D-Rings and Turnbuckles for a Truck bed Camper in a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado with Aluminum Flatbed

Question:

Hi, for my 2008 Chevy Silverado 3500 with aluminum flatbed, I’m wondering what side frame mounted D rings you’d recommend. I have some as you can see in the picture but they don’t look heavy duty enough. I’m wanting to get a 9-10ft truck camper. Bigfoot, northern lite, etc so the camper dry weight should be no more than 3200 if not less. I was looking at your cargosmart D rings. Either fixed anti rattle or the removable one. Because of the high weight rating. Also wondering what type of turnbuckle you recommend. I’m liking the fastgun because of the speed and simplicity, would those work?

asked by: Michael

Expert Reply:

Both the CargoSmart Anti-Rattle D-Ring Tie-Down Ancho # 3486509 and the CargoSmart Removable D-Ring Tie-Down Anchor # 3486510 have the weight capacity to handle what you are looking to do. So it really just comes down to preference on having the anti-rattle or the ability to remove the pin. Personally, I don't see a lot of reason to be able to remove the pin for you application, so I would likely go with the anti-rattle.

As far as turnbuckles are concerned, just about any should work with the d-rings, including the TorkLift FastGun Turnbuckles # TLS9529. The issue may come from clearing the sides. In the photo, it looks like the d-rings are tucked back slightly under the bed rails, depending on how the camper sits in your bed, the angle may not be conducive to attaching the turnbuckles.

You could potentially wait until you have the camper to attach the d-rings. This way you can have a better idea on where the d-rings can be situated to best utilize the turnbuckles. Or there are also chain style turnbuckles # TDHP which have a bit more flexibility.

expert reply by: Scott S