Sharx
Advanced Member
At the rally last weekend at Chanslor Ranch near Bodega Bay, CA, the most popularly discussed topic by far was about turnbuckles. I heard more about them over a meal than I cared for. I too have been bitten by them when I got my used Fleet back in Dec. of '16. I did not know much about them when I bought it and I found other "newbs" who had similar issues when they first got theirs. But like most, I don't make the same mistake twice. One person actually lost their camper when they broke and it fell on the freeway at speed. I have read many suggestions here about the best ones, the best ideas on how to keep them from loosening, and much more.
I had ones with a closed loop on one side, connected to the bracket on the bed with a carabiner (a spring loaded oval that opens to hook onto something then locks closed when it springs back). The other end of the turnbuckle was just a "J" hook that would be latched onto the bracket of the the camper. I let them get loose from not checking them often enough. I finally realized something was wrong when the camper was no longer tight to the back on my cab. I checked them and one "J" hook had completely cracked and was not even connected. Another hook was bent. I came to realize they failed due to much more stress to them once they got enough slack and were put under a tremendous load from the camper moving more than when they were originally tightened. My fault for sure. I needed a better way. The first thing I realized was that one end of the turnbuckle was a rounded (aka eye bolt) which looked much stronger than the "J" hook end. It also can not come unattached because it's a closed loop. But the "J" hook when loose enough can, completely separating your camper from the bed. If you lost a couple connections, yours would be the next camper rolling down the freeway. They are then latched onto a bracket that was flat piece of metal with a hole cut out of it which gave it a rectangular edge (that would be against the rounded J/eye bolt). Not exactly a perfect method for strength. But I could not find a short enough turnbuckle with eye bolts on both ends that I could hook carabiners to (you cannot hook eye bolts through the holes in the bracket because they cannot be opened) that looked strong enough for the weight they would need to hold. Going with a length that would be short enough meant having to have a very weak looking turnbuckle. When checking out the choices at the hardware store I found a heavy duty horseshoe shaped shackle with a horizontal screw pin device close the loop of it. But the best part was that I could use one on the camper bracket hole and the other one on the bed's bracket hole and put a turnbuckle with eye bolts on both ends and thread its bolt through each eye. Because they were a shorter effective length than a carabiner, I could use a beafier turnbuckle too. I then tightened the turnbuckles to hand tight and an extra revolution. Last, from the great advice here, I found the strongest looking zip ties and looped them through the bolt of the horseshoe bracket and the turnbuckle. I have checked them a few times and all 4 have not even turned a quarter of a revolution. An unattended turnbuckle WILL loosen and once it does, it will either come off the bracket or be so loose that one good jolt will break or bend a "J" hook. That corner of your rig will then move freely probably causing another turnbuckle to fail. Once a second one does the same, your camper could fall off your bed.
I should add there are many other methods some I even would consider better/stronger, but access to the area where mine are is very tight and this seems to work best. I attached pictures for reference. I hope this "scares" people into checking their turnbuckles more often, getting better ones or keeping them from loosening. A cheap piece of hardware can make for a VERY Expensive mistake if not replaced or maintained properly. Don't let your camper get loose. I have a much better piece of mind from mine now.
I had ones with a closed loop on one side, connected to the bracket on the bed with a carabiner (a spring loaded oval that opens to hook onto something then locks closed when it springs back). The other end of the turnbuckle was just a "J" hook that would be latched onto the bracket of the the camper. I let them get loose from not checking them often enough. I finally realized something was wrong when the camper was no longer tight to the back on my cab. I checked them and one "J" hook had completely cracked and was not even connected. Another hook was bent. I came to realize they failed due to much more stress to them once they got enough slack and were put under a tremendous load from the camper moving more than when they were originally tightened. My fault for sure. I needed a better way. The first thing I realized was that one end of the turnbuckle was a rounded (aka eye bolt) which looked much stronger than the "J" hook end. It also can not come unattached because it's a closed loop. But the "J" hook when loose enough can, completely separating your camper from the bed. If you lost a couple connections, yours would be the next camper rolling down the freeway. They are then latched onto a bracket that was flat piece of metal with a hole cut out of it which gave it a rectangular edge (that would be against the rounded J/eye bolt). Not exactly a perfect method for strength. But I could not find a short enough turnbuckle with eye bolts on both ends that I could hook carabiners to (you cannot hook eye bolts through the holes in the bracket because they cannot be opened) that looked strong enough for the weight they would need to hold. Going with a length that would be short enough meant having to have a very weak looking turnbuckle. When checking out the choices at the hardware store I found a heavy duty horseshoe shaped shackle with a horizontal screw pin device close the loop of it. But the best part was that I could use one on the camper bracket hole and the other one on the bed's bracket hole and put a turnbuckle with eye bolts on both ends and thread its bolt through each eye. Because they were a shorter effective length than a carabiner, I could use a beafier turnbuckle too. I then tightened the turnbuckles to hand tight and an extra revolution. Last, from the great advice here, I found the strongest looking zip ties and looped them through the bolt of the horseshoe bracket and the turnbuckle. I have checked them a few times and all 4 have not even turned a quarter of a revolution. An unattended turnbuckle WILL loosen and once it does, it will either come off the bracket or be so loose that one good jolt will break or bend a "J" hook. That corner of your rig will then move freely probably causing another turnbuckle to fail. Once a second one does the same, your camper could fall off your bed.
I should add there are many other methods some I even would consider better/stronger, but access to the area where mine are is very tight and this seems to work best. I attached pictures for reference. I hope this "scares" people into checking their turnbuckles more often, getting better ones or keeping them from loosening. A cheap piece of hardware can make for a VERY Expensive mistake if not replaced or maintained properly. Don't let your camper get loose. I have a much better piece of mind from mine now.
