Bed mat before camper installation?

D

deezlgeezr

Advanced Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2018
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68
Location
New England
I'm ordering a FWC Hawk next weekend and after initial discussion with my local dealer I have been advised that a bed mat will be needed for the installation of the camper (my truck does not have a spray-in liner or rubber mat currently). I was also told that a 'Line-ex' application (I guess an aftermarket spray-in bedliner) would also be acceptable. I'm looking for user information regarding how thick of a mat is needed; or, is the line-ex the way to go. I'm wondering how moisture entering the bed area (blowing snow, rain, etc) will affect the bottom of the camper unit. My truck is a 2016 Ram 2500 4X4 crew cab short bed Cummins. Thanks in advance with any info!
 
First, welcome. I have both a spray in liner and a rubber mat. My camper stays put. FWC has 1x's that run side to side so they are the only thing touching the bed. Every couple years I reapply the paint.
 
I went a little extreme in the bed mat category and got horse stall mats from the local tack store and cut to fit. They are 3/4 of an inch thick and tough as nails. My Hallmark is quite a bit heavier than what you are getting but I like to believe the stall mats add a little bit of cushion. It also raised the camper that 3/4 of an inch and gave me some additional mental comfort for clearance.
 
Deez,

Check out the search option on this forum for lots and lots of input on this topic.

Many pros and cons about putting in mats of any kind.

Personally, I have RhinoLiner surface on entire Tundra bed...secures Hawk from sliding, adds little weight, protects bed from rusting, does not trap water against bottom of Hawk and allows water to drain out of bed... Just the way I went.

Phil
 
I would recommend a good quality spray in liner. As opposed to a mat it has no compression issues, will protect the whole truck bed from moisture damage (remember the sides and back of the bed will not be exposed to any sunlight to dry out when the camper is mounted) and adds a better non slip solid surface to mount the camper on. The guys I spoke to at the FWC factory told me they prefer the spray in liner option. Your definitely doing the right thing by crossing all your T's and dotting all your I's so to speak before you order. If I recall, there is a $ penalty if you want changes made after you put in your order.
 
+1 on the spray-on liner. I have Line-X on mine and no movement of camper plus no loosening of the Hawk turnbuckles after the first few months. I discarded the factory plastic bed liner as recommended by FWC. Other approaches probably work just as successfully.

Paul
 
Or, you can go to your local hardware store and get a length of rubber floor runner.
This is 1/8" thick, grooved top surface for griping, no moisture retention, no compression (this is a hard rubber) and both top and bottom are just a little "sticky" so no sliding.
Even had 3 of the four turn buckles come off on a very rough dirt road (since this trip I've now got the turn buckles locked in place), the camper never moved at all in the truck bed, which was good, as I didn't have my camper jacks with me and I was able to just reattach the turn buckles in the exact spot they were in when I installed the camper in the truck.
The rubber mat doesn't even have to span the entire distance between the wheel wells, mine doesn't.
Cost was about $25 if I remember correctly.
Mine has been in use since 2010, no issues what so ever.

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gallery_2702_1169_22256.jpg
 
Another idea ...

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... a heavy style, rubber fatigue mat. This one is 5/8" thick and I like it for it's grip, compression and drainage properties. (our camper is smooth bottomed, truck deck has nearly no corrugations)

IMO a quality spray in bed liner is a great idea if using PU box for non camper, messy hauling.
 
Hi deezlgeezr
It was suggested to us that we just stay wit the bed liner. As the bed mat would trap water.
Our ATC does not have the ribs LH1 mentioned. I have added paint to our underside, I think camper was a little loose and ther was some chafing. I'm gunna guess anyway you choose except the plastic bed liner would be ok.
Also welcome to WtW, your gunna love the camper, just sayn

Russ
 
Thanks to all that responded with the very good info. Planning to go with Line-X once I find the best installer in my area.
 
Howdy

And second the welcomes.

On our Hawk, which has longitudinal runners underneath, I attached a heavy boat trailer skid type material to the runners'.

This seems to cushion the camper to bed fit but also lets air and rain water flow under the camper.

Cannot tell you the name of the material but it is a thick, nearly brittle carpet like material with a rubbe backing.

I attached the rubber side up to the camper runners.

David Graves
 
DG, thanks for the welcome - I like the idea you used for the 'runners'. Great bunch of folks here! :D

So I have purchased a 2017 Hawk and plan to get it installed this week; hoping the Line-X installer can get me in during the next few days so I can get the spray-in liner applied.

I ended up buying an in-stock model my dealer had as it was nearly identical to the Hawk I had spec'd out and was going to order. Can't wait to get this camper set up! I have a serious list of road trips I have to get to! :LOL:

PICS SOON! :)
 
I use the horse stall mats. Cheap, fast, Nonpermanent. They add just the right amount of cushion, a little insulation, and don't slip. I initially bought them because at 3/4" they happened to raise my Hawk in the bed of my Tundra to the perfect ht to clear the bed rails. Once I started using them I realized they have lots of other positive traits.

Despite the positives they are heavy and thick. If you don't need the extra ht I would go with something lighter. My dealer built a wood shim to raise my camper out of 2x4 laying flat (so 1-1/2 " thick). When first installed I had the thin cheap rubber Toyota bed mat under the 2x4s and it worked well. Grippy and light weight. Switching to the horse mats eliminated the 2x4 shim, lowered the camper to perfect ht and made what I think is a perfect combo of texture and cushion and grip under the camper.
 
abqbw said:
I use the horse stall mats. Cheap, fast, Nonpermanent. They add just the right amount of cushion, a little insulation, and don't slip. I initially bought them because at 3/4" they happened to raise my Hawk in the bed of my Tundra to the perfect ht to clear the bed rails. Once I started using them I realized they have lots of other positive traits.
Despite the positives they are heavy and thick. If you don't need the extra ht I would go with something lighter. My dealer built a wood shim to raise my camper out of 2x4 laying flat (so 1-1/2 " thick). When first installed I had the thin cheap rubber Toyota bed mat under the 2x4s and it worked well. Grippy and light weight. Switching to the horse mats eliminated the 2x4 shim, lowered the camper to perfect ht and made what I think is a perfect combo of texture and cushion and grip under the camper.
Click to expand...
Same here on the stall mat, but just 1/2”. You can typically buy 4x8 sheets, or cut to length from a roll. At my farm supply store, the cut to length runs about $5/foot.
 
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