How to rig tie downs on a flatbed.
I am trying to figure out the best way to anchor a lance 1040 on a flatbed. I have had the Lance anchored on a flatbed before, but this bed will be different. I am not going to cut holes in the boxe...
Forum Discussion
It is my opinion that most people do not give a lot of thought to exactly what the tiedowns are supposed to do. Does anyone really think a headwind will blow the TC out of the truck bed? Think about it, a medium size car weight is about the same as a TC. Will a gust of wind blow it backwards?
If you think about it, the tiedowns do not tie your TC to the bed of your truck like tiedowns on a load of lumber. The tiedowns prevent the TC from moving forward and back due to the vibrations as you go down the road. You need only to look closely at the connection points in several TCs to see what I mean. Most can be ripped out if you overtighten the tiedowns. The tiedowns do almost nothing to prevent the TC from sliding side to side. About all they do side to side is put a very small amount of pressure down on the bed of the truck, which increases the friction between the TC bottom and truck bed.
As for spring loaded tiedowns, it was many years TCs were hauled with only turnbuckles and no springs. Have you ever went over a road bump a little too fast? The back of the TC will bounce up, the front stays in place. As I recall, when the spring loaded tiedowns first came out, they were for the rear. They allowed a little give when you hit a bump, but I think it fair to question just how valuable the spring tiedowns are. Have you ever looked at how a Class C mounts the camper? Is it spring loaded?
I played with offroad toys in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Everyone I was aware of had the front tiedowns pull to the front, and the rear pull to the rear. The reason was to help hold the TC against the front of the truck bed. If you slam on the brakes, the TC did not slide forward like a giant hammer. The TC was already as far forward as it could go. When going of the pavement on rough roads to get to our campsites, we loosened the rear tiedown. That would allow the back of the TC to bounce and flex a little. I have seen a couple of TCs that did not loosen the rear tiedowns on rough roads, and the result was the TC tiedown connection points ripped out.
When I had my various TCs mounted on flatbed trucks, I found it necessary to fasten 2x4s or something on the bed parallel to the TC floor sides.
Wayne
If you think about it, the tiedowns do not tie your TC to the bed of your truck like tiedowns on a load of lumber. The tiedowns prevent the TC from moving forward and back due to the vibrations as you go down the road. You need only to look closely at the connection points in several TCs to see what I mean. Most can be ripped out if you overtighten the tiedowns. The tiedowns do almost nothing to prevent the TC from sliding side to side. About all they do side to side is put a very small amount of pressure down on the bed of the truck, which increases the friction between the TC bottom and truck bed.
As for spring loaded tiedowns, it was many years TCs were hauled with only turnbuckles and no springs. Have you ever went over a road bump a little too fast? The back of the TC will bounce up, the front stays in place. As I recall, when the spring loaded tiedowns first came out, they were for the rear. They allowed a little give when you hit a bump, but I think it fair to question just how valuable the spring tiedowns are. Have you ever looked at how a Class C mounts the camper? Is it spring loaded?
I played with offroad toys in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Everyone I was aware of had the front tiedowns pull to the front, and the rear pull to the rear. The reason was to help hold the TC against the front of the truck bed. If you slam on the brakes, the TC did not slide forward like a giant hammer. The TC was already as far forward as it could go. When going of the pavement on rough roads to get to our campsites, we loosened the rear tiedown. That would allow the back of the TC to bounce and flex a little. I have seen a couple of TCs that did not loosen the rear tiedowns on rough roads, and the result was the TC tiedown connection points ripped out.
When I had my various TCs mounted on flatbed trucks, I found it necessary to fasten 2x4s or something on the bed parallel to the TC floor sides.
Wayne
