Fit Question

[SunMan]

The fit of my 03 Hawk on my 06 Tundra seems perfect, almost too perfect.
It seems as if the camper is sitting on the bed rails firmly, it also seems to be making full contact with the bed floor (as far as I can tell).

My question is should there be clearance between the bed rails and the camper for movement or flex? Or is it ok for it to be fully weighted on the bed rails and flex with the bed. Many campers I see seem to have some clearance between the rails and camper itself. Should I place some plywood or rubber mat in the bed to allow some clearance? Experts please chime in....

 

[DLN]

Sunman,
There should be some clearance between the bed rails and the camper. The subject has been discussed in the past but I can't seem to find the threads. lqhiker had to remove the plastic tops on his new Tacoma to provide some clearance for the rails. I'm sure others will be able to provide links and information for you. Good luck.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

viewthread

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=681&referrerid=703

Sunman,
Similar situation with my neighbors Taco/Eagle setup.

Still would be interested in Stan's input on this..

TT

 

[SunMan]

Thanks DLN,
I did some searching of previous posts but no luck either. Stan/Ben?

 

[chnlisle]

I see a sheet of 3/4 inch in your future.

 

[benburnett]

clearance of rails

The easiest way to fix that problem is to attach a 3/4" piece of plywood to the bottom of the camper. You do need to have some clearance over your rails. The camper is made to flex with your truck bed but with it sitting on the rails of the truck it is getting more vibration and flex being put into it than it normally would just sitting on the bed of the truck. I am surprised that the water drain cleared for you also and is not rubbing against the truck or was broke off when you put it on.

I don't recommend the rubber mat idea though. I know some customers use them and they seem to work fine. If you are going to be taking the camper on and off on a regular basis it should work but makes the camper harder to install. With the rubber mat in the bed it is much harder to push the camper up that last inch or so when you install it. The other down side to the rubber mat is that it does not allow proper air flow under the camper. One of the reasons that the floor never give out on these campers is that the ribs of the bed of your truck allow air flow under the camper and in turn moisture will not build up under it and start to degrade the floor.

With the rubber mat you do not have this air flow and over time moisture can build up and start to degrade the floor. It would take some time I am sure to create any real damage but the possibility is there.

One of the reasons that we tell you to never store the camper flat on the ground is because moisture will build up under the floor and rot out the floor. Always store the camper on some blocks or just 2 x 4's to prevent this from happening.

I know you bought the camper used and probably didn't have any of the tips of care for the camper passed on to you from the previous owner.

If you have time, give us a call when you get a chance and I will be happy to go over how to care for the camper. A few minutes on the phone with us will prevent having to do expensive repairs down the road.

 

[buzzman]

Ben,

Thanks for the great advice on storing the camper!

Buzzman

 

[SunMan]

Thanks for the advice Ben. Concur witht the ventilation theory regarding the rubber mat. Just to clarify I should actually attach the plywood to the camper vice just laying a sheet in the bed?

 

[benburnett]

plywood

Actually I have seen it done either way and it seems to work. I would rather attach it to the camper myself so that I don't have to deal with the extra piece of wood every time I unload or load the camper.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Hey SunMan


That is what I was expecting for the fit.

That is what I gave you the call on that Saturday with the heads up.

Yea, you can add a sheet of plywood to the bottom of your camper, or just slide a sheet of plywood in the truck bed before you put the camper on.

I think attaching it to the camper is easier so you don't always have an extra piece of plywood to deal with.

My old camper also sat on my truck bed and the plastic bed rail covers all the time. I liked the tight fit and never had any problems, but on a nice new truck and newer camper it would be better to have a small gap between the camper and the bed rails on the truck.

If you want to go lighter and save some weight, you can also cut some strips of 5/8" plywood and attach the new strips to the exsisting strips on the bottom of the camper. A full sheet of good plywood is pretty heavy !

(see attached picture)


I also got your e-mail about the misc. parts and will get an invoice ready for you.

Hope this helps.

Have fun with the new camper !




.

 

[SunMan]

Thanks Stan, I think the strips are definitely the way to go weight wise. Thought my TRD package would suck it up, but with the camper loaded with all of my gear I can already see suspension upgrades in the near future. Every little bit helps.

 

[gvitek]

My '06 Hawk fits my '04 Tundra like a glove. In fact, periodically, we wear down the paint a little on the Hawk as it rubs the side rails. No problem, we just spray paint over. Weight is important to us as the price of gas is so high. The existing OEM boards work fine. I don't think it's necessary to add any plywood.

 

[Tomas Tierra]

gvitek,

Is your truck a double cab or access cab?? Got any Pic's??

It would be interesting to compare your fit to Sunmans. I am pretty sure the diminsions of the double cab bed are a little different to the access cab bed.

TT