Found a suitable rubber...

[RonSchon]

Mat, that is...

Couldn't believe my challenge finding a rubber mat. Seems everybody wants you to order one, but I know that I've seen them fairly frequently when I wasn't looking for one.

Instead of ordering a 3/8" custom fit one, I went with something more industrial from a company called RubberCal out of Santa Ana. It's 4'x6', and 3/4" thick. Made from recycled tires. Cost is about the same as the thinner custom fits, but this is twice as thick and should cover the footprint of the camper pretty well.

Shipping is the killer - $32. The mat weighs 100 lbs.

Right now I've got the FWC sitting on 1"x4"'s so this should give me about the same lift, plus I have about an inch of space to give.

 

[mtn-high]

Just wondering how you/the camper fared in the hail yesterday???

I hope neither you or brett13 had any damage...

mtn

 

[RonSchon]

I was telling Puffins - I had the camper opened up, stocking it for my work week when it hit, Tornado very low in the sky on my block even... All went well. We must have gotten about 3" of rain in a half hour, plus gumball sized hail. No leaks and no damage that I could see.

 

[mtn-high]

That's good news. It looked very white on TV and when I saw the snowplows out I thought...yikes!

The last 3 weeks up here have been consistently wet. I can't remember a Spring with this steady of a moisture flow. The peaks are friggin WHITE and the high at my house @ 7250 yesterday was 43F. 38 overnight w/frost! (the first clear night in weeks)

I feel sorry for any tent campers out there who picked the last week of May/first week of june for vacation...

mtn

 

[Barko1]

The last 3 weeks up here have been consistently wet. I can't remember a Spring with this steady of a moisture flow. The peaks are friggin WHITE and the high at my house @ 7250 yesterday was 43F. 38 overnight w/frost! (the first clear night in weeks)
mtn

lol, and last month in Alaska is was in the low eighties in Fairbanks. In the sun, North of the Artic Circle

 

[Curmudgeon]

It's 4'x6', and 3/4" thick. Made from recycled tires. Cost is about the same as the thinner custom fits, but this is twice as thick and should cover the footprint of the camper pretty well.

Shipping is the killer - $32. The mat weighs 100 lbs.
What you have found is a standard horse stall mat. They have stacks of them at any farm or ranch supply store. You shouldn't have any trouble finding them in the Denver area and they will probably be cheaper, plus there won't be any shipping charges involved. Last time I checked, they're less than $50 in my area.

JP

 

[dexstrom]

I'm a new FWC owner (used camper), what is the purpose of a pad? Wondering if it's something to consider with my truck.

 

[EdoHart]

I'm a new FWC owner (used camper), what is the purpose of a pad? Wondering if it's something to consider with my truck.

I already had a bed mat when I got my FWC, so I kept it in place. The turn buckles that hold the camper on the truck may loosen with time. After putting the camper on and hand tightening the turnbuckles, I check and re-tighten them again after 50 or 100 miles. Then again some time later. I usually don't have to re-tighten them more than once. It seems to me, that as the camper settles on the pad, it acts like a compressed shock absorber so that the turn buckles can't get enough slack in them to allow them to start to loosen. Even with the little amount of sway that is inevitable, the turnbuckles are always under sufficient tension to prevent them from rattling/turning loose.

Some people have put lock tight on the turnbuckles, a jam nut or some other mechanical way of holding them. The pad (and now a spray in bed liner) works for me. The few times I have taken the camper off, I'm surprise how hard it is to free the turnbuckles.

Plus it protects the bed of the truck from scratches. Lots of rubber scuff marks, but no scratches.

 

[HERR42]

thats odd....i thought all campers moved around.

if you drive gently on the street all the time....well then ok....maybe its not so obvious.

but...

unless the camper is bolted directly to the bed....

when your on bumpy curvy roads nothing can prevent that camper from moving around a bit....an inch in any direction.

would a spreay liner be like sandpaper rubbing on the camper's underside.....always grinding away?

 

[EdoHart]

Once my camper is settled in, it doesn't shift around at all as far as I can tell. There is no squeaking or groaning, and I take it on some pretty rough roads. But you've given me something to think about. I guess I'm going to have to take it off and look at the bottom.

 

[Puffins]

The only wear I've noticed with spray on is against the front rails, and that had been minor. No signs of sliding.

 

[RonSchon]

curmudgeon

Curmudgeon,

I live 2 blocks from about 3 tack shops. My little town is a pretty big horse town. All of my horses have been steel, though. The mat is already enroute, so stuck there, but my curiosity will propell me in one of these days to see what I missed.

I'm winding down my 3rd double with number 4 tomorrow. The weather has been severe - high winds, rain, hail, the works, and I'm doing fine.

Ron

 

[RonSchon]

karma

Curmudgeon,

If we ever get to meet up, you have won a free meal.

Yesterday afternoon, I'm sitting on the ramp waiting on a plane and my phone rings. Its a SoCal number, so I'm thinking of hitting ignore, but decide to answer it.

RubberCal calling... Sir, when Peggy took your information she didn't get the exp date on your CC. I told them I gave it to her, and was planning on it to be arriving on Wednesday, and since its Monday night now, I can see that isn't going to happen. Please just cancel the order ($130).

This morning I stop in at Stable Masters, 1 block from my house, and tell them an old curmudgeon told me you might know where I could find a thick rubber mat about 4'x6'. He said "How many you need"

$40 and 15 minutes later I'm at home pulling the FWC off.

Many thanks.

I'm way too in debt to this forum.

DD, now would be the time to hit me up for a contribution.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Hmmmm, . . . sounds like things worked out very well. I'm pleased to hear you saved a bunch of money.

JP