Forum Discussion

nvlaircrew's avatar
nvlaircrew
Explorer
Oct 30, 2013

Cracked the bed of my truck

So, this summer my camper spent a lot of time on the truck. Made several long trips. One to Inavale Horse Trials in Oregon and another to Kalispell, MT for The Event at Rebecca Farms. In September I made the trip up to elk camp for the opener then came back down to go to another horse show, Aspen Farms Horse Trials. Then back up to elk camp for a couple more days of hunting. Well, when I took the camper off afterwards this is what I found:



I have been to the body shop for a quote to fix it. Not worried about that part. More concerned about what caused this crack. The camper has been on two trucks and I've been hauling it since new with no problems until now. This is the first time I've taken it up to elk camp, but I have been on other roads with just as many potholes as the forest service road to camp.

Anyone else ever have the same problem? What did you do to keep it from happening again? Suggestions welcome?

Thanks
Truck Campers
  • deltabravo's avatar
    deltabravo
    Nomad
    Nov 15, 2013
    Fordman01 wrote:
    Hi Guys, I have had the same thing happen. 2012 F350 DRW, Arctic Fox 990S, I was using a rubber mat at the time. This is the right side.


    Tim,

    I'll send Hopsing over with some duct tape and bailing wire to stitch up the sheetmetal.

    He rides one of the blue "Fast" DRZs.
  • 69_Avion's avatar
    69_Avion
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2013
    rickjo wrote:
    trail-explorer wrote:
    What does the Ford Dealer have to say about the cracking sheet metal?


    Don't carry 5000 lbs concentrated on two thin rails. :S

    Seriously. The truck is 9 years old and there is no warranty that ignores user abuse. If anything, it's a bad Lance design coupled with my 50,000 miles of bouncing the load anywhere and everywhere. I think I have learned not to concentrate the camper weight by using plywood under it.

    Rick

    That is a fact. Even with plywood, I would made two wood runners to lay in the valleys on each interior side of the ridge that rides on the edge of the camper, where the seam is. Without doing that, the camper will still transfer the weight to those corners as the camper weight shifts from side to side. The transferring of the weight on the edge, down to the bed cross members is essential to solving the problem. The plywood certainly helps spread the load out, but on the two sides where the seam is, the load needs to be transferred down to the bottom valley where the cross members attach. That is where the strength is.
  • nvlaircrew's avatar
    nvlaircrew
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2013
    Mine is still within the 36 mo warranty and Ford told me the same thing. The damage was caused by what you're putting in the bed.

    However, I got my "platform" done last night and will be loading the camper up for a trip over to Wenatchee area to do some bird hunting this weekend. We'll see how it works out.
  • rickjo's avatar
    rickjo
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2013
    rickjo wrote:
    trail-explorer wrote:
    What does the Ford Dealer have to say about the cracking sheet metal?


    Don't carry 5000 lbs concentrated on two thin rails. :S

    Seriously. The truck is 9 years old and there is no warranty that ignores user abuse. If anything, it's a bad Lance design coupled with my 50,000 miles of bouncing the load anywhere and everywhere. I think I have learned not to concentrate the camper weight by using plywood under it.

    Rick
  • rickjo's avatar
    rickjo
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2013
    trail-explorer wrote:
    What does the Ford Dealer have to say about the cracking sheet metal?


    Don't carry 5000 lbs concentrated on two thin rails. :S

    Seriously. The truck is 9 years old and there is no warranty that ignores user abuse. If anything, it's a bad Lance design coupled with my 50,000 miles of bouncing the load anywhere and everywhere. I think I have learned not to concentrate the camper weight by using plywood under it.

    Rick
  • rickjo's avatar
    rickjo
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2013
    54suds wrote:


    You might check their history of posting here :R

    ps I'm barred from posting there:B


    You know, I've managed to post and interact on both forums, but it has been clear also that differences flare up occasionally. Opinions are just that and it's too bad when sharing experiences clashes with personalities. Truck Camper Magazine seems to be able to negotiate the common ground and I'm glad for that.

    PM me and I'll try to share the photos you might like to see.

    Rick
  • 54suds's avatar
    54suds
    Explorer
    Nov 13, 2013
    Registration is free. Another Truck Camper forum can't hurt. Right?

    Rick



    You might check their history of posting here :R

    ps I'm barred from posting there:B
  • rickjo's avatar
    rickjo
    Explorer
    Nov 13, 2013
    trail-explorer wrote:
    rickjo wrote:
    Here's a link to my photos, both before and after.



    A message comes up and says "Sorry, you don't have permission for that!"


    Registration is free. Another Truck Camper forum can't hurt. Right?

    Rick
  • trail-explorer's avatar
    trail-explorer
    Explorer
    Nov 13, 2013
    rickjo wrote:
    Here's a link to my photos, both before and after.



    A message comes up and says "Sorry, you don't have permission for that!"

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