Do-it-Yourself Laser Loading System

When we swapped out trucks earlier this year, using a dually model pickup for carrying out camper, along came a whole new set of woes: We already had swing-out brackets for the corner jacks, but it just seemed like our tolerances for keeping the truck and camper straight while loading got a whole lot tighter. The chief-camper-loader has a "lazy eye" so his depth perception is already hindered a bit, so adding the fresh opportunity for scraping truck or camper made sweaty palms and the invention of new swear words the order of the day.

Finally, "the light came on." In this case, the laser light. At issue is making sure that truck and camper line up nicely parallel, and stay that way. Why couldn't a beam of light--which travels in a straight line, be used to guide the process? We figured a laser pointer might be just the ticket. Since our truck camper extends beyond the truck bed, there's a wrap-around "wing" that is wider than the truck bed sides. So looking back from the outside rear view mirror, the driver can see "inside" the wrap around wing. Here is where our laser beam could "target."

We picked up a laser pointer from a Staples Office Supply (their item number 595662) for less than $20. This is a "Class 2" laser pointer, meaning it's not as bright as can be had, but it's less expensive and safer for unprotected eyes. The next trick was figuring out how to mount the pointer on the truck and a target on the camper. A natural location, it seemed, was on the bed rail of the pickup. On our rig, there wasn't enough space between the bed rail top and the bottom edge of the camper--when loaded, any mounting equipment would be thoroughly smashed. There is, however, a stainless steel bed rail cap which curves around the top and protects the outboard edge of the bed rail.

The Staples laser pointer we used has a "momentary contact" switch, meaning, the laser is only powered on when pressure is directly applied to the switch. So whatever mounting system we'd use would have to also switch on and "hold" the laser on. A trip to the hardware store revealed the answer in the form of an electrical conduit standoff bracket. We took the pointer to the store and sized one up so that when the pointer was slipped into the bracket and pressure applied, the bracket would not only hold the pointer steadily, but also keep the switch in the "on" position.
Since you'll want to store the laser pointer away when not in use, we replaced the standard nut on the conduit bracket with a wing nut, and used a nylon spacer to take up the extra space on the bolt. You see, the laser pointer is a fair bit smaller in diameter than the conduit the bracket would normally be used for, so the extra thread space had to be taken up, lest the wing nut hang up on the bracket itself, before the pointer was squeezed just tight enough to "light up."

When time came to actually build the setup, we started with the camper successfully mounted up on the truck. We bored a hole though the stainless bed rail cap, making way for a machine screw, lock washer, washer, and nut setup to securely mount the new bracket to the cap. And yes, if you're not already aware of it, drilling through stainless steel is a job to undertake when you're had plenty of rest. You won't make it using a non-corded drill, it takes time, patience, and maybe some oil to cool your bit down. We mounted the bracket close to the cab-end of the truck bed, but we suppose you could probably mount it anywhere along the bed rail.

Next, we needed to establish a suitable "target" zone for the laser beam. The "inside end" of our truck camper came in factory black paint. So we used a can of white spray paint to brighten up the inside area wing area, so that when the laser pointer is on, the beam shoots down along the side of the bed rail, and illuminates on this new white area. When the paint was dry we mounted the laser pointer in the bracket, and raised the camper off the bed of the truck about an inch at a time. At every stop, we used a big black indelible marker and "spot" where the laser beam was then pointing. Raise another inch, mark. Raise an inch, mark, etcetera. Then using a straight edge, we drew a black line between the marked points--thus making the "target line."

When it's time to "load up," we mount the laser, turning it on. Next, we "rough" line up the truck and camper, getting a run on it with the drive wheels of the truck as straight as possible. When fairly close to the camper, the laser point should be hitting close or on the target line. By s-l-o-w-l-y backing and making steering wheel adjustments as small as possible, we've found that getting back under the camper is a whole lot less painful. But don't expect miracles! If your truck and camper aren't close to parallel when you start out, you can still show the laser point on the line, but the truck can be skewed at an angle--therefore, keep a close eye on your wheel wells--you could think you're lined up, but scrape the outside of the wheel well on a jack leg, with significantly distasteful results.

What about your setup? If you don't have a stainless bed rail cap, you may be able to mount the bracket directly to the side of bed rail. If you have a smaller rig that doesn't have that boxed-in rear end like ours, our original thought had been to mount the laser point on the dashboard, aiming back through the truck rear window. It will take a bit of imaginative engineering, but you may find an inexpensive laser pointer can help you past the "separation anxiety" of taking your camper off your truck--and putting it back on.

photos: R&T DeMaris