My camper keeps shifting in my P/U Bed

[bobinyelm]

I have an '03 Dodge quad-cab dually in which I had a 11ft6" Lance truck camper that tended to shift to the right as I drove, and now my new-to-me 9.5 Bigfoot camper is doing the SAME thing-even faster.

On Interstates, the Bigfoot shifted 4" right at the front to where the LF jack post is basically touching my LR door handle.

The camper started perfectly aligned 2 days ago, and properly tied down with Torque Lift frame-mounted devices with Happy Jack tie downs and threaded rood (not chains).

The Happy Jacks are properly tensioned to where the camper attach points are even flexed a bit under tension, so I dare not apply more pressure.

This is only in 400mi of smooth Interstate highways, so I can only imagine what will happen on rougher, more cambered secondary roads.

Anyone experience this, or have suggestions?

Thanks,
Bob

[PDR John]

Do you have a bed mat? Plastic or rubber?


I don't know much about bed campers, but throwing out ideas.

[DallasOregon]

How do you have it connected?

[yorgor]

I agree with having a HD rubber mat in the bed.

[bobinyelm]

Yes- I have a 3/8" rubber mat over a plastic liner that is fastened to the bed w/ a zillion screws.

Liner doesn't move-mat doesn't move.

Camper moves sideways on the rubber mat.

[fastcat]

My Dodge dually has a Line-X bed liner. It's pretty rough, like super course sandpaper. I hauled two campers in this truck, something like 50,000 miles.

I only had one of the campers move a little bit one time on a super rough gravel road.

The factory (Northwood, Arctic Fox camper) sprayed some type of very sticky black substance on the bottom of the camper and it would actually stick to the bed liner when trying to unload the camper.

[WA4SLC]

I have a Line-x liner in the bed of our 08 Ram 3500. I read some where that it is best to put a rubber mat in the bed for a truck camper, so I went to Tractor Supply and purchased one. I do not have any problem with shifting with our Lance 1191.

[bobinyelm]

I have a HEAVY thick rubber mat in my bed as well.
My Lance 990 didn't move much-nothing like the lighter BigFoot!

[yorgor]

I have the Linex + plywood + HD rubber mat. No problems in 14 years.

[bobinyelm]

I tie it down w/ Happijac frame mounted turnbuckles, BTW.

It's a stiff dually, so it shakes the camper somewhat. I have Stable Loads and Firestone air bags.

[bluehaven]

get rid of the plastic bed liner and i bet it doesn't move.

Kevin

[wyorancher]

They sell centering brackets that you can bolt down to your bed. I just used 2 by 4s ripped to size and placed them in the bed between the camper and wheel wells. I never had a problem in all the years I owned a TC.

[bobinyelm]

For now the final solution will be a piece of 3/4" plywood shimmed 3/4" higher in the front (and tapered toward the rear) so my doors will clear the bead area of the camper, and will have carpeted 2X4s glued and screwed to provide lateral support to the camper.

The raised front will compensate for the fact my 2WD dually sits so tail-high, necessitating the use of leveling blocks under the front tires on level ground to not have my camper floor tilting toward the front as well.

Because the plywood is cross-wise, it will conform to the wheel-wells and prevent it from shifting aft (or even a little laterally).

This will sit on my thick rubber bed mat.

This should well secure my camper for my 2600mi drive home.

If this works well enough, I will retain and use the setup in the future.

Thanks all for your suggestions!

[gcsprayjr]

Bluehaven is on target. The plastic liner is your problem. Plastic liners flex like a spring.