removing camper jack brackets?

terrisjoy

Senior Member
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
119
Location
Santa Barbara
Has anyone removed their camper jack brackets? Wouldn't it look alot cleaner without those brackets? I never take my camper off the truck so I was thinking about removing them all together instead of painting them because of the rust problem. I would have to get the trim for the camper and fill in the remaining holes.........has anyone done this? Happy Holidays, Terri
 
a lot of folks remove them. why carry the weight if the camper is always on? and it always pays to remove them if the rig must get through a tight spot. bang a jack on a big tree and you could bend the camper frame.

Me? they are on and off.
i put the camper on the truck during the week before last, for last weeks trip. i left them on for a trip up to Humboldt....probably should have pulled them off.

if i go to the DV rally...they will come off for that.

I think she meant the actual brackets that the jacks bolt to, not the jacks themselves. I would guess that with the brackets off, there would be some discoloration, bolt holes etc that are going to be as aesthetically displeasing as the brackets themselves (although I don't think they look bad). If rust is a problem though I guess you have other considerations there. However, it is inevitable that one day you will need to remove the camper from the truck - do you really want all that hassle when the day comes?
 
I would worry that those bolts would never quite have the same grip again if you had to reinstall them. Besides they're quite handy to use to tie stuff to ;)
 
Simply Put

It's a bad idea, anybody around here ever heard of powder coating. I'm sure there's somebody in your area that could coat those brackets for cheap when they have a batch of white to do.
 
Goodmorning everyone and Happy New Year! Yes, I was thinking of removing the brackets only. My reasons was really for aesthetics. I think it would look better without them. I could buy a set of tripod jacks for the times I take the camper off. I usually camp alone or with my dogs and their not helpful lining the truck up to take the camper on and off. How many of you take your camper off when camping? If I could find an easy way to do that alone then I probably would be removing the camper more often. Thanks, Terri
 
Thanks for the reply. I had forgotten about powder coating, I had my outdoor furniture done a few years back, that's a good idea. I would still have to remove the brackets to do that and if I did that, why not just leave them off. When I'v been at FWC, I'v noticed a few campers ordered without the brackets, I think it looks alot better. Thanks, Terri
 
Craig, I hadn't thought about the bolts and loosing the original grip, good point. That's a great idea about using the brackets for tiedowns!
Thanks, Terri
 
As much of a pain in the a$$ as those brackets are to keep nice, I would not take them off Terrijoy..I don't think you could ever get it to look "factory" without them..

I have posted a shot of a friends shell model with no brackets..It does look clean, but he can't hang his hammock from his camper like I can:D..a very important element in my camp..

Happy Boxing Day!!
 

Attachments

  • DSCN2520.jpg
    DSCN2520.jpg
    104.3 KB · Views: 450
  • DSCN1815.jpg
    DSCN1815.jpg
    87.7 KB · Views: 445
Tomas, Great idea with the hammock! Thanks so much for taking the time to post the pictures, that really helps me. Terri
 
Your welcome Terri..

As I was popping my camper up yesterday to air it out, looking at my ugly rusting jack brackets...I wondered how your screws around your roof trim look??are they rusting to?? like mine:(

TT
 
TT time to replace the screws to stainless I did it was worth it.
 
Tomas, thanks for responding, no, I don't have rust anywhere except on the brackets for the jacks. My hawk is a '05 and I'm around the ocean alot, I am grateful the rust problem isn't a big one. I'm looking for a hammock to put those brackets to work! That picture you posted really inspired me... Thanks,, Terri
 
Nice Roof Rack in posting, I use 3 tri-pod jacks

I like the Roof Rack from the angle I can see it. I'm a bit cheap so I won't spring for the 4 courner lift post jacks. I rehabed a set of 3 heavy duty tri-pods for when I take me camper off the truck.
 
Happy New Year to all of you! Help, I can't find an interior mod.?

I finally found a cabinet maker that could do the interior mods. I want done, but I can't find the thread that I liked. Can anyone remember who did all the mods on his camper, sink, counter. I think he mentioned he worked on it all summer. I am trying to put in a sink, counter, and space for a small engel. between the furnace and front panel. Help! Enjoy, Terri
 
You could possibly reduce the appearance of the brackets by painting them flat black, after getting rid of the rust issue.

Worth a try?
 
Jim, thats a great idea. It reminds me of the day I picked my camper up in Sacramento, and saw a camper (I think it was a Grandby) it was bigger than a hawk. The rig was incredible, it had alot of flat black trim on the camper and the truck. I was so impressed, I ask Stan who it belonged to (I wanted to find out where they had the custom bumper work done. Stan mentioned it belonged to a photographer. Thanks for reminding me. Happy New Year. Terri
 
Back
Top Bottom