Truck bed mat options

[bkenobi]

I have my 2007 NL 10-2QRR mated to a 2016 Ram 3500 SRW LB. The dealer recommended a bed mat to prevent slippage but they only had 4'x8'x1/4". I thought it was a little thin, so I decided on a 4'x8'x1" stall mat.

The problem is, I'm getting a little sag in the back right when on the truck so the side wall touches the vertical tailgate post (causes rubbing) and the diner box separates from the back wall by 1/2". When I drop it back down on the jacks, everything is fine.

Keith at NL said this is not a common problem and it could be how it's mounted. They recommend a 1" plywood and then 3/8" DeeZee mat on top. The dealership suggested trying to shim between the mat and the outer bed wall with 1" of something (plywood, mat, etc) to support the outer wall of the camper.

Does anyone have thoughts on this? I was going to cut down a couple plywood shims, but thought that could add a stress location at the back outside corner that might damage the fiberglass. Ideally I would think a mat that was the shape of the bed and 1" to 1-1/2" thick and contoured to the bed ridges would bethel way to go.

[bkenobi]

Yes, the side walls bulge and touch the tailgate post. The gap when on the jacks is around 1.5" but it closes to maybe 0.5" when on the truck. I'm very curious where you added stiffeners. If you have any pictures, that would be great!

[covered_wagon]

I put 1/4'' shims in the corrugated valley under my NL wider sides as those structure sides are right over a valley with no support in the corrugated truck bed.

Does the side wall bulge a little and touch the tailgate post when you set it down?

I had to strengthen my basement sides too. Camper sat lower in the back. I used 5 ply half inch plywood glue laminated to the basement sides.

Also installed load point on sag side beyond basement sides.

[bkenobi]

I just talked to Keith at NL again. He said that the stall mat is actually ok in his opinion as long as it provides sufficient clearance and that I just need to add a soft rubber mat on top of it (adds some give and traction for sliding). I looked at my local lumber stores and none seem to have 1" plywood for some reason. They only stock up to 3/4 and then jump to 1-1/8" tongue and groove.

His thought on the gap in the dinette is that someone didn't have is secured properly and hit a bump causing damage. I didn't see any nor did my dealer when they inspected. If it is sagging due to some structural damage (as seen by there being a difference in basement height front to back), adding a 1" plywood sister to the basement wall should fix things.

[HMS_Beagle]

The way I made mine was: one sheet of plywood cut so it runs from the middle of the wheel wells forward. It isn't necessary to have it wider ahead of the wheel wells. Then another sheet cut to length to fill in to the end of the bed (or a little beyond is a good idea it seems to me), and also cut in width so it runs from the center to one side, and trimmed to the shape of the wheel well and tailgate. Notched around the tailgate it will stay in place and not leave out the back. A second sheet for the other side. Three sheets, plenty left over in offcuts but you need three sheets to get lengths and widths required.

It you wanted to limit to two sheets, you could rotate them as you say, I wouldn't worry at all about filling in a gap in the middle with a scrap. The one disadvantage with this is that plywood is stiffer and stronger the long direction, so the support out the back will be a bit less if turned sideways. On the other hand it will bridge the ridges in the bed better. On mine I actually did rotate the front piece to fill out ahead of the wheel wells, but I don't think that is necessary. I did it so that it could not slide sideways, but actually the wheel wells and railings I have on it do the job.

You could also use two sheets, cut one in half and have it forward, take the other half and offset it to the left, take half of a new sheet and offset it right as described above. You will not get an overhang, and will be left with 1/2 sheet of ply to spare.

[bkenobi]

I guess another variant could be

4) Using 1/2" plywood, cut both 2) and 3) and stack them. Fill gap on top and optionally bottom layers. Glue layers together for more rigid base. Cover with any available rubber mat.

[bkenobi]

This is perplexing. NL says to just use a 4x8 sheet of 1" plywood and a 3/8 DeeZee mat for my camper and a 2016 Ram for proper clearance. The 3/4" stall mat does clear, so I'd think 3/4"+ plywood and a mat would work. However, 4x8 doesn't allow for full support. So now I'm not sure the best configuration of plywood to support the thing.

I have been sketching some cuts and even cut out some trials out of paper, but it seems a little complicated to me. The best options I've come up with leave a gap under part of the camper.

1) 1 sheet 4x8 plywood as NL suggests. (Doesn't support wings aft of wheel wells)
2) 1 4x8 sheet split into 2x8. Notch wheel wells and leave a gap down the centerline. Optionally add strip to fill gap.
3) 2 sheets of plywood both rotated 90 degrees and cut to width of bed notching around wheel wells. A small gap could be left to allow some overhang at back of bed. Optionally use some scrap to fill gap between sheets.

[Bedlam]

The rear wings aft the truck wheel wells are wider than the forward section. You need even support across the rear half of the camper that sits in the bed instead of just using a thick 4'x8' pad running lengthwise in the truck bed.

[Grit_dog]

So Bigfoot who makes arguably the most solid campers makes campers that won't sit right in the back of a truck?
This seems really weird or maybe a solution looking for a problem.

[bkenobi]

I went by the farm store to get a length of 1/4" mat and they gave me some 3/4" scrap. I cut and installed it in the aft corners behind the wheel wells but the camper still flexes. I want to say the gap between the bench and the back wall is smaller, but my wife thinks it's minimal improvement. I can add a little shim material since the ridges don't quite line up with the camper corners, bit otherwise I'm going to have to use a plywood base. I'm trying to figure out the best configuration should that be needed.So far I have 3 configurations but all leave a void. It seems I'd have to get 3 sheets to avoid a void OR go with 1/2" material and use 3 2 overlapping sheets.

[bkenobi]

I just realized that the farm stores sell 3/4" mats, so that's what I must have. If that works for thickness, I'd think 3/4"-1" plywood and a rubber mat should be ok.

[HMS_Beagle]

There are three pieces, they are not attached but are captured by the wheel wells and tailgate so they cannot move. 3 pieces because you cannot make it long enough and wide enough in back out of one sheet, and it is much easier to remove and install and store in 3 pieces.

The rails on the sides are wood blocking with polyethylene rub rails. They are to keep the camper centered, and are approximately 1/2" wider than the camper. I had trouble with movemet on the new camper. I had been told the bed liner was a bad idea, allows the camper to rock and move. On my old truck I removed the bed liner and had Line-X installed. No difference at all, other than my wallet was $500 lighter. On the new truck I went back to the bed liner. The plywood platform keeps the camper from moving, and also provided plenty of bearing on the bedliner so there is no rocking. I've never tried the camper right on top of the bedliner, always had plywood in there.

From experience, the poly bedliner protects the bed better than the Line-X, which is why I went back to it.

[SidecarFlip]

HMS Beagle wrote:
The box on a Lance is built quite differently than a Bigfoot or NL. Here is what I did. I used 1/2" plywood because I didn't need any more rise. I did something similar with my old camper and truck, but spaced 1/2" on top of 2x2, with 3/8 on the bottom. On a BF, the 2x2 really only needs to be around the perimeter, as that is the only place the camper will put any weight. I hung the plywood out the back about 6" to eliminate the hard spot created by the end of the bed. On top of this is a 3/8" truck mat. You can see the black spots from the mat is where all the pressure is. That's right where you have nothing with a 4x8 1" mat.

Interesting. Some manufacturers want you to remove the plastic bed liners, 4 Wheel campers is one.

[bkenobi]

HMS Beagle, what are the vertical pieces on the sides for? They look like they are designed to either keep things lined up or allow you to put things next to the TC without the moving under when loading.

[Tizi]

bkenobi wrote:
Does the dense foam conform to the truck bed?

It flexes too much for the camper.