Sliding camper

[dorocks]

Greetings all

My hawk won't stay centered in the Dodge Ram. My boy and I have recentered the camper and kept our eye on the tiedown tautness. But as soon as we get in an off-axis situation it usually slides to the passenger side again.

I am sure this is not an unusual issue. What have some of you done to keep the camper in place? What has worked and what hasn't? The camper stayed in place better in the Tundra.

Keith and Ian Barnes
La Mesa CA

http://keithbarnes.smugmug.com/Vacation-Photos/Death-Valley-Day-One-2011/15905945_Pxu9H#1192840563_9NKEf

 

[craig333]

My hawk has never slid at all. Sorry but I'm clueless on this one.

 

[MarkBC]

Mine can/does slide a bit -- side to side -- in the bed of my 2000 F250. I'm sure it does it less when the turnbuckles are really tight, but it definitely does it.
I don't have an answer...but I was thinking of maybe wedging/attaching pieces of lumber on each side of the back edge of the camper, at the bottom of the edge, so that there's no room for the camper to slide from side to side (at least in the back). But I haven't done this yet.

 

[kcowyo]

Got a spray-in bedliner? I can barely move my camper due to the spray-in bedliner. Makes it a bugger when putting the camper on the truck and trying to get it lined up, but at least it never moves on the trail.
.

 

[leadsled9]

Mine used to slide around too.....then I put a rubber mat in the bed.....no more sliding.

 

[dorocks]

Mine can/does slide a bit -- side to side -- in the bed of my 2000 F250. I'm sure it does it less when the turnbuckles are really tight, but it definitely does it.
I don't have an answer...but I was thinking of maybe wedging/attaching pieces of lumber on each side of the back edge of the camper, at the bottom of the edge, so that there's no room for the camper to slide from side to side (at least in the back). But I haven't done this yet.

I thought of this too. My bed is not lined. I had thought of putting 4 wood blocks at all four corners but two in the back would probably be enough.

 

[dorocks]

Mine used to slide around too.....then I put a rubber mat in the bed.....no more sliding.

Any particular one?

 

[Cort]

what angle are your turnbuckles at? Mine are at...Front \/....Back /\...everyone pulling against each other...but then again I have a spay in bedliner so who knows

Cort

 

[pods8]

I'd check your turn buckle placement, I don't have a bed liner and mine still doesn't slide...

 

[4llamas]

No problem with my Hawk sliding in my GMC with sprayed in liner, even after a spring, summer and fall of banging around Utah, Eastern Oregon and Northern California.

 

[cwdtmmrs]

I caulked and rolled DIY bedlining on the bottom of my camper to seal the plywood and got the same effect as having a sprayed bedliner in the truck bed. No sliding and I feel better about the plywood on the camper. I would think that a rubber mat between the truck bed and camper would trap moisture.

CWD

 

[BSS]

bolt it down

 

[leadsled9]

Any particular one?


I got one like this: http://www.truckcust...k-bed-mats.html

These are super thick, heavy duty durable mats. Don't settle for the cheap thin ones.

I had one in my Tundra for two years with the Hawk camper.....and now had the same kind in my Ford for a year with the Hawk camper.....absolutely no sliding and no problems with trapping moisture. The mats have little bumps on the bottom for breathing and not trapping moisture. Works great.

This is a quote right off the FWC web site:
Do I have to remove my plastic bed liner? Yes, our unique design of attaching the camper to the inside of the truck bed with eye bolts and turnbuckles creates problems when a plastic bed liner is present. A plastic liner would need to be cut to install the eyebolts and the loading and dismounting of the camper is much more difficult with a liner in place. If a bed liner is a must, we suggest using either a "spray-in" bed liner or a simple rubber bed mat.