I will soon be putting a slide in camper in my 2005 F-250 SD Diesel. Approx camper weight loaded is 2000 lbs. Truck has the camper package and an 8 foot box. Any opinions on the frame mounted hardware vs. the bumper and box tabs? I am concerned about rust and corrosion with the latter method. Thanks for your input. (Great web-site!)

 

check out torklift tie downs. i have the happijac system now but will go to torklift in the near future,

 

Hi, I have used both the Happijac and Tork lift systems. I have the Tork Lift system on my truck now and like it very well. It also works with running boards. One of the problems I have heard of with the Happijac system is if you hit a bump real hard it can wrinkle the sides of the pickup box near the front mount and twist your bumper. If you go to http://www.torklift.com/tiedowns.php there is a discussion of the differences. Good luck. Jim

 

I wouldn't personally use anything that bolts to sheetmetal. That includes the bumper. Ever pick up a bare rear bumper? I'll bet it only weighs 10 lbs. Not much more than sheet metal there either.

 

I've got the Torklift tie-downs on my truck to haul my 12 foot, 4000lb camper. I've even driven off road with this setup and have not had any problems with that tie-down system. I also have the Rhino liner in my bed, which makes sure the camper can't slide around (some people use a rubber mat with success also).

There's a good forum for slide-in campers over at www.irv2.com . I highly suggest reading some posts and asking questions there before buying your camper.

 

Thank you for the opinion and link to irv2. Very helpful.

 

I have a 2006 f-350 SD regular cabwith the 8' bed. I want to install the torklift tie-downs but noiced that the gaslines run inside the chassis and the emergency brake
cable runsalong the chasis on the outside. I would like to know if this presents a
problem? Also does anyone have an idea as to the cost for this setup including
the ratchet type turn buckles. thanks.

 

The only reason I went with Happijack back in 2001 was because according to my camper dealer Ford may have issues with frame mounted systems and warranty issues. It gives them excuses for not fixing something.

Although my bed hasn't "wrinkled" in 5 years, I think the Torklift is a better set-up.

 

Ronct,

I put Tork Lift tie downs on my 2006 F350 dually. I used the adjustable mount in the front so the mount would clear my running boards on the box. I also used the no drill type for both the front and the rear. There were no clearance issues with these mounts. Front tie downs cost $279, rear tie downs $180. Hope this helps.

Jim

 

Thanks Jim, Tork lift it is then.

 

With this old thread being updated, I thought I'd add my thoughts on camper tie down systems. There's basically 3 types of tie downs: bed mounted, frame mounted or stable-lift.

The bed mounted tie downs are inexpensive but don’t have the strength of the other mounts. Two common versions are Stake pocket tie downs ( http://www.crbrophy.com/tdhd.html ) and Happijac style ( www.happijac.com ). Stake pocket tie downs are inserted in the stake pockets and have a metal bar that extends outward and down the outside of the bed. You then use chain and/or turnbuckles to attach the camper to the mount. I would never use stake pocket tie downs unless the camper was very light because they rely of the strength of the stake pocket holes in the bed to hold your camper in place. The Happijac style consists of a mount bolted to the front of the bed and a mount attached to the rear bumper. The newer versions have strengthening bars included to strengthen them. But the strengthening bar inside the bed may cause interference with camper loading. Older styles that bolt direct to the bed and bumper are too weak IMO because new truck beds are too flimsy.

Another style of mount is the frame mounted tie downs. The simplest is a belly bar, which is just a long bar that bolts under the truck frame and sticks out both sides. You then use chains and turnbuckles to connect the camper to the mount. It is cheap, but you lose some ground clearance and the cheapest ones stick out the side of the truck so you risk bashing your shins. A better version of the frame mounts are ones like the Torklift ( www.torklift.com ). These are basically receiver hitches bolted to the truck frame that accept extensions for hooking the camper to. Use the same chain and turnbuckle to attach camper to truck. The nice thing about these is they have the strength of the belly bar, but the extension is removeable so that you don't hit your shins on them when the camper is off the truck. And you don’t lose any ground clearance because the mount bolts to the frame with no parts hanging low under the truck.

No matter which of the above mounts you use, using spring loaded turnbuckles is a good idea if the mount doesn’t have springs built in or else you run the risk of damaging the mounts because the camper can't move at all when hitting bumps or suddenly swerving. If there’s no “give” in the mounting, then the eyes can get ripped right out of the camper or the truck attach point can bend (I’ve seen bent beds where a Happijac mount was attached).

Finally, there’s the Stablelift mount ( www.stablelift.com ). It consists of a tubular stand and jack system. You simply raise the camper on the permanently attached frame, drive the truck under, lower the camper and then suck the frame up against the truck to hold the camper in place (there’s upside down “U” channels bolted to the truck frame that the camper stand ride in). Although pricey, it’s a secure and easy to use mount system. Besides cost, the main disadvantages are reduced ground clearance and some people object to the look of a truck with girdle attached.