Welcome to the second entry in April’s Mega Mod Contest. One Mega Mod will be published in every Email Alert in April. At the end of the month we’ll hold a reader vote to determine April’s winner. Click here for information about the 2020 Mod Squad Contest, including how to enter.
Charles Coushaine, Punta Gorda, Florida
Roller Camper Centering Device
2001 Ford F350
2012 Chalet DS116RB
Many truck camper owners struggle to align their truck to the camper. To help alleviate the problem, several years ago I designed a laser guiding system that works great.
However, several people told me that they wanted something that not only centers the camper, but also keeps it in place during travel.
Voila! This new system does both. It installs into your truck’s bed without adding any holes or screws into the truck, making it very easy to remove if necessary!
To make this centering device you need to purchase four heavy-duty urethane rollers and some Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) material.
I started by cutting and shaping some pressure treated wood to fit the shape of my truck’s bed. Once shaped, I then fabricated some spacers the same width as the heavy-duty urethane rollers.
I then assembled the rollers to the wood using a good wood glue and screws. Next I cut and tapered some 3/4-inch thick UHMWPE to act as guides and attached them to the front of the roller assembly. Finally, I fixed the spacing between the roller assemblies with two pieces of 1/16-inch thick steel.
I then took these assemblies and mounted them in my truck bed after carefully cutting the rubber mat to fit. The 1/16-inch steel pieces hid under the rubber mat. Once this was in place, I then cut and fit some additional pressure-treated lumber into a tapered locking spacer. That holds the roller assemblies down by having the spacer fit to the underside of the bed’s rails.
Full details of manufacturing, including links to rollers and UHMWPE material, are included in my video below.
This device uses some very heavy-duty 5-inch diameter urethane coated wheels to roll your camper toward the center of the truck. Then, when lowering, the wheels transfer the camper to the UHMWPE tapered blocks for final alignment. Neither the wheels or the UHMWPE will damage your camper and, when in place, the camper cannot move during travel!
I have loaded my camper multiple times using this system and it works great! Not only is my camper perfectly centered every time, but it also doesn’t move during travel.
It took me 20 hours to complete this modification and cost me $150. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is hard.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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