Tie-down systems performance/safety vs cost

[silverbullet555]

I have no doubt this has been beaten to death.

Now that we have a new truck camper, I need to outfit the truck to safely carry it. If it matters, the truck is a 2007 2500HD Chevrolet Silverado crew cab 4wd 6.5' bed.

It seems that the torklift stuff is the crème de la crème of tie-downs and they are at the top of my list.

But, I would like to balance cost as well, at least until we know if truck camping is for us. The camper cost us $3K and I am looking at probably $2.5K in truck upgrades if I am not careful. I need to upgrade the hitch so I can run a 24-36" extender to be able to safely tow our boat. That alone will cost me a bit over $1K between the hitch and the truss.

I also plan to do some suspension upgrades with a sway bar and/or airbags.

That leaves tie downs and the truck attachment points. It came with Brophy tie downs which will I will use to get the camper home (5 miles).

I want to balance performance and safety with cost. Safety is always the top consideration, but if two systems are both safe, then cost can come into play. This goes for the tie down points and the turnbuckles to connect the camper to the tie down points.


So, from your perspective, what do I need to consider?

What are safety/performance benefits of torklift over happyjack, etc.?

I want to make a good choice and not overspend or make things unsafe.

[Grit_dog]

Seems like a deal, but if you’re on a budget, I wouldn’t spring for the fastguns. They’re nice, but a simple spring mount and turnbuckle/chain setup works fine.
I’d also just do manual airbag setup. Being budget minded. It’s not like you need to change air pressure frequently with the camper on.

For a hitch, if you don’t trust your OE hitch with the extension you need , 4klb boat, right? Just buy a stout aftermarket 2.5” receiver. Like $300 one and use a solid bar extension.
It does get spends, you’re right.

[silverbullet555]

I found torklift mounts for $120 and torklift fast guns for $375.

[mountainkowboy]

Grit dog wrote:
Happi jacs work but look at the red trucks bumper. It's bent. If that's ok with you then happijacs are fine.

My bumper is bent due to someone borrowing the rig (first and last time)and being CLUELESS as to how to use the tiedowns correctly, even though they were shown the correct way to use them. People in general are lazy POS' and if it's not their equipment, they don't take care of it. If you use them correctly they work just fine.

[AnEv942]

silverbullet555 wrote:
Question on the happijac mounts. Am I correct that one has to drill through the bed of the truck to mount the front mount? Then it mounts through the bottom of the bed into the frame and through the front of the bed to the bracket? Or is it 100% to the bed in the front?

I just want to make sure I understand how the system works.

https://happijac.com/tie-downs.html
link to H/J systems- 3 different p/n listings for an 07 but similar as far as installation

[specta]

silverbullet555 wrote:
Question on the happijac mounts. Am I correct that one has to drill through the bed of the truck to mount the front mount? Then it mounts through the bottom of the bed into the frame and through the front of the bed to the bracket? Or is it 100% to the bed in the front?

I just want to make sure I understand how the system works.

Yep. One hole on each side and it does bolt to the frame.
And 4 on each side of the front of the bed for the brackets.

Its not hard to install. A second set of hands will help.




This is all that sticks out.
I am happy with my HappiJac.

[mellow]

Drill 4 holes through the front on each side and then drill 1 hole down through the bed into the frame on each side, I might be forgetting something but that is what I remember doing. It took me 3 or 4 hours to install because I try to get it perfect. Getting the nuts on the bolt on the front I remember being a PIA on the inside 2, tight fit between bed and back of the truck.

[jimh406]

I think it would be good for you to find install directions for the Happijac mounts and read those to understand how they are attached. At least, try to find a youtube video to watch.

[silverbullet555]

Question on the happijac mounts. Am I correct that one has to drill through the bed of the truck to mount the front mount? Then it mounts through the bottom of the bed into the frame and through the front of the bed to the bracket? Or is it 100% to the bed in the front?

I just want to make sure I understand how the system works.

[Kayteg1]

Looks to me like FastGuns are in your future.

[StirCrazy]

I ended up going with the torklift because when I am not hauling the ccamper I dont want to see anytyhing, and I wanted it mounted to the frame. not the box and bumper which are inhearently weeker spots. because I spaent so much on thoes I ended up using theres for tiedowns
https://www.torklift.com/rv/basic-springload

they give you the spring loaded feature at a fraction of the cost of fast guns. I will probably look for one used fast gun at a later point for making fueling a little quicker.

Steve

[specta]

mbloof wrote:
In my mind the key is to have something with a spring and when installed have the spring tensioned properly so that the "eyelet" on your camper is not torn out.

Mark0.

These have a spring inside them to allow for shock.

Tighten until all the slack is gone and then tighten an additional 3/4" of thread travel.

The front ones do about 90% of the work.
The rear ones just add some stability and to keep the back end from bouncing around.

[Kayteg1]

silverbullet555 wrote:


Are you saying that torklift have an engineered failure point to give under a certain amount of stress in an attempt to prevent trailer damage?

I would not give them that much credit, but at present they are leaders in RV hardware.
Was the weak point a design, or side effect? Who really cares? It works and that what counts.
I straightened bend tubing in few minutes. Rebuilding pulled camper anchor would definitely be a big headache.
Not to mention that bend tubing will still hold, when pulled anchor not

[jaycocreek]

So many people use the Happijacks wrong including the guy I bought my truck camper From.. Barrels go down not up and from them......

TCM: That’s another mistake we’ve made as a few scratches on our truck can attest. How tight should the turnbuckles be?

Don: You want to tighten the front turnbuckles until the slack or wiggle is out and the turnbuckle is snug. Put a mark on the hook opposite the threaded rod next to the barrel. Tighten the turnbuckle until a quarter to three-eighths of an inch of the hook is pulled out of the turnbuckle. This compresses the spring giving you about 300 pounds of pressure. Tighten the jam nut to keep it set.

For the rear turnbuckles, also tighten them until the slack or wiggle is out and then tighten the jam nuts to the bottom of the barrels. The purpose of the rear turnbuckles is to keep the camper from bouncing up and down. The side to side movement is controlled by the front turnbuckles.

[silverbullet555]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Since the topic asks about safety, Torklift tie-downs have weak extension in them, what will give when you overlook speed bump. I experienced it myself in small incident, when another member posted that he experienced it in big way.
From what I see Happijack tie-downs don't have flexing/bending part, so what will give?
We had few pictures of camper anchors pulled out and they were not pretty.

Are you saying that torklift have an engineered failure point to give under a certain amount of stress in an attempt to prevent trailer damage?