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Rbertalotto wrote:BTW....One of the strongest point on these TC are the camper jack attachment points. These four point mounts usually have a piece of steel running up the corner of the camper tying the side into the front and the back panel.
Any reason why you can attach the tiedown to these points?
![[image]](http://home.comcast.net/~netboy/CamperJackRepair02.jpg)
![[image]](http://home.comcast.net/~netboy/CamperJackRepair01.jpg)
I've always wondered that myself. Why aren't the tiedowns integrated with the jacks?
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pezvela
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
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I dont understand how people think that the HappiJack tie downs were somehow to blame for this. It looks like the integrity of the camper was to blame. Seems like the same thing would have happened with the Tork Lifts.
Although I must admit that I have had Happijacks come out of the bottom attachment eyes on major off camber surfaces; sometimes even when I go over a curb with one tire in the back.
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RWDIII
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I went out and checked my tiedowns,although I'm half your size and 1/3 you weight,I have torklifts on the front and happi jacks on the back
The camper attach points seem to be solid,not spliced
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pezvela
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
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I hope you can laugh along with me but I can just hear an 8 year old daughter saying (in the matter-of-fact way that 8 year olds do), "...uh, dad, the camper just came off."
That cracked me up!!!!
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wnjj
Cornelius, Oregon
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pezvela wrote:I dont understand how people think that the HappiJack tie downs were somehow to blame for this. It looks like the integrity of the camper was to blame. Seems like the same thing would have happened with the Tork Lifts.
Although I must admit that I have had Happijacks come out of the bottom attachment eyes on major off camber surfaces; sometimes even when I go over a curb with one tire in the back.
Because the bent rear bumper (i.e. disconnected rear tie down) likely contributed to the front failing.
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jmtandem
western nevada
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Quote:
Because the bent rear bumper (i.e. disconnected rear tie down) likely contributed to the front failing.
Despite our friends at Happijac's comments, this is a weak point with their system and a very strong point with TorkLift. The rear bumper of so many new trucks is weak and easily bends. TorkLift would not bend as easily. I have had both systems and the little HJ buttons on the bumper are not a tie down worth wasting time with. Lance, in a recent brochure had a pic of one of their campers using a system that was not HJ.
What needs to be seen here is the condition of the other tie down on the same side of the camper. In one of the pics that tie down can be viewed and from the distance of the picutre appears to not have been pulled out of the bottom of the camper. If that is the case, then the tie down tension probably came loose on a bump and the entire wind gust load was absorbed by the remaining tie down and that failed. While Absolute Northwood can do better, the failure might not have occured if what contributed to it was a loose or no longer connected same side tie down. If the second tie down also pulled out of the bottom of the camper (it appears that it did not) then the design is flawed as there was tension on that tie down throughout the episode. If that was the case both most likely would have pulled out of the camper bottom. A 60 mph gust hitting a truck going 25 mph could easily be a relative wind gust of 70 or more miles per hour. That would get the attention of any cabover camper driver. It would be interesting to learn of the wind direction, constant wind speed, and estimated wind speed in gusts. In one pic the real estate is blowing and where I live that indicates a wind speed of around 45-50 mph or better. It is amazing the truck escaped with so little damage. It appears that it can be driven home.
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Butch50
Fyffe, AL
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Rbertalotto wrote:BTW....One of the strongest point on these TC are the camper jack attachment points. These four point mounts usually have a piece of steel running up the corner of the camper tying the side into the front and the back panel.
Any reason why you can attach the tiedown to these points?
I think you would be quite surprised on what is behind that jack attachment point. A lot of them have nothing more than a 2X2 for the jack to fasten to. Then they lag bolt the jack through it. There have been posts after posts on here where people have had the corners rot and have the jacks come loose. When they repaired them they added in metal backing.
Butch
I try to always leave doubt to my ignorance rather than prove it
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sleepy
Oak Ridge,Tennessee
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Reddog1 wrote:Is there anyone that think there would have been a better outcome if the TC would have stayed attached to the Truck? Think about it, the truck would have been on its side, kids and all.
I do offer a disclaimer, I have a stable lift. By design, the lower hoop sandwiches the truck bed and frame between the lower hoop and TC. Tie-downs other than the Stable-Lift are not used, although they could be. I do not have a Wolf Creek TC. I have owned numerous TCs, since about 1972. My point is, I have nothing to defend, gain or loose in this discussion.
Wayne
I agree with you completely about the camper seperation.
-----------------
And,
I'd like to say that I have repaired or helped repair severl Truck Camper tie down systems over the years.
In each case the problem was the attachment bracket attached to the camper wings.
The damage incured was what I call Speed Bump Damage.
If you hit a speed bump hard enough for your camper to start bouncing or porporsing it can tear the tiedown bracket off the wings of the camper.
IT makes no difference what kind of tiedowns that you use.
If it isn't immediately apparent and you have a stress related incident later like wind, rough roads, hard braking, etc you'llthink that the latest incident caused all of the problem.
If I remember correctly... the OP's campers attachment bracket probably failed first... possibly starting the chain of events that we see in the pictures upside down in the road.
It had nothing to do with the tie downs them selves... no matter what type tie downs the failure started in the campers attachment bracket tear out.
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garryk6
Central WA
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tad94564 wrote:crosscheck wrote:
I always have a lot of respect for desert winds. (Pictures and write-up in "Some Like It Hot ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/tongue.gif "tongue") art 1") in our blog.
Having stayed at Truckhaven (Salton City) when the Big W was blowing..
When the wind blows at Anza Borrego/Salton Sea area, it's really, really bad..
I can vouch for the winds in the Anza Borrego... Lived in San Diego for many years (DW is from SD). Went for Thanksgiving from WA to SD,then over to Phoenix area with our old 1994 Suburban 7.4 and our 30 ft TT. Coming back we got caught in a wind storm through the Anza Borrego all the way up the pass... White knuckled driving for sure, and slowed down to 45 on the flat, then going up the pass out of the desert, I was foot to the floor in 1st gear, and was doing 10 mph.... Wind was that strong! Got 4.2 mpg that leg of the trip. Would much rather have the Avion for winds like those!!
Glad you are safe! and things can be replaced, people can't...
Garry in AK
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garryk6
Central WA
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username taken wrote:Rbertalotto wrote:BTW....One of the strongest point on these TC are the camper jack attachment points. These four point mounts usually have a piece of steel running up the corner of the camper tying the side into the front and the back panel.
Any reason why you can attach the tiedown to these points?
I've always wondered that myself. Why aren't the tiedowns integrated with the jacks?
Some campers are, like those that use Reese Titan jacks.
![[image]](http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d92/garryk6/Anchorage%20Thanksgiving%202011/DSC07013.jpg)
* This post was
edited 01/14/14 05:43pm by garryk6 *
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