Bolt Through Mount - DCSB Tacoma with Composite Bed

[ekibike]

First, thank you all the great information you've shared on this site. My wife and I visit regularly in our quest to get our own camper.

We are looking at a used FWC that is designed to bolt directly to the truck bed. Since we have a 2014 Tacoma with a composite bed, we know that we cannot bolt to the bed in the traditional manner.

Now, my questions:
- Can we mount the camper to the truck using a backing plate to spread the load?
- Should this be considered a temporary solution and can we trust it to get us from Denver to Houston on the highway?
- If temporary, what are your thoughts about these, known to work, solutions:

Welded/bolted mounting brackets to the truck frame (such as these or these)?​

Torklift mounts in the front and bolt-through backing plates in the rear?​

Torklift all around?​

Others I haven't mentioned?​

Thanks for any thoughts and advice you have. See you out there!! :smiley_drive:

~Zach and Robin

 

[IdaSHO]

Since all of this is because of a non-standard bed, your best best would be to provide info and photos of the bed you are working with.

 

[cchoc]

I have an Eagle on a 2015 Tacoma and use the mounting plates sold by FWC. You might want to give them a call, I expect they sell them individually.

 

[IdaSHO]

After a bit of research it seems that we are talking about the STOCK composite bed?

Seems they are coming with such a bed. Interesting.


Knowing that, I would try to avoid any significant load on the bed rails, and try to bolt the camper down to the bed floor to something structural beneath

 

[IdaSHO]

I have an Eagle on a 2015 Tacoma and use the mounting plates sold by FWC..

+1

those look to fit the bill

Found on another forum...

They look to bolt thru to the chassis, to allow structural tie down points in the bed.

See post #7

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/3288-mounting-a-four-wheel-on-a-composite-tacoma/

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Hello Ekibike

These 2 would probably work, but maybe a bit tough to install on the road.

- If temporary, what are your thoughts about these, known to work, solutions:

Welded/bolted mounting brackets to the truck frame (such as these or these)?​

Tork-Lift also sell external tie downs that are somewhat quick & easy to install.

There are other choices too, depending on the year, make, and model of the campers.

Feel free to call me if you would like to discuss further.

: ) Stan


______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

First, thank you all the great information you've shared on this site. My wife and I visit regularly in our quest to get our own camper.

We are looking at a used FWC that is designed to bolt directly to the truck bed. Since we have a 2014 Tacoma with a composite bed, we know that we cannot bolt to the bed in the traditional manner.

Now, my questions:
- Can we mount the camper to the truck using a backing plate to spread the load?
- Should this be considered a temporary solution and can we trust it to get us from Denver to Houston on the highway?
- If temporary, what are your thoughts about these, known to work, solutions:

Welded/bolted mounting brackets to the truck frame (such as these or these)?​

Torklift mounts in the front and bolt-through backing plates in the rear?​

Torklift all around?​

Others I haven't mentioned?​

Thanks for any thoughts and advice you have. See you out there!! :smiley_drive:

~Zach and Robin

 

[ekibike]

Hi All,

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. I have spoken to FWC and learned that, with this particular camper (the Falcon), the turnbuckle system and camper mounts in the bed do not work. The option that they suggested over the phone is the Torklift system.

Stan, glad to hear the bolt through options I showed as examples seem like they'd do the trick. We're considering just mounting the camper through the bed with backing plates based on the advice we've received on Wander the West (http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/11593-bolt-through-mount-tacoma-dcsb-composite-bed/). As you'll see there, we've come up with some backing plate options. Do you have any thoughts about what would be best? Did FWC test such an install before opting for the current brackets? If so, what were the results?

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

I would not recommend just bolting through the plastic truck bed, unless you install some strong backing mounts that tie things together with the frame of the truck.

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/8037-atc-bobcat-shell-owner-interior-build/

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/gallery/album/426-bolting-an-eagle-to-2005-2013-tacoma/

Campers can put a great deal of stress on the truck bed, and I would worry the truck bed could crack if someone was to just do a bolt-through with a backing plate (on the 2005 - 2016 Toyota Tacoma plastic truck bed), and not tie things to the truck frame somehow.

Any other truck on the market, with a steel truck bed, would be just fine with a traditional bolt down application.




.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Or throw a set of the Tork-Lift external tie downs on the truck and call it good.

Most customers that go this route will install the Tork-Lift tie downs in the front.

And a set of the Happijac Stainless steel universal tie down buttons in their rear bumper.






.

 

[ekibike]

I would not recommend just bolting through the plastic truck bed, unless you install some strong backing mounts that tie things together with the frame of the truck.
.

Stan, thanks for the additional clarification and words of caution and suggesting the Torklift option. Hope you have a great Holiday!

 

[boarderxm7]

Thanks for all of this amazing info! I have been researching these tie down systems for a while on here now and am still stumped on which route to take.
I just purchased a 2010 Finch for my 2013 Tacoma 4x2 quad cab w/ 5' bed. The seller gave me a hodge podge of torklift tie down equipment(pictured below) and it looks like I need to buy a second front mount receiver T2308 (I believe).
Although I have running board step running along the bottom of my entire cab and I can't test the torklift mount to make sure it fits, any suggestions on working around running boards or do I need to take them off?
Also, I like the idea of going with the bed mounting brackets, would I be able to use my torklift springloaded turnbuckles with this setup? And what do the turnbuckles attach to on the camper? I know you go from the inside of the camper to attach but once you attach the turnbuckle to the mounting brackets in the bed of the truck what does the other end attach to? I currently have eyebolts on my mechanical camper jacks so I'm assuming those need to be moved somewhere else on the camper to attach??? Any info and suggestions help and thanks in advance everyone!