Forum Discussion

egarant's avatar
egarant
Explorer III
Jun 12, 2020

Utility Bed Tie Downs....???

Hi All!

Thinking of getting a chassis cab truck from one of the big three. I’ve shopped some very nice aluminum utility beds that would accommodate my TC. My question is, how in the heck do you tie it down?

Or is the best option to put it on an aluminum flat bed, then surround it with storage boxes where I can?

Thanks,
Eric
Truck Campers

6 Replies

  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator II
    Jun 13, 2020
    Too general of a question, really.
    Tool boxes are nice but you still need to secure the camper.
  • mike_kellie's avatar
    mike_kellie
    Explorer II
    Jun 13, 2020
    There are a couple options with mine. Spring loaded tiedowns need something extending from the truck frame or you can use 4 pins that have to align through 4 secure points. You can remove your campers factory brackets and fab up your own set using the same bolt pattern. Then you need to mount 4 secure points to your utility bed. Maybe someone will chime in with their pin system.
    Keytag is correct about bed height. A quick reference is how much higher is the utility bed above the back window? That is how much you have to raise the bed. Obviously this is for a camper with slides right?
  • Kayteg1's avatar
    Kayteg1
    Explorer II
    Jun 13, 2020
    Check the measurements very carefully before you even consider UB.
    I had big UB on F350 and when the bed had floor elevated by 5", I had to add 4" shims to clear the sides.
    That put my basement TC over 13' tall. Not something to like.
  • egarant's avatar
    egarant
    Explorer III
    Jun 13, 2020
    ticki2 wrote:
    ticki2 wrote:
    It will depend on how the flatbed is made , there are several types . On mine it has 3" I beam cross members and 1/8" diamond plate on top . I mounted 1/2" ss D rings at the 4 corner with reinforcing under the I beams spaning at least 2 cross members . For turnbuckles I used 4 short spring loaded Anchor Guards from torklift . Be sure to use a barrier between the ss and aluminum . This has worked for me for 10 years with no damage to bed or TC . Good luck and enjoy all that extra storage .This may work with a Utility Bed depending if their is enough room to get your hand in to tighten .


    I assume you are referring to just mounting to a flatbed, Yes, the anchor points you discuss would work perfectly. I am more interested on how to anchor a TC when it is sitting inside a utility truck bed with service sides. I’ve seen TC’s in them, but now how they are fastened to them.....
  • ticki2's avatar
    ticki2
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2020
    ticki2 wrote:
    It will depend on how the flatbed is made , there are several types . On mine it has 3" I beam cross members and 1/8" diamond plate on top . I mounted 1/2" ss D rings at the 4 corner with reinforcing under the I beams spaning at least 2 cross members . For turnbuckles I used 4 short spring loaded Anchor Guards from torklift . Be sure to use a barrier between the ss and aluminum . This has worked for me for 10 years with no damage to bed or TC . Good luck and enjoy all that extra storage .This may work with a Utility Bed depending if their is enough room to get your hand in to tighten .
  • ticki2's avatar
    ticki2
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2020
    It will depend on how the flatbed is made , there are several types . On mine it has 3" I beam cross members and 1/8" diamond plate on top . I mounted 1/2" ss D rings at the 4 corner with reinforcing under the I beams spaning at least 2 cross members . For turnbuckles I used 4 short spring loaded Anchor Guards from torklift . Be sure to use a barrier between the ss and aluminum . This has worked for me for 10 years with no damage to bed or TC . Good luck and enjoy all that extra storage .

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