TC Sliding Around in the Bed of Truck

[HadEnough]

Hey guys.

My Arctic Fox seems to be sliding around a lot in the back of the truck.

It has the quality, stainless frame mounted tie downs. 4 stainless FastGun ones.

However, it keeps slipping back due to the awesome power of my Cummins Turbo diesel with Edge performance enhancement and custom exhaust.

Instead of sitting tight up against the rear of the cab, it slips back about a foot. And it's a short bed truck so it's concerning me a bit.

It has the rubber mat under it and the the tie downs are about as tight as I can get them but it still slips back. (doesn't slip forward again... Stays back).

Is this something I should be worrying about?

It's in constant use. I've been touring the country full time for a year.

[SidecarFlip]

wnjj wrote:
The plates on the end of Torklift inserts should point forward and you should use the forward hole (it sounds like you are now).

You don't want to run with too much tension. The easy way to get the right amount on fastguns is to pull the handle until all of the slack is gone. Then looking through the lock hole you should see it half covered.

They should make a decent slam sound as they go over center and a fair amount of force to pull on.

The wind hitting the front of your camper at highway speeds puts more force pushing back than accelerating will.

I don't believe the front notch is far enough forward on a short bed truck. My buddy has a set coming in for his 2015 F350 short bed that I'll be installing. If they aren't far enough forward and I have to modify them, I'll post a thread and contact TL. Like I said in a previous post, I've had a few conversations with TL. Pretty receptive people.

I have the capabilities here to build out about anything I want to.

[SidecarFlip]

HadEnough wrote:
Sidecarflip:. I think I need to slow down. I have been pushing full acceleration with the tc in place. I can still smoke some cars with the tc on the back.

Definitely need to just be more gentle.

I bought my truck back in 1997 when I worked full time and had lots of money for toys and hot rod parts. It's lifted 6 over stock and being an F350 Super Duty, it's way up there and now than I'm older (much older) I wish it wasn't lifted up because it's a royal PITA to get into and out of. Being retired I'm very attuned to things like tires and cost of operation and I can make it smoke if I want to. I just don't.

RV'ing is about driving at a leisurely pace. You'll find me in the slow lane or rubbernecking somewhere because I don't hurry.

[wnjj]

The plates on the end of Torklift inserts should point forward and you should use the forward hole (it sounds like you are now).

You don't want to run with too much tension. The easy way to get the right amount on fastguns is to pull the handle until all of the slack is gone. Then looking through the lock hole you should see it half covered.

They should make a decent slam sound as they go over center and a fair amount of force to pull on.

The wind hitting the front of your camper at highway speeds puts more force pushing back than accelerating will.

[HadEnough]

Sidecarflip:. I think I need to slow down. I have been pushing full acceleration with the tc in place. I can still smoke some cars with the tc on the back.

Definitely need to just be more gentle.

[HadEnough]

It slides on *top* of the stationary rubber mat.

I moved it tight up against the cab again and used the farthest notches in the frame mounts that create maximum twist (and max angle). I also clamped the tie downs so hard it felt like something might break.

It didn't move this trip.

I also didn't hit the accelerator too hard.

[SidecarFlip]

MORSNOW wrote:
For a camper to move back a foot, I'd think the mat being used is inadequate, I'd be replacing that right away.

Die hard Torklift tie down guys don't want to hear this but Happijac angles do work to hold a camper in it's place (even with TL Fastguns like I use). A Torklift frame mount is almost straight down on a short bed truck like mine (actually goes right over the gas/fuel door), and would allow a camper to slide back freely until an angle makes the tie down tight. A foot is crazy though!

You could (with a little bit of thought and some steel (and a welder of course), move the attachment point forward on the TL frame mounts. Cut the attachment end off and weld on a length of schedule 60 tubing with an appropriate gusset. Add an eye bolt in the end and viola, you moved the attachment point forward and increased the attachment angle.

Maybe I should call TL and make a product suggestion. I've talked to them before.

I keep trying to imagine how much applied force there is on the front tie down's when the camper slides backward.. It has to be substantial.

[MORSNOW]

For a camper to move back a foot, I'd think the mat being used is inadequate, I'd be replacing that right away.

Die hard Torklift tie down guys don't want to hear this but Happijac angles do work to hold a camper in it's place (even with TL Fastguns like I use). A Torklift frame mount is almost straight down on a short bed truck like mine (actually goes right over the gas/fuel door), and would allow a camper to slide back freely until an angle makes the tie down tight. A foot is crazy though!

[lc0338]

Yep, if there is an insurance lawyer monitoring this forum they are probably trying to find you right now and follow you around. If the camper was to go bouncing down the road and hit or injure, kill someone and then discover it has been a recurring event.... you might should check out your liability insurance policy.

[SidecarFlip]

After reading this and chuckling a bit (a foot is a lot with a short bed, I'd be concerned about the camper dropping out the back and bouncing down the road...

I believe the issue is 2 fold.

One the angle of the front tie downs is too vertical and I'll probably get some flak from the die hard TorkLift guys, but, on a short bed truck with the mounting of the TL frame mount tie down point, the angle isn't acute enough to keep the camper from sliding backward...when driving stupidily....

My 'tricked out Ford F350 with it's highly modified (390 rear wheel horsepower 7.3 turbo diesel is perfectly capable of smoking the tires on command of my not to intellegent right foot..... if I so desire..

I don't, One, tires are expensive and two, I have a camper in the bed.

My angle on the front tie down point is much more acute than with a TL setup, I have the HJ front mounts.

Neither of my 2 campers have ever moved, front to back, back to front or side to side and I too run off road.

I've never used a rubber mat, never used plywood, never used nothing in the bed but a Line-X spray in bedliner.

I think the OP needs to slow down, take off easier and get a set of (front) tie downs that provide more of an angle of attachment.

My 2 cents,

[KD4UPL]

Get rid of any plastic bed liner you may have. You must have something wrong with your tie down installation.
My camper pretty much never moves. I think I could haul it around with no tie downs if I was careful. I have a 3/4" thick rubber horse stall mat under mine.

[Lwiddis]

Rotti, what a great picture! Print, frame and hang picture.

[Grit_dog]

Is it a rubber mat on top of a plastic bed liner? I can't see any way this can happen unless you're creating a slip plane somewhere under the camper. This doesn't even sound realistic. I have gotten mine to slip back slightly when going up a steep road/trail, like 15-20% grade est. no way it could slip back in normal highway driving, even if I left the tie downs off I bet.
I'm rubber mat on top of painted truck bed.

[SidecarFlip]

rottidawg wrote:
It slips back a foot?! I would worry.

That is a problem. If your tie downs check out (something has to be amiss) I would go with a LineX spray in bed liner with your rubber mat on top of that. I have a FWC camper that I use on a lot sorta serious 4wd roads and my camper has never moved an inch in five years.

I like it....

[Grit_dog]

tattoobob wrote:
Your tie downs should be at the greatest angle possible,
The front ones should angle from the camper to the front of the truck
The back should angle from the camper to the back of the truck

They'll both angle forward a bit on an AF/short bed Dodge combo.

[HadEnough]

tattoobob wrote:
Your tie downs should be at the greatest angle possible,
The front ones should angle from the camper to the front of the truck
The back should angle from the camper to the back of the truck

That's exactly the way they are set up, but the problem is there isn't really much of an angle. They are nearly vertical until the thing slides back a bit.

Based on the unanimous responses, I'm going to pull over right now and move the thing forward. I'm also going to take it really easy driving and not accelerate as hard.

Also I have to look into this and figure out what's going on. I bought this thing used. This is how it was always set up. Nothing new. I've already traveled around the United States for a year straight.