Tighten those tie downs

[craig333]

I've been lucky, mine stay tight pretty well. Part of my preparations for black rock was to be tightening the tie downs. Never got around to it because of all other issues. Decided I really needed to check them and did it today. Fronts were loose. Both rears were off. One had disappeared. Had to use my spare (btw, I highly recommend carrying a spare).

Yes, my yearly tightening ritual is just insufficient. Going to have to up that to every six months. I know that seems excessive but you can't be too safe

 

[DirtyDog]

Did you ever get some nuts?

 

[Hittheroad]

Since adding a wing nut and lock washer to the top side of the tie down we have not had them come free. But I need a wrench to get them out. Still I would check more often than every 6 months. I would hate to have to push the camper back in when my jacks are at home 3,000 miles away.

 

[Barko1]

Did you ever get some nuts?



What a thing to say

Even since I have mounted my camper on top of 2" of blue foam board my tie downs have stayed snug, not sure about my nuts though. Maybe the foam soaks up some of that jarring. Reminds me to go check, I was in a very nasty rocky road a few weeks ago West of Westcliffe, CO.

 

[ski3pin]

Since adding a wing nut and lock washer to the top side of the tie down we have not had them come free. But I need a wrench to get them out. Still I would check more often than every 6 months. I would hate to have to push the camper back in when my jacks are at home 3,000 miles away.


Same here. Craig, thanks for the reminder for everyone.

 

[UglyScout]

Did you ever get some nuts?


That's what she said....

I had mine come loose the 2nd or third trip out. Got some wing nuts and have 1000's of miles of no problems in two different trucks. BUT my camper comes off all the time so I am checking them all the time.

 

[Gormley Green]

BUT my camper comes off all the time so I am checking them all the time.


Me too, but the wing nuts do a great job while it's on. I verified that for myself ths summer. Easy mod and one of the best.

 

[leadsled9]

I don't use wing nuts....just regular nuts. My turnbuckles have never come loose since using them. As already noted you need to use a wrench to tighten/loosen them....it's no big deal.

 

[ski3pin]

I don't use wing nuts....just regular nuts. My turnbuckles have never come loose since using them. As already noted you need to use a wrench to tighten/loosen them....it's no big deal.


KISS, I like that.

 

[craig333]

As a matter of fact I did get some nuts. I even put one on. Was I supposed to do all four?

 

[Hittheroad]

As a matter of fact I did get some nuts. I even put one on. Was I supposed to do all four?

As long as one of the tie downs is tight I don't see how the camper is going anywhere far.

 

[Kodachrome]

We re-set ( loosen then tighten ) ours before and after every trip and every two thousand miles on road only and every 500 on dirt / off road travel. I got lazy on a two week stint in the back country and had one come loose causing the camper to spin a bit, snapping the right forward elevator bolt.

Since then, we are rather militaristic in checking them.....you kind of get they way when something is a tool rather than a toy...

 

[valkraider]

Ever since I have mounted my camper on top of 2" of blue foam board my tie downs have stayed snug, not sure about my nuts though. Maybe the foam soaks up some of that jarring.


What kind of blue foam board do you mean? Is it something available at a common place? (Home Depot, ACE, Lowes, etc)?

 

[LT Traveler]

What kind of blue foam board do you mean? Is it something available at a common place? (Home Depot, ACE, Lowes, etc)?



Like this:
http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/insulation/rigidfoam.htm

 

[Barko1]

Like this:
http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/insulation/rigidfoam.htm



Pretty sure that is what I have under the camper. It cover 32' ft of uninsulated floor.

 

[dsrtrat]

I noticed after a couple of years that the bodies on a couple my trunbuckles were beginning to spread slightly. I have never trusted the stock hardware store aluminum bodied turnbuckles so I replaced them with steel bodied ones. I use stopper nuts and have a rubber mat under the camper. No shifting and movement of the camper and the turnbuckles stay tight. I don't have any problem loosening the nuts on mine with a 9/16" open end wrench and a stubby screwdriver.

If you don't like the nut idea you can drill a hole in the lower end of the turnbuckle screw and use a split cotter pin to lock it in place against the turnbuckle body. You will need to pull and replace the cotter pins with new ones each time you remove the turnbuckles but for some it might be easier than the nut. I tried this method with some longer bodied turnbuckles that didn't leave me enough room for a locking nut and it worked fine. It might not work with the stock aluminum trunbuckles as they have a wider body than the steel ones.

Dsrtrat