun-lite Skyhawk SB ... this model is 1035 lbs with the dry weight being roughly 930 lbs. I have a 2019 Ram 1500 short bed. I just want to know if I can use ratchet strap tie downs and the factory tie downs in the bed of the truck to get it home. It's about 8 hours away. I don't want to buy anything not really knowing exactly what will work best.

Don't blame you for not wanting to buy anything before you know what's what. It would be useful to post a picture of your truck bed's tie down points Being a Ford guy, I really don't have a sense of where or what you're looking at for tie downs "in the bed" of your truck. Also might be useful to see if you can get the specs on your truck's tie down ring capacities etc. That is part of this equation too.

What kind of roads are involved in the 8 hour drive home?

In the end, common sense and ingenuity can prevail. You can jury-rig something that is safe and will do the job for the 8 hour drive. Driving carefully and at a safe speed (say 50-55 mph unless you are on an Interstate and have to keep pace at 70 mph+) will add to the safety factor as well.

Well if this is 8 hours away make sure you get that tape measure out before you go. You need to measure the height of your bed side rails and also the height of your cap from the bed floor. Have the seller measure the camper for those areas so you know if it will fit. Many people have to build risers for their campers so they fit in the bed of the truck. You will also want to bring a board to put across the front of your bed for the camper bumpers push against the board and not damage your nice new bed. A rubber mat in the bed is also recommended by most to help keep the camper from sliding around. A plastic bed liner is NOT recommended by most.

What factory tie downs you are talking about? Can you post a picture?
Also what straps? They come in dozens different grades.

So I am looking at a 2005 Sun-lite Skyhawk SB. The information I found on this model says its weight is 1035 lbs with the dry weight being roughly 930 lbs. I have a 2019 Ram 1500 short bed. I just want to know if I can use ratchet strap tie downs and the factory tie downs in the bed of the truck to get it home. It's about 8 hours away. I don't want to buy anything not really knowing exactly what will work best. Thanks for the welcoming and the useful information I received after my second posting. Like I said, I am new to TCs and need help before making a trek to look at something.

Joe Glidewell wrote:
.. I scariest thing I've heard of is if the camper tries to hop/rise up off the truck bed when you go over a bump in the road or when your truck bed flexes you could damage your anchor points on the camper. The screws or bolts could rip out of the wood frame.

You can also damage anchors by using jacks with tie still attached.
Ask me how I know?
I've been observing TC behavior and even the cabover is huge area, they don't seem to have enough air even at 75 mph that would lift it off the truck. With good rubber mat, this is all it holds in 99% of situation.
Ties are for extreme vibrations only, when rocking motion might have the camper "walk" on the bed.

Here's a video on YouTube where a guy made some inexpensive spring loaded tie downs with chain, springs, and U bolts. If the link below doesn't work his channel is called Northern Explorer Overland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhkU3IPcIz0


I hauled mine home with a chain and binder and ratchet strap combo. I scariest thing I've heard of is if the camper tries to hop/rise up off the truck bed when you go over a bump in the road or when your truck bed flexes you could damage your anchor points on the camper. The screws or bolts could rip out of the wood frame. That being said, I suppose it's possible to over-tighten the turnbuckle style tie downs and have this happen also.

Nothing wrong with being creative, but be cautious as well. Here's what I came up with for my flatbed setup. Way cheaper than the frame mounted setup, but I did purchase the spring loaded turnbuckles.

One of the first things you need to know is that the posted weight on most truck campers is way off. They are usually a lot heavier.