Safety wire?

If you can lock 1 side, that should be more than enough. I'm going with happijac and that's what they use. I'll bet I have 10,000 miles off road with a full size truck camper and have never had a turn buckle come loose. I've hade to tighten them as the camper set in. I also have a trailer with a refueling tank that I use turn buckels on and have never had them loosen in 2 years.
 
Keith,

Searching for Happijac and damage, I find a few examples where the camper moves and the ears damage the truck bed/body.

Is your off road experience with Happijac? Or?

When do you get your camper? Looking forward to seeing your mounting pictures.
 
Scott

Where did you do the search on damage?

I hope to pick up the hawk next week. week of the 8th. I've been dealing with Tom at FWC and he's been great to work with. The idea we came up with is using the brackets the jacks mount to.This should put the eye bolts far enough out not to be a problem. At least that's the hope. I had a FWC on a Ranger in the 90's and used regular turn buckle's outside the bed with no problems. Then moved up to a full sized long bed with an Alpinlite 9'6" cabover. I towed a Jeep TJ when I wanted to go where the camper wouldn't. The happijac's were never a problem. The best thing to do IMO is add a rubber mat. Before I did this, I had trouble with the camper moving comming off rocks and big side loads.
 
Google. Maybe it was: body damage Happijac tie down.

Not a lot of hits, but enough to make me want more info.
 
I tried the search but couldn't find anything. I'll post with pic's and info after I pick up the camper. I'm going for it as far as happijac's are concerned and am hoping for the best.
 
Happijac Customer Service

Keith,

I honestly don't know what I searched for, and I didn't find much, just enough to make me wary. I intend to spend lots of time off-pavement. I was thinking seriously about Happijac; so much that I sent their customer service a request for information about guarantees against body damage.

No response, yet...

If they can't respond, I can't justify the expense. So, I guess I'm either reinforcing and/or bolting through...

SB
 
Scott

I will be off road a lot also. I will keep you posted on how my setup works. I just got off the phone with Chicali @ FWC and my camper should be finished mid next week. I think then we'll be heading to Death Valley NP the week of the 22nd. Planning on putting things to the washboard test.
 
I ditched the factory turn-buckles for the front & bought "real" ones from a local hardware/farm store. They are beefy & have no open ends, I have had no problems & if they ever did come loose they can never come off so I don't worry.
 
After having the turnbuckles loosen and one come off on our Death Valley racetrack adventure I added a locknut to each of them when I got home. Last month I tested the system on the road from Puertocitos to Laguna Chapala. This road makes the racetrack road look like a freeway. After 2000 miles of Baja's finest caminos everything was tight and in place.
 
How about big cable ties to replace the turn buckles, or small cable ties to keep them from loosening. Again, this is really not rocket science, and I know because I live in Huntsville.

Aircraft safety wire should be arranged to keep the hooks from bouncing off when the truck bed or camper flexes. If you are going to the trouble of using safety wire, why not illiminate turn buckles and use wire alltogether. A few loops 1/8" wire should do it.

In my opinion, several folks are missing the concept that the truck and camper must flex. Turn buckles should not be under a great deal of tension, just snug. They CAN come off! Therefore, any attachment system that has no open hooks to fall out of the eyes will be an improvement.
 
If I'm not mistaken, The stock turnbuckels are aluminum and the hooks are steel. If this is true thats probably the start of the trouble your all having. With the happijack that I'm using, there was a bit of loosening on washboard but with the locknut it's contained. Really just a case of things setting in. Also with the tie downs on the outside of the camper it's easy to moniter and snug them up as needed. All of 10-15 seconds.
 
I think Camelracer has the simplest solution really. For a total of about .50 cents the problem is solved with locknuts.

Mine rarely come off, though I did lose two on the Racetrack road during the DVR. Also lost one going into Saline last week but none coming out. Think I'll finally get off my lazy arse and buy some locknuts just for peace of mind.

To each his own, whatever works I say.
 
Anybody think the new Derringer turnbuckles levers might fit? I have a lot of trouble checking the front turnbuckles. Since the clearance between the bed rails and the camper is so close on the Tundra, I can't see them. When the camper is packed, it is impossible to get to the access holes unless you unpack everything. A "set and forget" system would be great (and easier to use the lever action instead of contorting to reach through the hole). The new Derringers fit on any 1/2" threaded turnbuckle and can adjust from 9-13". I need to measure next time the camper is on, but it seems like it might work. Any thoughts?
 
Some kind of energy absortion in the bed.

My Hawk first sat on a $25 rubber, mat from KMart.

Now it sits on a spray in truck bed liner (Line-X).

In both vehicles, once the camper is in place and the turnbuckles are tightened by hand, I then drive about 100 miles, and re-tightened them by hand. After the camper settles tight on a flexible surface, the stock turn buckles do a great job. I occasionally check the turn buckles, and find that they are always tight.
 
sorry, i am new here and dont want to sound stupid, but would some lock-tight work. i use it in my line of work and it has great strenght.
Scott
 
sorry, i am new here and dont want to sound stupid, but would some lock-tight work. i use it in my line of work and it has great strenght.
Scott

It's not a good solution if you take the camper on and off, I double nut, a castle and a wing on top.
 
This worked for me after my first month of continually re-tightening the turnbuckles (shower curtain loops).

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