How to anchor light-weight truck bed camper to first gen

It's getting retired from camper duty and getting some body work pretty soon anyway

 

Alright. First of all, the transfer station is a racket. Last time I went, I had a bunch of oil and antifreeze. My weight difference after getting rid of all that seemed high, but whatever. Today I just went through the scale to weigh the truck, but told him I had recycling. The difference between weighing in and weighing out was 60lbs! And all I did was throw away an empty chip bag. Heavy bag, apparently...

Anyway, I was pretty shocked on the weight. @KNABORES won't be. Camper + truck = 5880. Truck alone = 5020. 860 pound camper.

We had two votes for 5-700, 2 for 7-900.

 

I'm literally half a ton heavier

 

Yeah. With a bigger, more powerful truck though. My truck moves great with the weight. But the suspension doesn't like it.

 

Not quite bottomed out but damn close. I'm about 125 lbs under max GVWR.

 

Pretty close! I'm more conservative as a I get older, but I think people go a little overboard worrying about this stuff. I drove a 1978 Toyota Chinook all over the western US. A motorhome built on 2wd Toyota pickup. That thing was so far over capacity. Built in a factory, sold to the public.

Now...you absolutely need to drive accordingly. Very cautiously. But if you understand how the truck handles and drive defensively and don't be a dumbass, it's workable.

 

Yeah, not surprised. Wood is heavy.

Those old Toyota pickups were 1 ton chassis trucks. Legit. Rated from the factory.

 

Were they? I remember there were some rare ones, built for or by Uhaul, that were true duallys. Not that they need to be a dually to be a one ton. I don't think? Back when I had the Chinook I knew more about it. It's all fading. Anyway, I think my Tundra with a 2,000 lb slide-in would feel safer than that Chinook. Doesn't mean it would actually be safer, but the road feel would be better.

Yeah. Now I realize the solid 12-14mpg I was getting with the camper is going to go away...I had been driving with OD on. Realizing it's nearly 900lbs and I've got the earlier transmission with the weak OD gear means I should definitely be turning it off when I've got the camper. I was hoping to avoid that. Such a huge difference on long trips to be driving with the rpms so much higher, and driving so much slower.

Glad I weighed it early on though. Means my additions need to be really light. I've got a drop-in two burner cooktop ready to go, still shopping for a small sink. Then I need to build cabinets for both to sit on. They'll need to be very, very light. Add water (no water tank, just water for a camping trip), gear etc and I'll be really pushing payload.

 

Any update on the build? Genuinely curious how this turns out.

 

Hey. I have a lot of parts gathered and staged, but no progress on construction. Winter hit, holidays, then I started a new job.

I found a used two burner stove top, bought a small sink, and I've cut both the counter tops, including the cut-outs for the sink and stove. Unfortunately lacquering them will either have to wait till spring, or I could ask a friend with a heated garage to borrow some space. Over the winter I hope to get everything cut, fitted, and ready to go once the weather warms up.

 

Sometimes I forget that winter is a thing for people. It's a symptom of a lifetime of living in AZ LOL.

 

Yep, it's a thing, and for the most part I love it.

Here's a teaser.

 

If you do anything to improve on the safety of this setup, I would HIGHLY recommend taking out all the carabiners and replacing them with Chain Quick Links with a known weight rating.



Turnbuckles do not connect/thread back to themselves, so you are only relying on the strength of the metal to not "uncurl". I've seen it happen, they are subject to a load and simply straighten out. The chain link I posted above that threads closed is MUCH stronger and SAFER.

 

Hey thanks. I have a few of those I've used for tow chains, and the only reason I didn't use them for the tie-downs is because they were too thick to fit through the turnbuckle eyes. At least the ones here at my local hardware store. I tried! Now that we're getting into camping season I'm working on the camper again to get it ready, and I bought this kit. My setup won't be janky anymore.




I've also got my dinette table mostly done. Just need to lacquer it. The camper ought to be a lot more comfortable by the time hunting season rolls around this fall.

 

Progress. Adding the propane lines for the stove and heater are what's going to give me the most trouble, only because I have very little propane experience. From what I can tell, soft lines are ok outside the camper, but I need hard lines inside. So I'll have the propane tank, soft hose and regulator outside, running to a fitting in the wall. Inside the hard line will start with a T. I'll need two lines inside, one for the stovetop, other for the heater.

So I'll likely need to buy/rent a flare tool along with the copper tubing and fittings.

Sink countertop is ready (previous owner installed the mirrors crooked...my countertop is level). I've got the stovetop countertop almost ready, and it'll go on the opposite side. Not sure if I'll box in the lower area or just put a curtain down there or what. The dinette cushions are just things I got for free. Not sure what the final seating will look like.

 

These are so much better than my last setup...