There is an assortment of rv tie downs available for recreational vehicle owners. The tie-downs come in a wide option of load ratings and mounting types. Since most modern RV campers are heavier than the traditional RV campers, heavy-duty mounting and securing hardware are needed to ensure that the RV camper does not shift on its bed during vehicle maneuvers and compromising vehicle stability.
High quality and high-load rating tie-downs are critical to ensure that the camper is rigidly mounted in place on the truck bed. The anchoring and mounting points, and rv tie downs, must have load ratings that exceed the total weight of a fully equipped camper and be up to the task of being able to secure the camper to the vehicle. Four RV tie-downs, at a minimum, must be used to prevent the shifting of the RV camper and to solidly anchor the camper to the bed of a truck.
The size and weight of the camper to be attached to the vehicle determines the type of tie-downs to be used. For older trucks with thicker skins on their beds or using very lightweight campers, bed-mounted RV tie-downs can be used. Using bed-mounted tie-downs must be avoided on newer vehicles with heavy campers because of the risk of tearing off the vehicle and damaging the truck bed. Bed mounted RV tie-downs are typically heavy-duty metal plates that are bolted or clamped to the truck bed.
Frame rv tie downs are much stronger than truck bed mounted RV tie-down and can securely carry heavy or extra heavy campers. Independent brackets or mounts attach to the front and rear for securing the camper directly to the frame of the vehicle instead of the bed. Most frame-mounted RV tie-downs are vehicle specific for the strongest coupling between the truck and camper.
Attaching hardware called turnbuckles is connected between the camper anchor points and the RV tie-downs are used to secure the camper to the vehicle. Turnbuckles must be chosen with load ratings that exceed the gross weight of the vehicle camper for safety and the ability to handle excessive weight loading when the vehicle is in motion. A basic chain and turnbuckle system can suffice if the camper to be attached to the vehicle is the lightweight type. There is an unlimited variety of RV tie-downs available for any type of truck and camper weight.
RV tie-downs must have a load capacity rating to secure a truck camper so as not to get displaced and shift its weight on a vehicle and compromise road and vehicle safety. RV tie-downs must not allow the camper to deviate from its position in the truck bed and pose a hazard to other vehicles on the road. To add an extra layer of security against camper displacement, it is preferred that light and heavy campers be secured using frame-mounted RV tie-downs. Frame-mounted RV tie-downs can be trusted to be able to withstand abnormal loading conditions when vehicles make sudden emergency turns and uneven acceleration and deceleration. A properly rated and certified RV tie-down set are mandated by law to be installed on all camper carrying vehicles for roadworthiness certification.