Top 5 Reasons for Camper Theft and Damage
Top 5 Reasons for Camper Theft and Damage
Camper damage and theft is preventable if you're aware of the likely reasons they occur. Here's how to avoid costly and inconvenient damage as well as prevent someone from easily meddling with your Ford truck's camper.
1. Lack of Stability
Your truck's camper needs to be stabilized from the bottom up. Supportive jacks will provide the sturdy connection between the front camper jack legs and the camper body when loading or unloading. Camper movement means camper sway, which can lead to camper damage. Whether on or off of your truck, the camper needs to be stabilized and leveled at all times to properly manage the weight distribution.
2. Stress on Frame of Camper
Much like bones in the human body, stress on the camper's frame can cause stress fractures, cracks, or mount damage. This can be due to unequal weight distribution either when attached to the truck bed or in the process of being lowered or raised. Be aware of the weight limitations for towing a camper with your truck, making sure that any camper you purchase is within specification of the payload capacity. You don't want to overload it and potentially cause cracks in the truck bed itself either.
3. Weak Camper Jacks
If you're looking to buy a used camper, make sure to double check for weak camper jacks. This is a main source of camper damage when lowering or raising a camper. Make sure the ground you are lowering a camper onto is a level surface. It's also advisable to never leave the camper supported on its jacks; lower it fully to the ground or store it while supported on level platforms.
4. Excessive Chassis Movement
Slight swaying when going over bumps or turning into a driveway is normal for a camper that's top-heavy, but if you notice excessive chassis swaying/movement to the point where driving fast on a windy stretch of highway is worrisome, then you may need to take a closer look at how your camper is secured. Make sure you've tightened down the camper as much as possible, doing what you can to lower its center of gravity. You may want to add a front/rear sway bar to combat movement as well. Also, check all tires' PSI levels; under-inflated tires will cause boating.
5. Non-existent Security Measures
If you're going to invest your money into a camper to attach to the back of your Ford truck, then it's a no-brainer to make sure you've put some thought into fully securing it. Obviously, an unfastened hitch, or a camper that's easily removable from the truck bed, is easier to steal and get into. Make sure your camper tie-downs properly secure it to the truck bed. Invest in a hitch lock, wheel locks, or even corner steady locks, depending on what kind of camper you have, to deter thieves.