Hello all,

Does anyone know if there are any currently available frame mount
tiedown systems that fit our trucks? I've seen the Happijac CA-FU
that bolts to the front wall of the bed and through the side of the bed,
but I've got a 2300 lb cabover and I don't trust that one to keep it secure.

I'm almost ready to have a local fabricator make some like the Torklifts,
just curious if anything available will fit before I go down that path.

Thanks in advance for any insight & information you can provide!

Tracy in Colorado

 

Hi Tracye- I've owned several heavy cab over campers during the past 35 years. Your options are either a "stake" anchor that goes into the 4 corners of your bed, the Happijac like you mentioned or a tork lift frame mount setup. The 4 corner stake holder anchors are "ok" and will do the job. They've been around forever. They sometimes require drilling into the bed and depending upon the fit, could "twst" a little but they are inexpensive and simple. The Happijac set up will do the job and 2300 pounds is not a problem. I've used them on big 11'3" Lance cab overs that tip the scale at 3000+ when loaded and have never had a problem. In regard to the tork lift frame mount, I do not believe that Tork Lift makes a set for our dentsides. Currently, I have a 74 F350 Super camper special with the 140" wheelbase. It carries a vintage 1979 11' Mitchell cabover camper that weighs about 2700 pounds empty. The '74 F350 is equipped with frame mounted camper anchors that Ford produced as an option for the Camper
Special editions. They came with huge chrome spring loaded turnbuckles, very similar to today's happicjac turnbuckles. Unfortunately I never see a set of the Ford produced anchors at junkyards or Ebay. Every blue moon, I see a set of the Ford chrome turnbuckles on ebay. I don't know the part number of the anchors but perhaps a NOS set exists and Mike or Number Dummy can identify those for you.

 

Thanks SCS -

I've seen pieces of the factory mount system on eBay. Green Parts had
some of it when I looked earlier this year, but not enough to secure a
camper. The part number list from the catalog is pretty long!

The Happijac comes in two major types, the ones that just bolt through
the front wall of the bed, and the heavier ones that have a stabilizing bar
across the front wall secured to the frame by heavy angle brackets.

I'm considering a cross between the two systems, using the CA-FU
brackets that fit the dentside bed, a heavy set of structural tiedown
angles bolted through the bed & frame, and steel bar stock connecting the
two. Another bar connecting the two side brackets (like Happijacs'
stabilizing bar) probably wouldn't hurt.

I know the original owner of my truck (73 F250 Camper Special) used to
haul a large Mitchell camper on it - I assume that the original tiedowns
were removed at some point because there is no evidence of any mounts
now.

 

I think your set up, using the CA-FU and steel bar will work very well. If your F250 used to carry a large Mitchell, there may not be any evidence of tiedowns as the Mitchell may of had their EZ loader system. Which in this case there were 2 small brackets mounted on the front of the floor of your bed (if gone, you will probably find a total of 4 holes or 2 per bracket, at the front of your bed). This is where the camper slid into and in addition he would have most likely used a stake post tie down for the 2 front tiedowns. There would not have been any rear tiedowns as the Mitchell loading system had a rather slick method of holding the rear of the camper down onto the loading bar at the end of the bed. Therefore no rear tiedown anchors were needed.

 

Ask mikeo0o0o0 to post this '73/79 truck parts catalog pic: Body Illustration Section 400, page 8 / There's much more to it than just turnbuckles.