Custom/DIY Truck Camper Tie Downs

Kayteg1 wrote:

Bert the Welder wrote:


Did you up-size the tube with a couple sections/sleeves of larger dia. tube or ?

And any reason for not going w/ the larger tube that fit the receiver tubes for the whole thing? Did you have the off cuts laying around or was the larger tube 10x the price?

I used the junk I had in my garage.
My hitch tube was 3" from what I recall, so old 2" receiver tube and then old ball holder from what I remember brought me 1.5" hole for long tubing.
The tube adapter doesn't have to be build from tubing. You can cut flat plate to size and weld the shims around.
As for making whole tie-down from 2 or 3" tubing, the tie-downs as experienced by several members act as weak point.
When you hit a bump at high speed, I rather will have to deal with straightening the tie, than with repairing camper anchoring point.

Yep. I do the flat bar shims on jig mounting stems. I have square receiver tubes in a few places on my welding table. Certain vertically oriented jigs have smaller tubes that needed upsizing to fit the new receiver tubes on the new table. (Like you, working with my off-cut bin I work with what I have on hand) Set screw lock them in place. Various bench grinders get a base with a tube so they can be mounted in the table receivers. Just bring out the one you need rather then all of them being out and in the way.

Thanks for pointing that out. Hadn't thought of the smaller dia. tube as a crumple zone, but that makes very good sense. And the springs in the tie downs are only gonna forgive so much.