5 replies to this topic

[Mountain Nomad]

1) I am in the learning stage of tie down systems. Can anyone give me advice on using a Brophy system for an older model Apache pop-up on a Toyota Tundra? Torklift system seems expensive and with the equipment underneath, a breakable accident waiting to happen out in the backcountry.

 

2) Are airbags necessary for any system?

 

Thanks!

[michgoblue]

I have used Brophy and Torklift. For Brophy you need and older truck with very heavy metal on the bed rails for it to work, otherwise it will just tear through where they are attached.

Torklift are as solid as a good trailer hitch and don’t affect your ground clearance st all. Very solid and your best option for a heavy camper.

You need airbags and/or added suspension leaves for pretty much any truck and camper combo. If your are mostly going to be off road I would beef up the suspension rather than just add airbags. Lots of info on this if you search the forum.

[ntsqd]

Not too familiar with either mount system, but if the Brophy are the type that use the bed rail sockets at the rear I'd be wary. One whoop-de-doo near the Mojave Rd. tore ours loose and bent them.

From an Engineer's perspective I've not liked the mounts that attach to the trailer hitch and go under the frame. They're too low and sticking out to the sides down that low. The tube used, necessarily, to fit inside the trailer hitch tube is rather small for their length. I expect that the spring in the Torklift "turn-buckle" is a duplication of effort and not needed. Those anchors are springy enough. Only they're not intended to be springs and as such I don't see them living very long in rough travel use.

This is probably why FWC's mount to the floor of the bed. If off-pavement travel is planned and off-road travel is expected and bed floor mounting is not an option then I would look into "rocker-knockers" that are structural enough to use for the forward tie-downs and a rear bumper that is structural enough to use as the rear tie-down.

 

Not to be argumentative, but I put a 2000-ish 6.5' Phoenix camper in the bed of our '95 Ram 2500 and have not added any extra springing in any form. I gather that is rare and I don't understand why. A 3/4t or 1t pick-up should be able to carry a camper like this without adding more suspension and without being dangerous to drive. Ours does and isn't. It sits level as well.

Edited by ntsqd, 12 September 2018 - 01:50 PM.

[Vic Harder]

+1 on no suspension mods for me too

[Old Crow]

I'd say an important factor is how you will use the camper.  My brother has an early-90's Sunlite Eagle 8-footer he had on a '13 Tundra DoubleCab using Brophys in front and tie-down straps in rear on our twice-a-year 7-to-10 day trips.  Completely stock suspension.  Yes, the rig sagged a bit in appearance.

 

We've done many miles of gravel roads in state and national forests here in the Northeast (PA, NY, VA and WV) with no problem.  But we're also quick to turn back when we come upon roads that start to roll or pitch the camper (or proceed slowly if we don't have far to go).  In fact, I hardly think what we do would be considered 'off-road'.  We're mostly just cruising forest roads and venturing down some two-track till it either closes in or becomes too rough to risk damage to the camper or truck.

 

As ntsqd says, it's possible to do some damage if you hit some whoops.  I'm just saying it's also possible to use the camper judiciously for a while and make your own decisions about what you need for the type of camping you do or want to do.   If you already know you want to do rough roads, you'll probably want more than the Brophys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[BeatleJuice]

I run in the back county & off road a fair bit, PNW, Baja, Utah, with Hallmark UTE pop-up (<1900# wet) on an older Ram 2500. My the frame mounted tie downs have proven to be great and have not gotten in the way. That said if you plan to do some "scrambling" you might have some interference but I would bet you'd lose the camper before that happened. Even with a pop-up the center of gravity is movesd higher particularly on something like a Tundra. Personally I'd stick with the Torklift, Happi-Jack or something similar. I do have  "Brophy-ish" (bought them at a rummage sale) tie downs that I use as attachment points for lightweight gear saddlebags when on long hauls.

 

Air bags, you might want them, but they can be added at any point. I put some Firestones on the Ram. They help but not a critical need.

 

Good luck