HELP!! Just bought a 2000 Alpenlite camper, and it is on a 2008 Dually Dodge truck. Problem is that the tie-down chains are sitting right on my fenders--- scratching the paint!!! Have a tork-lift mount, even put a shim in it to move the lower part out 2"... but the problem is at the top by the eye bolt on the camper itself. Ideas anyone? Been told we likely cant move the eyebolts on the camper frame, but even if we can, have to remove the furnace etc to access it. Anyone heard of this being done? Ideas? Drat this is frustrating. Dont want a new truck to be damaged. The dealer just said, "gee thats too bad".
I was going to do the same thing on my old camper. I was going to move the front two eye bolts inboard so I could use the front tie down anchor system I made for the truck that is inside the bed. But.. when it came time to move the eye bolts, I found I would have to remove my refrigerator to get to them. I wasn't too keen on that, so I left them where they were and never got to use my ingenious in-bed front tie down system.
I'm having a hard time figuring out why this is rubbing. Do your tiedown bars under the camper extend out? Mine do. I have Alpenlite also but not a dually. My back tiedown in bolted to my bumper. My front tiedown bar is right behind the cab and extends out.
Larry
2001 Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
Hitchiker II LS 30.5
Alpenlite Laramie LS850 truck camper
One wonderful life partner, my wife of 40 years
"I want people to know "why" I look this way.
I've traveled a long way and some of the
roads weren't paved."
My rear chains hit my dually fenders when I first put it on. Is this what you are talking about?
I remedied the problem by moving the TC back in the bed 4". I use a treated 4X4 in the front of the bed for the camper bumpers to snug up to instead of the front of the box. I also use a heavy duty rubber bed mat under the TC and it has not moved in the 5 years I have been using it this way.
This problem must be pertinant only to Dodges as I have not heard of it with other trucks.
Now BEFORE the weight police start screaming, my COG is still 16" ahead of the rear axle.
I don't know where the COG is on an Alpenlite but don't move it behind the rear axle.
05 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT SC DRW 4X4 CTD G56 373's CAI,Edge Juice/Attitude,Jake,Rancho9000x,Torklift tie downs,Superhitch,Stable Loads
04 S&S Avalanche 9' with slide 26th Marines RVN 69-70 Semper Fi M-14 was the only Woodstock I saw in 1969.
Does your Alpinelite use an eyebolt or does it have a bracket?
If its a bracket, I'd check directly with Alpinelite and see if they make a different one that has the mounting point further back to clear dually fenders. I had a similar problem with my Lance and they actually make a different mounting bracket with the tiedown point an inch or two further back for when this happens. It was a 10 minute job to swap them out. If Alpinlite dosent offer something similar, it would be pretty easy to make something up out of angle iron if you had to.
04 Dodge 1 ton dually, Cummins, auto, quad cab, 4x4, SLT, Sport, Reese Titan V
04 Lance 1161, TV/DVD, high efficiency A/C, Honda EU2000
Pictures would help. What model camper do you have? I have an Alpenlite camper on a Dodge truck and don't have the problem you describe (if I understand you correctly). Do you mean that the chains still rub the truck fender after you've tightened them to the tie-downs? It may be that you'll have to change to another tie-down system.
GreatWhite
2004 Dodge Ram 3500 Quadcab Dually
2004 Alpenlite Santa Fe 1150
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