Camper Tie-down Pros/Cons

[ColoradoCorbo]

I'm just starting down this journey of truck-camper life. I managed to find a solid slide-in camper that is 1500 lbs. dry and 1900 lbs. wet for a good price. I'm looking to live in it and pimp it out (I'm a carpenter). My current vehicle is a 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500 Ext. Cab. My plans include upgrading my vehicle within the next 12 months.

The question comes when I'm looking at the tie-down situations. I understand that frame-mounts are MUCH sturdier, however I'm wondering if I may be able to get away with either happijacks or burphy mounts until I upgrade my vehicle. I'd hate to spend $1000 on mounts that I won't even be able to use in the next iteration. Am I thinking about this clearly? What am I missing and how big of a deal would it be to go with the less sturdy/less reliable non-frame mounted hooks for the next 12 months until I can upgrade my truck?

Thanks in advance,
~Corbo

[ColoradoCorbo]

srschang wrote:
Definitely spring for the aluminum. I had steel Torquelift tiedowns on my first two trucks, and spent lots of time trying to hammer the adapter in because the receiver rusts on the inside. Used sandpaper, files, lots of stuff to get rid of the rust in the receivers. The "aluminum" tiedowns aren't all aluminum; the part that bolts to the frame is stainless steel, the adapter is aluminum. I put them on my last few trucks, and they are maintenance free. In fact, I've used the same rear tiedowns swapping them truck to truck for my last couple trucks. I've been using the same tiedowns for 9 years or so, and they see lots of salt as I live near Buffalo, NY.



Drove to Alaska and back last year, 14,000 miles on some very bad roads with our 4800# camper and they worked great!

Thanks for the insight, I am just trying to get the camper winter ready and budget is tightening. Great to know that the difference is vastly superior. I like the idea of "maintenance-free" as I will have enough other things to maintain throughout the next couple years/journey.

[srschang]

Definitely spring for the aluminum. I had steel Torquelift tiedowns on my first two trucks, and spent lots of time trying to hammer the adapter in because the receiver rusts on the inside. Used sandpaper, files, lots of stuff to get rid of the rust in the receivers. The "aluminum" tiedowns aren't all aluminum; the part that bolts to the frame is stainless steel, the adapter is aluminum. I put them on my last few trucks, and they are maintenance free. In fact, I've used the same rear tiedowns swapping them truck to truck for my last couple trucks. I've been using the same tiedowns for 9 years or so, and they see lots of salt as I live near Buffalo, NY.

Drove to Alaska and back last year, 14,000 miles on some very bad roads with our 4800# camper and they worked great!

[StirCrazy]

ColoradoCorbo wrote:
UPDATE:
Got the camper home, minimal scuffs/scratches. Parking her at a job site for now and going to start winter-proofing next week once I get done with the hardest parts of this job.

Back to my original question re:tie-downs. I priced out the frame mounts at forklift and they have two options. Steel & aluminum. Steel is around $850 for front & back. Aluminum is around $1150 for the pair. They are marketing the aluminum as Rust-proof but I believe my chassis is also steel. The plows here in CO use Mag-chloride, not salt.

Is it that big of a difference between the two materials?

I had been gun-ho to get the aluminum bc I tend to buy and cry one time, but I'm tempted to go with the cheaper option in this case as I might upgrade within a year or two. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.

~Corbo

I am assuming you meant torklift? if you are talking about the actual frame brace, go with the steel. give them a shot of undercoating paint every couple years. It seems funny aluminum would even be an option as aluminum doesn't handle cyclic stresses well (small bending events over and over) when I entered your truck nothing aluminum came up can you post a link to what you're talking about?

I just punched in my truck, and it brought up an aluminum talon version, but I am not sure if that is just the bar or the bracket also. hmm interesting but I think for the extra money I would still go steel.

[Reality_Check]

ColoradoCorbo wrote:
UPDATE:
Got the camper home, minimal scuffs/scratches. Parking her at a job site for now and going to start winter-proofing next week once I get done with the hardest parts of this job.

Back to my original question re:tie-downs. I priced out the frame mounts at forklift and they have two options. Steel & aluminum. Steel is around $850 for front & back. Aluminum is around $1150 for the pair. They are marketing the aluminum as Rust-proof but I believe my chassis is also steel. The plows here in CO use Mag-chloride, not salt.

Is it that big of a difference between the two materials?

I had been gun-ho to get the aluminum bc I tend to buy and cry one time, but I'm tempted to go with the cheaper option in this case as I might upgrade within a year or two. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.

~Corbo

You're probably assuming that rock salt is worse than Mag-chloride; it's not. Rock salt washes off the road, vehicles, etc, easier, so it's detrimental effect is minimized easier. Mag-chloride (liquid deicers) stick better, hence why we use them, and in the end is why it does more damage. It's a trade off..safer roads vs the cost of the damage.

I wouldn't get to hung up on the details. $300 difference; get the one you can afford to like and want.

[ColoradoCorbo]

UPDATE:
Got the camper home, minimal scuffs/scratches. Parking her at a job site for now and going to start winter-proofing next week once I get done with the hardest parts of this job.

Back to my original question re:tie-downs. I priced out the frame mounts at forklift and they have two options. Steel & aluminum. Steel is around $850 for front & back. Aluminum is around $1150 for the pair. They are marketing the aluminum as Rust-proof but I believe my chassis is also steel. The plows here in CO use Mag-chloride, not salt.

Is it that big of a difference between the two materials?

I had been gun-ho to get the aluminum bc I tend to buy and cry one time, but I'm tempted to go with the cheaper option in this case as I might upgrade within a year or two. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.

~Corbo

[mkirsch]

ColoradoCorbo wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:
I would look for some options. Perhaps you can find a reasonably priced and safe place to store the camper until you have a suitable truck. Another option would be to pay to have it transported.

Update: I upgraded trucks, I'm running a 2016 Chevy 3500 now. I'm planning to pick up the camper this weekend.

In order to transport home, would heavy duty 2k+ lb. Rated ratchet straps do the trick? I was looking at torklift.com is this the industry leader for tie downs? Definitely my next purchase once I get my next paycheck.

TIA

Where are you going to anchor them on the truck? You hook them to the frame and run them over the outside of the bed, you'll scratch the bejeezus out of the paint and probably collapse the bed side.

I had the same problem when I went to pick up my camper. It all happened in a blur and I had to find dually brackets and figure out a way to tie the camper down for the trip home in an afternoon.

Thought I could just run a short ratchet strap between the tiedown point on the camper and the stake pocket on the truck bed. There wasn't room enough for even a small ratchet strap. I ended up having to throw straps up over the roof of the camper and strapping down to the stake pockets, BUT the camper ended up getting scratched by the straps. The camper was already 10 years old at the time and not perfect, so I just muttered about it under my breath and eventually got over it.

The camper is now 23 years old and looks good for its age with the same scratches.

[Grit_dog]

Corbo, yup 2” ratchet straps are plenty strong enough. But you don’t have anything to connect them to without wrapping them around the bottom of your bedsides to hook to the truck frame, which will cave in the bed sides on your truck bed.
Unless it’s a flatbed?

[Buzzcut1]

ColoradoCorbo wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:
I would look for some options. Perhaps you can find a reasonably priced and safe place to store the camper until you have a suitable truck. Another option would be to pay to have it transported.

Update: I upgraded trucks, I'm running a 2016 Chevy 3500 now. I'm planning to pick up the camper this weekend.

In order to transport home, would heavy duty 2k+ lb. Rated ratchet straps do the trick? I was looking at torklift.com is this the industry leader for tie downs? Definitely my next purchase once I get my next paycheck.

TIA

in the short run just to get it home, yes if you drive really easy and watch the bumps. And torklift is the gold standard

[ColoradoCorbo]

JimK-NY wrote:
I would look for some options. Perhaps you can find a reasonably priced and safe place to store the camper until you have a suitable truck. Another option would be to pay to have it transported.

Update: I upgraded trucks, I'm running a 2016 Chevy 3500 now. I'm planning to pick up the camper this weekend.

In order to transport home, would heavy duty 2k+ lb. Rated ratchet straps do the trick? I was looking at torklift.com is this the industry leader for tie downs? Definitely my next purchase once I get my next paycheck.

TIA

[Grit_dog]

Fisherman wrote:
Why not rent an open cargo trailer capable of carrying 3000lbs, put the camper on that, properly balanced and tow it with the truck. A lot less headache for the moment.

Good idea until you think about some of the challenges and techniques involved. Not a good off the cuff recommendation for someone who is not at all saavy in this department.

[Fisherman]

Why not rent an open cargo trailer capable of carrying 3000lbs, put the camper on that, properly balanced and tow it with the truck. A lot less headache for the moment.

[Killingsworth]

I hauled my 1997 Lance 165 on my f250 short bed for long time using the happy jack tie downs, with no problems at all. I felt safe using them. I know years ago lots of campers used the Brophies with out problems. I moved to the frame mounted type when I got my new to me camper. This camper is much heavier and i felt more comfortable with the frame mounted tie downs. The weight of the camper on your 1500, discussion is an important one. CAT makes weighing really easy with their app and you can weigh a second time for something like $3.00. Just knowing the weight was a bit plus for me. I will say adding bags, sway bars and all the other add ons, will help with handling, but no add on was a fix for being over weight.

[mkirsch]

It wouldn't be the first, and won't be the last, that someone loaded a too-heavy camper on a too-light truck and hit the road. I would wager that most of them got home without incident, and few if any experienced more than a flat tire.

Your truck will squat. As long as the tires aren't worn or rotten, and don't squash too badly, it's not the end of the world. Will you want to travel like that? Probably not. Will one trip cause permanent damage to the truck? Depends on how old and beat the truck is, but probably not. There is risk in everything.

[mbloof]

notsobigjoe wrote:


Would he need load "e" with a 1500 pound camper? I know eventually he will. I do not know...

As many of us know "E" rated tires are not created equal however I believe that tires sold in the US are required to have their maximum load ratings on the side of the tire near the rim.

As anyone with a loaded truck ought to do is check the rating/air pressure on the tire to see if they can be adequate for the truck+load they are planning on hauling.


- Mark0.