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Opened Turnbuckles


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#1 Captm

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 01:09 AM

Switching from a Flippac to a FWC I adjusted my driving style, no more Hare'n'Hound speeds now I'm in just out for a "Sunday drive" mode.   

 

With that said this pass weekend I went over some whoop de do's slightly faster than intended resulting in a bit of damage.  The back of the camper rose over 7" according to the scratch in the lower siding at the tailgate mount. The front left came forward and down about 8" denting the roof about 1" deep.  When I pulled over at the next wide spot I found all four turnbuckles lying disengaged on the deck with the camper ends bent open. 

I used Loctite when I last tightened them so they were not loose but the frame does flex, especially when

cross loaded with only two wheels on opposite sides making contact. 

 

I had been mulling over a different mounting for the camper - just haven't got to it yet.   Now I know my weekend project to work off the Turkey.

Cheers

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Edited by Captm, 26 November 2014 - 01:16 AM.

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#2 kmcintyre

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 03:18 AM

What type of truck was this?  That's crazy.  I've been on roads where I broke a shock but my camper didn't move. 


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#3 Captm

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 03:47 AM

My Rig is a 2005 Tacoma 4x4 LB with OME shocks, Dakar springs w/ extra leaf mounted upside down, Timbrens with  255 80/17 BFG Mud Terrain KM2's, skids and sliders. The engine and drive train are stock.

Cheers


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#4 Lighthawk

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 04:21 AM

Wow, Captm!  I think you need to work on your Sunday drive speeds.  :o  Whoop-de-doos can be the worst.

 

Bummer about damage to your truck cab.  I only know our experience with the Hawk/Tundra where I have had to tighten the odd turnbuckle, but now use nylock wingnuts on the normal thread side.  

 

I'll be interested in what you come up with, after seeing how well built your truck / flippack mods were.  I guess it's better that the turnbuckles were weaker than the FWC bolt connection or truck bed connection.  


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#5 Ted

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 05:17 AM

Wow, Cap. You came way too close to ending up like this guy.

gallery_176_163_34764.jpg

 

I'm kind of wondering what you consider a Sunday drive but I imagine it is something like the videos I see of the Dakar Rally. Seriously, I'm not sure there is a mounting that is able to withstand the forces involved when things like accidental whoop de do's happen at high speed.


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#6 Captm

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 05:51 AM

I was doing 20-25mph had I been 15-20mph I could have slowed down in time.  The road skirts around a dry lake bed connecting Fish canyon to Goler wash, can't remember the trail#.    I think the bend in the hooks started straitening out on the trail the day before and the whoops were the final straw.  I bent them back knowing it was better than nothing but one of them straitened back out the following day.

Cheers


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#7 deethe

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 12:45 PM

 I guess it's better that the turnbuckles were weaker than the FWC bolt connection or truck bed connection.  

 

great point Lighthawk!

 

i've been considering upgrading the turnbuckles from 5/16" to 3/8" stock and may just reconsider this after reading this post.  the turnbuckles are a better failure point than the camper or bed mounts 

 

and well engineered then I must say to the FWC crew 


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#8 craig333

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 05:51 PM

I have to think they were loose to get the hooks to straighten like that. Look at the damage on my camper and the turnbuckles are still like new. You really need to check those on a regular basis. I doubt you did anything more than I did heading in to Saline Valley before the road crews fixed it. I've been known to drive a bit fast myself ;)


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#9 Captm

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 06:23 PM

My first thought was that they must have been loose, but the Loctite said otherwise.  When I first started racing motorcycles as a kid I learned to mark nuts and bolts with fingernail polish to make prerace inspections a quick looksee.  I'll add checking them to my morning pre-departure list right before "is the top latched". :o

Cheers


Edited by Captm, 26 November 2014 - 06:23 PM.

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#10 MotoDave

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Posted 26 November 2014 - 10:38 PM

Looks like you just plain exceeded the load rating on the hook portion.

 

I was taught that open eye bolts are for hanging plants on your grandma's porch, and closed eye bolts (think 1 piece forging) are for hanging real loads. I would swap those out for some closed eye turnbuckles and use a threaded link or a shackle to make the connection on each end. A jam nut of some sort or blue loctite isn't a bad idea.

 

A quick look through mcmaster's selection shows that for the same thread size the closed eye turnbuckles are rated 2-4x higher than the open hook type.


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