Brophy, Torklift, or what? Overwhelm setting in!

[Mountain Nomad]

Hello Fellow Campers,
I recently posted a question on the Brophy system and ask about using air bags. I am thinking I should get to more of the point of my inquiry. I have a 2018 Toyota Tundra 1/2 ton truck with a 6.5 bed. I am going to look at a 2004 Apache (by Sun lite) pop-top camper for the bed of the truck. Approx. weight: 1175 lbs. (With jacks removed). I will be off roading in sometimes rocky, rutty situations, but not so extreme with boulders and climbing-more like get into the back country in the mountains maybe during spring runoff when dirt roads are rutty and rocky type roads. The camper owner recommends Brophy and does not like Torklift because expensive, bars stick out from the truck and not the best for off roading. But I have heard it is good for off roading. So, after reading a lot of the comments on these sorts of things, I need to post my more direct question here again.

Thanks!

 

[trikebubble]

No actual experience with either, but the Brophy ones seem to look more low profile, and would stick out less than the other.
As far your truck goes, I'd give some serious consideration to replacing the stock leaf packs with something like the OME Dakar leaf packs. I have both those and the airbags and it a fantastic combination. The Dakar leaf packs handle the majority of the load, and the airbags are there to supplement different loads (depending on what I'm carrying) and assist in bearing the load. If I have an airbag failure I know I can continue along and that my Dakar leaf packs will get me home no problem.
Also, if you are getting airbags get the Daystar airbag cradles too. They will allow for greater articulation without the possibility of ripping an airbag.

 

[Atlin]

I have the torklift on the front (and custom-built tiedowns on the back) and they don't stick out that far to be worried about if you modify them by drilling an extra set of holes. They are very robust, I would not worry about them failing anywhere off-road - the camper will fail first. I have no airbags or other suspension extras, but don't do much really rough off-road stuff (did that in a previous life - tired of beating myself to death). I'm not convinced the extra suspension is necessary if you aren't overloaded to begin with, but that's just my opinion and for my situation. I'm running a 1000-pound (appx) ATC Cougar (8 feet long) on an F150 with 6.5-foot bed (the camper sits on the down tailgate).

 

[Bigfoot]

Hello Fellow Campers,
I recently posted a question on the Brophy system and ask about using air bags. I am thinking I should get to more of the point of my inquiry. I have a 2018 Toyota Tundra 1/2 ton truck with a 6.5 bed. I am going to look at a 2004 Apache (by Sun lite) pop-top camper for the bed of the truck. Approx. weight: 1175 lbs. (With jacks removed). I will be off roading in sometimes rocky, rutty situations, but not so extreme with boulders and climbing-more like get into the back country in the mountains maybe during spring runoff when dirt roads are rutty and rocky type roads. The camper owner recommends Brophy and does not like Torklift because expensive, bars stick out from the truck and not the best for off roading. But I have heard it is good for off roading. So, after reading a lot of the comments on these sorts of things, I need to post my more direct question here again.

Thanks!

I have Torklift frame mount tie-downs and turnbuckles on a Ram HD which are strong and work well. They are custom designed for each brand and model so check to see how they will fit your truck. Running boards can cause the tie-downs of some models to stick down more. Call Torklift if you need more info as they are very helpful.

I have not used Brophy but what I have read on other forums is that they are relatively light duty and not meant for rough roads. A pop-up camper that stays on good roads should be okay. But be careful of damaging the bed of most modern trucks that use thin sheet metal or composites.