I loaded my TC in Seattle and it was slightly off cener at the front (2" difference, so 1" off center). It was close at the back, but not touching either side. I didn't have time with daylight to fix it before the trip. We drove to Sacramento over the last couple days and now the camper is close to 3" at the front and touching on one side at the back. I don't have any blocking at the front and don't load it to the front.I use a 3/4" horse mat on Rhino lining and Torklift tie down system. I haven't noticed any shifting in the past. It's possible the mat is flipped from what I normally have it so maybe one side is more slippery. I hate to reload it on the road, but it feels like I have to here.I've seen guide systems that also lock the TC in place. I've also read that the thick mat is bad. The TC mfg recommends 1" plywood and 3/8" rubber mat so the cab-over clears correctly (it clears now, with 3/4" mat and spray liner). I am looking to make a change, so now's the decision time.Does plywood slide on spray in bed liner? Is the thicker mat I'm using creating this issue? The cabover bounces a bit when driving but I'm not sure how much of that is expected or caused by thick mat. All suggestions are appreciated!

If you cut the plywood to fit the truck bed it can't slide. Mine is 5/8" plywood cut in 4 pieces. It is pretty much locked in at the tailgate opening. I put a rubber truck mat designed for my truck model on top of that. Both the plywood and mat should be covering the entire bed. If you just put a sheet of 4' x 8' plywood in the truck it will slide around. The areas in front and behind the fender wells need to be covered.I think I used 3 sheets of plywood to cover the entire bed.

I have a 3/4" bed mat (Ford) on my unlined bed. My Northstar sits on a 2X3" frame to clear the truck roof and lights. I use Torklift fast guns,tight,but not so tight that they will damage the camper. We've done three cross country trips,including off road travel,and have never had the camper move more than a fraction of an inch. You don't have to off load to adjust your camper. Using the legs individually,it is possible to adjust the position of the camper. I would recommend that you block the front of the camper to prevent excessive movement before you make any adjustments. Then tighten your tie downs,just not too tight.

bkenobi wrote: I don't have any blocking at the front and don't load it to the front. I've not heard of anyone getting away with this. Properly adjusted tie downs should pull the camper into the front of the bed, and relying on mats to keep it from sliding forward during hard braking seems risky. If the camper cannot be loaded all the way forward, suggest making blocking job #1.I'm presently running a short bed camper on a long bed truck. Blocking was easily achieved by building a frame out of 2X8s and screws. If you don't need this kind of footage, just stack 2Xs until you have the distance needed. Side blocks can then be added to the front block to stop any side to side motion at the front.

stevenal wrote:bkenobi wrote: I don't have any blocking at the front and don't load it to the front. I've not heard of anyone getting away with this. Properly adjusted tie downs should pull the camper into the front of the bed, and relying on mats to keep it from sliding forward during hard braking seems risky. If the camper cannot be loaded all the way forward, suggest making blocking job #1.I'm presently running a short bed camper on a long bed truck. Blocking was easily achieved by building a frame out of 2X8s and screws. If you don't need this kind of footage, just stack 2Xs until you have the distance needed. Side blocks can then be added to the front block to stop any side to side motion at the front.This is what I thought. As an ME, I've wondered why it's a good idea to rely on friction and tie downs to stop shifting rather than blocking. The dealer said it was dfine, but it's always made me uncomfortable.

Try bumping the camper all the way forward against the truck bed or some blocking if it needs to sit back a couple inches. Other than that you already have the optimal no skid setup unless your camper is made of Teflon or something.Also, are the rubber mats shifting or just the camper? If just the camper, you could sink a bunch of short sheet metal screws into the bottom, effectively “studding” the camper floor. It will not move then unless you get it airborn!

TC sliding around in bed | Good Sam Community

TxGearhead
Explorer II
Jan 26, 2018
If you cut the plywood to fit the truck bed it can't slide. Mine is 5/8" plywood cut in 4 pieces. It is pretty much locked in at the tailgate opening. I put a rubber truck mat designed for my truck model on top of that. Both the plywood and mat should be covering the entire bed. If you just put a sheet of 4' x 8' plywood in the truck it will slide around. The areas in front and behind the fender wells need to be covered.
I think I used 3 sheets of plywood to cover the entire bed.
moebedick
Explorer
Jan 26, 2018
I have a 3/4" bed mat (Ford) on my unlined bed. My Northstar sits on a 2X3" frame to clear the truck roof and lights. I use Torklift fast guns,tight,but not so tight that they will damage the camper. We've done three cross country trips,including off road travel,and have never had the camper move more than a fraction of an inch.

You don't have to off load to adjust your camper. Using the legs individually,it is possible to adjust the position of the camper. I would recommend that you block the front of the camper to prevent excessive movement before you make any adjustments. Then tighten your tie downs,just not too tight.
stevenal
Nomad II
Jan 26, 2018
bkenobi wrote:
I don't have any blocking at the front and don't load it to the front.

I've not heard of anyone getting away with this. Properly adjusted tie downs should pull the camper into the front of the bed, and relying on mats to keep it from sliding forward during hard braking seems risky. If the camper cannot be loaded all the way forward, suggest making blocking job #1.

I'm presently running a short bed camper on a long bed truck. Blocking was easily achieved by building a frame out of 2X8s and screws. If you don't need this kind of footage, just stack 2Xs until you have the distance needed. Side blocks can then be added to the front block to stop any side to side motion at the front.
bkenobi
Explorer
Jan 26, 2018
stevenal wrote:
bkenobi wrote:
I don't have any blocking at the front and don't load it to the front.

I've not heard of anyone getting away with this. Properly adjusted tie downs should pull the camper into the front of the bed, and relying on mats to keep it from sliding forward during hard braking seems risky. If the camper cannot be loaded all the way forward, suggest making blocking job #1.

I'm presently running a short bed camper on a long bed truck. Blocking was easily achieved by building a frame out of 2X8s and screws. If you don't need this kind of footage, just stack 2Xs until you have the distance needed. Side blocks can then be added to the front block to stop any side to side motion at the front.

This is what I thought. As an ME, I've wondered why it's a good idea to rely on friction and tie downs to stop shifting rather than blocking. The dealer said it was dfine, but it's always made me uncomfortable.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jan 26, 2018
Try bumping the camper all the way forward against the truck bed or some blocking if it needs to sit back a couple inches.
Other than that you already have the optimal no skid setup unless your camper is made of Teflon or something.

Also, are the rubber mats shifting or just the camper? If just the camper, you could sink a bunch of short sheet metal screws into the bottom, effectively “studding” the camper floor. It will not move then unless you get it airborn!
sbryan
Explorer II
Jan 26, 2018
Good advice so far. I am in the camp that has never heard of not bringing the camper all the way forward to the truck bed or to some blocking at the front to keep it from shifting. Without that to stabilize it I can see why it shifted. Everything else you have done sounds fine.
HMS_Beagle
Explorer
Jan 26, 2018
I had this problem as well, particularly on subsiding roadways and in heavy cross winds. Some said it was the drop in liner, so I had a spray in liner done - same problem still, no change. Plywood, rubber mat, etc. I have only about 1" clearance on each side of the camper in the tailgate.

Finally I made this. 1/2" plywood cut for a snug fit between the wheel wells and tailgate. Low rails to capture the camper, about 1/2" clearance on each side if perfectly centered. It sits on the liner (spray in on the truck in the picture, drop in in the new truck, it makes no difference). On top of the plywood is a 3/8" mat rubber mat, this is mostly to protect the plywood from getting eaten by the bottom of the camper. I painted it with polyurethane after this picture.

It took 3 sheets, as I did the front piece crossways to fill the space ahead of the wheel wells (although that is not really necessary). Then two pieces side-by-side in back, extending 8" over the end of the bed to ease the hard edge of the bed. Those drop in and are locked by the notch for the tailgate, so they cannot slide any direction. Three pieces makes them small enough to install, remove, and store easily.

The camper never moves.
KD4UPL
Explorer
Jan 26, 2018
Why don't you load all the way to the front? I don't know any reason not to. My camper doesn't move on my 3/4" stall mat. I have the front of the camper tight against a stop block faced in more stall mat pieces.
deserteagle56
Explorer II
Jan 26, 2018
It was necessary to raise my Bigfoot about 3 inches to have it clear the cab of my Ram so I built the platform to fit snugly inside the bed. It cannot move side to side or front to rear. Then, because the bottom of the Bigfoot is very slick I cemented rolls of tool box liner to the top of the platform - the mesh kind. That stuff is very sticky material. The Bigfoot does not move around at all on this stuff.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Jan 26, 2018
I had the problem with my 12' camper even it was against front blocking with 1/2" stretch on fastgun springs.
That with Ford factory molded pad.
It did happen on long drive and the pad was still in right place, so I figure out that rocking motion "walks" the camper over the mat over the time and having front ties at small angle is not giving enough holding power.
Giving the springs 3/4" stretch solved the issue.