Camper tie-downs for 04½ dually
02-28-2004, 11:24 PM
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Camper tie-downs for 04½ dually
Hello everyone,
I know tie down stuff has been posted before however...I do not own a camper yet but will be buying one in the near future. I DO NOT like drilling holes in a new truck anywhere! Does anyone know which camper tie down systems would be best as a "bolt on" system with no drilling. I have looked into TorkLift and they seem good however for Dually they state that you have to possibly get an attachment for the rear tie downs and that some drilling may be required. They do not say what needs to be drilled. I have also looked into Happijacs and they seem like there is extensive drilling required so those are probably out. Anyone else have any opinions?
Also since I have not bought a camper yet does anyone have any experience with camper size and towing a trailer. I do not want to modify my hitch much or at all if possible and if this means sticking with an 8' so be it. However I have been told you can go up to 9½' with little problem. The trailer is an open deck car hauler loaded around 5000lbs. I have also been told that earlier model campers won't work with our new trucks due to the height of the cabs? Any truth to this?
Again any info that you guys can provide would be great! Thanks in advance.
I know tie down stuff has been posted before however...I do not own a camper yet but will be buying one in the near future. I DO NOT like drilling holes in a new truck anywhere! Does anyone know which camper tie down systems would be best as a "bolt on" system with no drilling. I have looked into TorkLift and they seem good however for Dually they state that you have to possibly get an attachment for the rear tie downs and that some drilling may be required. They do not say what needs to be drilled. I have also looked into Happijacs and they seem like there is extensive drilling required so those are probably out. Anyone else have any opinions?
Also since I have not bought a camper yet does anyone have any experience with camper size and towing a trailer. I do not want to modify my hitch much or at all if possible and if this means sticking with an 8' so be it. However I have been told you can go up to 9½' with little problem. The trailer is an open deck car hauler loaded around 5000lbs. I have also been told that earlier model campers won't work with our new trucks due to the height of the cabs? Any truth to this?
Again any info that you guys can provide would be great! Thanks in advance.
02-29-2004, 09:26 PM
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I would shoot for torklifts, great product that's frame mounted. Just give torklift a call and find out for shure about the mounting.
As far as camper length, I would not go over 8 1/2' with the stock hitch. Most campers have a rear bumper that adds anothe 6-8" to the length. Any more than a 12" overhang and you will need a extension hitch.
I have a 9' camper(9'11" + 6" bumper) and I needed 24" inches of extension for my jeep trailer. Ended up going with a Titan hitch and extension. Spendy, but worth it.
As far as camper length, I would not go over 8 1/2' with the stock hitch. Most campers have a rear bumper that adds anothe 6-8" to the length. Any more than a 12" overhang and you will need a extension hitch.
I have a 9' camper(9'11" + 6" bumper) and I needed 24" inches of extension for my jeep trailer. Ended up going with a Titan hitch and extension. Spendy, but worth it.
03-01-2004, 01:11 PM
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I've got a 9.5 ft. camper and tow a 7000 lb trailer. The receiver needs a 28 inch extension to clear the camper bumper.
Any extension reduces the trailer hitch weight it can carry in the truck receiver.
A load equalizing hitch brings up the extension/receiver weight rating.
Sooo... you could tow your 5000 lb trailer with a load equalizing hitch with a 9.5 ft camper .
Fortunately, your Dually truck can handle some very nice campers in that length, especially campers with a slide-out dinette area - that really opens up the inside of a truck camper.
Check out www.eaglecapcampers.com
YES, the earlier campers will not clear the roof of a new truck--the solution is to build a platform in the truckbed tall enough to let camper clear truck roof by 4 inches. Also, the new trucks have narrower tailgate openings and may not clear some older campers with wide bathroom stick-out panels.
Any extension reduces the trailer hitch weight it can carry in the truck receiver.
A load equalizing hitch brings up the extension/receiver weight rating.
Sooo... you could tow your 5000 lb trailer with a load equalizing hitch with a 9.5 ft camper .
Fortunately, your Dually truck can handle some very nice campers in that length, especially campers with a slide-out dinette area - that really opens up the inside of a truck camper.
Check out www.eaglecapcampers.com
YES, the earlier campers will not clear the roof of a new truck--the solution is to build a platform in the truckbed tall enough to let camper clear truck roof by 4 inches. Also, the new trucks have narrower tailgate openings and may not clear some older campers with wide bathroom stick-out panels.
03-01-2004, 07:31 PM
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Thank you very much for the reply guys, I found a camper on the weekend that fits my needs perfectly however I am still recovering from the sticker shock of the truck and won't be able to even make an offer on it yet. In the mean time I will look into the torklift's very seriously and thanks for all the headsup on camper sizes.
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