13 replies to this topic

[Charlie]

Is anyone using this combo (bed mount)?
 

Hit a pothole hard today on a rough dirt road, and all four of the dealer Installed turnbuckles opened up and fell off. I think spring loading would have avoided this.

 

Thx,

Charlie

[Andy Douglass]

What do you mean by "opened up"? Did the hooks bend?

[Charlie]

Yep, the hooks were bent so that they weren’t hooks anymore. The ends were more like a right angle, and so they wouldn’t stay hooked to the eye bolt. Using the hammer (that my wife insisted we carry:-), we were able to close them up enough to get us on the road again.

[OffTheGridMaps]

I have an 03 Tundra that already had external (frame mounted) Torklift tie downs and Toklift fast guns from a previous camper we owned.  When I bought my 05 Eagle last year, since I already had invested in the external tie downs, I chose not to install the internal tie downs.  That being said, in about 4 years of use, I have never had an issue with the spring loaded fastguns, and hear them squeaking (slightly.. if the windows are down) when we are driving down bumpy roads.  So I know the spring loaded tie downs are doing their job and expanding/compressing while we are driving.

 

Folks with internal tie downs have mentioned the Torklift Derringer handles on the forum, but I don't think they are spring loaded, they just make tightening down the turnbuckles easier.

[Charlie]

Thanks for the details. Torklift makes a shorter version of their Fastgun for bedmount installations, but it seems to me that they cant go short enough. Their minimum length is 14.5”. I measured my installation, and it seems that I need something as short as 13”.

[wandern]

I've mounted my FWC with Torklift Fastguns (I normally use them for a much larger truck camper), but I prefer the sleek lines and narrower profile of the bed-mounted tie-downs.

 

I installed forged eye bolts and forged clevis-end and hook-end turnbuckles with jam nuts, which completely eliminate the risk of tie-down breakage.  That being said, don't crank the turnbuckles down tight- the camper and/or bed will become the weak link in the system.

[Machinebuilder]

What truck and camper do you have?

 

I see reports like this and wonder, because there are as many reports of people that never have a problem.

[Jon&Sue_DeArman]

Way too fast for the tracks they are on.

[fish more]

I use the Fast Guns with a forged treaded ring. Since install, never had them come loose. Turn buckles thrown away a long time ago.

[hebegebe]

I use the Fast Guns with a forged treaded ring. Since install, never had them come loose. Turn buckles thrown away a long time ago.

exactly! Why chance loosing your whole rig?