Real Time Help - Mounting Grandy for first time

[Gifu]

I found a Grandby. Going to pick it up this afternoon. Owners are an older couple.

I _think_ it's an early 2000s... though it could be a late 1990's model.
Anyway, I plan to show up with my Dodge Long Bed and take this thing away. Problem is, after reading the manual from the Four Wheel website, I was not able to determine the correct way to mount this thing.

He has the four turnbuckles. I have a set of four grade-8 eye-bolts. I don't mind drilling into the bed of the truck.
Do I drill first and put the eye-bolts in? If so, where do I want them in relation to the camper's eye bolts?
I thought I also read about just drill through the floor of the camper and "permanent" mounting it?

Help.

 

[Overland Hadley]

In general:
you want the forward eye bolt to be as far forward as possible, up near the front wall of the bed. And the rear eye bolt to be as far back in the bed as the turnbuckles will easily allow. So you end up with your turnbuckles looking like this / \

Does this help? If not give the factory a call and they could give you more vehicle specific specs. Or maybe somebody else will chime in that knows more than I do.

 

[Gifu]

that helps.
Would about side to side? I would think I want them outboard just a bit?

After noodling on this... and also thinking about the painter's tape idea for loading (strip of tape on the camper strip of tape on the bed)...
I figure I can find the mid point of the owner's truck, measure where his bolts are, then measure from the middle of mine. Or something like that.

I guess it's not rocket surgery. But I was surprised there was no mounting method described in the owner's manual (that I saw).

 

[photohc]

Well, I did a measurement and Overland Hadley is correct. My eyebolt on the camper is 18" from the front and the eyebolt on the truck is 10" from the front of the bed, so an 8" offset. Here are some photos of the eyebolts on the bed.

 

[KILR0Y]

Nice To See You Got The Good Eye Bolts...

 

[Overland Hadley]

Would about side to side? I would think I want them outboard just a bit?

Yes, not sure how much though.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Well, I did a measurement and Overland Hadley is correct. My eyebolt on the camper is 18" from the front and the eyebolt on the truck is 10" from the front of the bed, so an 8" offset. Here are some photos of the eyebolts on the bed.

My bolts don't have those rectangular plates shown in the last photo. Do all four of your eye-bolts have those plates, photohc? I'm just now in the process of moving my camper from the '01 F150 to the '12 Tundra and those plates look like a good idea.

 

[Gifu]

great help guys. I measured three times, and installed camper... and the offset wasn't enough. Balls. I'll shorten the turnbuckles for now. The rear eye bolts have very little room due to where the fender well comes up.

I'm thinking of also doing permanent mounting bolts through the floor. I've read about some older campers being mounted that way. Any drawbacks? I'm thinking back to the 1000 miles of washboard i drove last year. Shake rattle and slide out.

 

[ckent323]

My old 1984 FWC Keystone was bolted through the bed of my 1993 Dodge W250. My newer (2009) Keystone is held in with turnbuckles and eye bolts.

I contacted FWC and they sent me a set of camper mounting instructions applicable to 2004 and newer campers. I'll bet they have one for older campers as well. They have been very helpful even though I bought the camper 2nd hand from a third party.

In any event be sure to use some kind of backing plate under the bed so as not to pull the bolts through. I went to the hardware store and bought four 3"x3" square strong tie bearing plates which have a 5/8" hole in the middle. I also used a flat washer, lock washer and double nuts on the bolt.

 

[ckent323]

Another consideration for bolting through the floor of older campers is the condition of the wood floor. I had domed head carrage type bolts though large fender washers and into the floor. Without the large washers the bolts would have pulled through the wood. In one spot in the rear on the fridge side the floor is weak and partially degraded/rotten. I noted that fender washer and bolt head had sunk well into the floor (but not pulled through). The other three bolts were clearly doing most of the holding and if the other parts of the floor were in bad shape I think all the bolts would have just pulled thorough on the first good road bump stting the camper free in the bed.

 

[photohc]

My bolts don't have those rectangular plates shown in the last photo. Do all four of your eye-bolts have those plates, photohc? I'm just now in the process of moving my camper from the '01 F150 to the '12 Tundra and those plates look like a good idea.

Yes, those plates are on all four eyebolts. Installed by FWC this past April with my new Hawk.

 

[Gifu]

OK, so... How much of the floor is wood? And how much is the aluminum skelaton? I mean, is there any way to bolt through the floor and try to grab part of the aluminum?

 

[camelracer]

OK, so... How much of the floor is wood? And how much is the aluminum skelaton? I mean, is there any way to bolt through the floor and try to grab part of the aluminum?

There is no aluminum in the floor. You're better off going through the wood floor pack as it's stronger than the aluminum frame.