Turnbuckle?

[dennis 221]

Went to Ace hardware.Is 350 lbs tork turnbuckle strong enough for a back up turnbuckle.?? Or should I just order one from. Fwc ?

 

[craig333]

Yes.

 

[Wallowa]

Yes.

Two questions....

 

[Adventurebound]

Out of desperation in the middle of Death Valley I used a ratchet strap as a backup once. So I would say yes. Also I would recommend carrying two, that was my mistake I only had one spare. I unexpectedly caught air, my bad it was late I was tired and rushing to camp. Both rear turnbuckles broke. I don't know who else has broke them but I would say they break in pairs.

 

[BBZ]

Not sure where you are located, but Tractor Supply Stores have forged ones...

Also have run ratchets straps without problems..

Now I double buckle on each point for longer journeys, turnbuckle and Ratchet strap...

 

[dennis 221]

Thank you all

 

[camper rich]

I think that turnbuckles that break would be a good thing. I have never had one break on either my '98 Shell Model Ranger II or my 2016 Grandby. I have however had tiedowns tear though the wood and a bolt break (at different times) on the Shell Model, and I've had damage to the bed from the tiedowns pulling up and deforming my truck bed with the Grandby. I only wish a turbuckle had failed, it would have been easier to replace than do the repairs I've had to do. There has to be some give in the mounting.

 

[craig333]

I agree which is why I haven't gone out and purchased forged turnbuckles or other high strength stuff. I also had one rip out of the wood (prior to fwc reinforcing the camper) and it was a lot of work to repair.

 

[Sharx]

In my first year I broke and stretched a few J hook style turnbuckles. After hearing a lady tell me a story of how she lost her camper out the back of her truck onto a freeway at a FWC Rally, I realized there had to be a better way. Looking at the way the camper is designed to be secured showed me that you were using a turnbuckle that is rigid, but has a rounded surface (the inside edge of the J hook) to connect to a metal bracket (FWC bolted to bed style) that has a squared sided edge meant that there was actually very little surface area to spread the massive load of the camper. Since the camper moves quite a bit due to weight and (higher up) center of gravity, the connection cannot be rigid or you could possible tear the bracket connected to the base of the camper. You certainly want the failure point to be the turnbuckle. The next thing I realized was if you do not constantly keep the turnbuckle taught and it gets loose, the chance of failure is much higher due to the camper putting more and more stress on it from its weight shifting and slack of the loosened turnbuckle. The next thing I did was look into better turnbuckles. Instead of buying super stronger ones (which might pass the chance of failure potential back to the camper bracket), I realized the simple fact that eye bolt or round hole turnbuckles are stronger than J hook types. But how can you put a eye bolt type on with a bracket that has a hole? That is when I found what's called a "shackle". They are a much stronger horseshoe shaped item that has a threaded shaft that can be taken off and inserted through the frame bracket hole and then an eye bolt turnbuckle. Mind you, both ends of the turnbuckle have eye bolts and both ends need a shackle. But this idea strengthens the connection and also spreads out the load of it. The last thing needed was a zip tie to keep it from loosening and since I have done this, I have not broken a turnbuckle in years. They stay just tight enough to hold the camper down, allow for a small amount of give and not stretch open or break.

 

[Sharx]

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[Vic Harder]

Sweet setup. I am still using Fasgun Derringers, which are easy to remove and replace when taking the camper on and off. I used to think these were bombproof, and they are, if the installer (me) remembers to use loctite on the threads once the lengths are custom set. Doh. On our last trip to Utah in April, we got down there and did the Cathedral Valley road in Capitol Reef. After the drive, I figured I would check the fasguns since it had been 2500 miles since we reinstalled the camper and I had adjusted their lengths again(a tedious process of installing, removing, cutting the 1/2” eyebolts to length, reinstalling and testing fit - repeat). 3 of the fasguns had completely fallen off, and the last was loose. The camper had shifted 2” to the back, and all the way to one side.

With the help of some fellow campers - and using our long handled shovel for leverage - we got the camper back into position and I reinstalled the fasguns. Next day, we drove to the nearest town that had an auto parts store and bought some loctite and installed them again.

I did NOT think that the eyebolts could turn once installed in the fasguns, but I suppose with sufficient vibration, any thing will eventually fall apart.

5000 miles later - half on rough roads - and they are still secure

 

[SLEDAWG]

I replaced the FWC turnbuckles after getting tired of having them come loose. Replaced with turnbuckles from McMaster rated at 700 lbs and have a lock nut to prevent loosening. Expensive but worth it. I allow for some play and don’t over tighten. I also installed a “failsafe” on the front turnbuckles using a climbing sling long enough to loop through the eye for the camper and connect to a carabiner attached to the bed of the truck.
Last trip in the White mountains east of the Sierras it worked great even after watching the bed and camper flex through some challenging roads.
Even with all that I check the turnbuckles every other day or after a rough road.