Torklift Tie Down Installation Report for my 2013 Ram 3500

Yesterday, I completed the installation of the Torklift Tie Downs on my new Ram 3500. In case you're unfamiliar with Torklift's tie down system, it consists of four independent, frame-mounted tie down receivers that work much like a standard hitch receiver as the tie down inserts are removable. This means that when you're not hauling around your truck camper, the tie down receivers are practically undetectable.

Next to their superb Fastgun turnbuckles, Torklift's Tie Down system might just be the crown jewel of the company's extensive product lineup. The tie down receivers bolt to the undercarriage of the truck's frame using existing bolts, holes and attachment points. No welding or additional drilling is necessary. In my opinion, no other system works better in keeping your truck camper secured to your truck than Torklift's Tie Down system.

The tie down installation for my Ram 3500 wasn't too difficult, though a call into Torklift was required to answer a few questions. All said and done, it took me about three hours to install all four receivers, which wasn't too bad. For the record, I installed Torklift kit D2123 for the front tie downs and D3109 for the rears. These are the kit numbers specified in Torklift's installation guide for a 2013 Ram 3500, short-bed model with cab length nerf bars and with the factory hitch. Total cost though Amazon.com was about $450.

Like any job, having the right tools will make the job go much quicker and easier. For the front receivers you'll need a standard 3/4" wrench and a socket wrench with a 3/4" head attached to an 10" extension. Believe me when I say that the wrench extension makes tightening the bolts to the front tie down receiver and hook brackets much easier. You'll need the same tools for the rear receivers though the 10" extension for the socket wrench won't be necessary. You'll also need a 15/16" socket head to remove and reinstall the factory bolts for the rear tie downs. Lastly, a torque wrench is needed to tighten all nuts to the required 40 ft pounds.

Taken as a whole, the front receivers were far more difficult to install than the rear ones. Part of the difficulty lies in the tight confines where the front receivers are located. Elbow room is lacking. The receivers are mounted over the front leaf spring perch mount. The tie down receiver has a large hole which is placed over the large bolt shown in the picture below. Two hook brackets are used to install the top of the receiver while the mid-section is secured using a metal clamp strap. Due to the height and difficult angle, you may have some difficulty lining up the hook brackets with the holes at the top of the receiver. Keep at it if you're having trouble moving the hook brackets from side to side. They will move, you just have to get them at the right angle.

The front receivers are mounted here on the perch mount.

The clamp strap was much easier to install and was easy to reach. The strap, which has a dog-leg shape, was installed just above and behind the large bolt shown in the picture above. Unfortunately, I found that one side of the strap doesn't sit perfectly flush due to the radiused edge on one side of the perch mount opening (see the small opening to the right of the large bolt in the photo above). Torklift confirmed that this isn't a problem as long as the nut is tightened to specs. If you look at the picture below you'll notice the slight off-angle of one of the installed bolts. Again, not a big problem as long as it's tightened down to 40 ft pounds. Each receiver took a little over an hour to install.

View facing forward of installed front receiver.

Torklift's instructions state that you should hand tighten the nuts first before tightening everything up to 40 ft pounds. It's important that you do this to allow a little play in the receiver to get the alignment of the receiver just right. Though the directions don't specifically say, I recommend tightening the clamp strap nuts first before moving on to the two hook strap nuts at the top of the receiver. Alignment of the clamp strap is crucial as there isn't much wiggle room to allow sufficient clearance of the bolts. Even after getting the alignment right, however, I still found that the front receiver tubes were tilted forward just a bit. Torklift confirmed that this isn't a problem and is quite normal for this particular installation. Based on their answer, it appears I wasn't the only one to mention this to them.

View of installed driver side front receiver.

Compared to the front, the rear receivers were extremely easy to install. Everything was easy to reach and get to and the instructions were clear and well-written on what needed to be done. You'll use two existing factory bolts as well as a supplied two-inch long bolt for each rear receiver. No issues were encountered installing these though I needed a hollow bar (the tie down inserts also work well for this) over the socket wrench handle to get sufficient leverage to loosen the factory bolts. Each receiver took only about 20 minutes to install.

The bottom two factory bolts are used for the rear receivers.

Installing the driver's side rear receiver.

Camper mounted with new Torklift Tie Downs.

Overall, this was a fun and a fairly trouble-free installation. One person can easily perform this installation though at times another person is useful to help heft and hold the receivers into place and to help tighten the nuts. Out of curiosity, I called several hitch shops here in the Phoenix/Mesa area to see what they would charge to install these and the quotes I received varied between $150 and $300 dollars. If you have the inclination and know-how, I recommend you do the installation yourself. If you don't, then you'll probably pay a hefty price for what I consider to be a fairly easy installation. Kudos to Torklift for designing a well-made product that works as advertised and is relatively easy to install.