Should have checked wires from below....

I just (nearly) completed my first "significant" project on my new-to-me 2016 Hawk flatbed, which was removing the over the bed vent that had a broken lift arm, and replacing it with a Maxxair 4000K fan. The majority of the time spent was getting the old vent out, which was very well adhered to the roof.

I placed the new fan in the opening (after applying butyl tape to the underside) making sure to first tuck the wires into the opening. I skipped putting up the roof and inspecting the wires from inside the camper because I really struggle to pop it up alone (and I was doing this project alone). This despite having replaced the old gas struts with new 40 pound struts, which made the task easier but still not easy enough.

Well, the unthinkable has happened!! A loop of the white wire from the fan motor is trapped between the roof and the flange of the fan. I cannot believe I did this despite my best attempts to make sure the wires were free before I screwed the fan down. The fan is working fine, but I now can't install the so-called "ceiling garnish" on the inside of the camper, plus I'm concerned that the wire will be damaged by being trapped in between the roof opening and the edge of the fan. It's embedded in the butyl tape, too.

I am attaching a picture from inside, but you all can picture exactly the problem.

Unscrewing and prying up the whole device seems too onerous. I have already sealed the screws and around the edge of the fan with lap sealant. I could cut the wire right next to where it disappears to the outside connect the two ends. I won't have much slack on the motor side of the wire, but it would be enough.

If I thought I could remove just a few outside screws nearest the trapped wire and GENTLY insert two magic bars (small crowbars) to pry that portion of the flange up just enough for someone inside the camper to pull the wire in, I would do that. But I'm worried about cracking the whole unit, which would make me cry .

Any sage advice?

The black wire is emerging from the motor and going where it should. The white wire above the black is taking an excursion up and outside before coming back in next to the plus sign.

Ugh.

That is indeed a bummer! I’ve never had to pull a fan, but as tedious as it sounds, I think that is the wisest path.

With respect to lifting the top, consider buying a speaker lift to crank the roof up. I’ll add a link to one of the threads on that topic.

https://www.wanderthewest.com/threads/is-this-the-crank-up-jack-i-need.8026/

Look at it as a chance to get it exactly right, despite undoing then redoing the job. At least half of the DIY projects I've done required a re-do. (Water manifold on our Hawk for one example.) You will have the peace of mind knowing when the wind blows and rain falls you got it right.

Some people have good luck raising the camper roof with those ratcheting jacks roadies use to lift heavy amplifiers. I forget what they are called.

Good luck!

I was afraid y'all would say "do it over." It is probably the wisest route. I think we are getting the hang of getting the roof up. It's the back section, which is awkwardly over the dinette, where there is no good place to put yourself for the pushing.

I didn't realize the speaker stand was pretty cheap. I thought it was costly. Something to consider.

Try two stacked yoga blocks about 2/3 of the way toward the back of the camper, on the bed. It gives you a leverage point which seems to help our efforts at raising that second lift.

Sagefemme said:

I was afraid y'all would say "do it over." It is probably the wisest route. I think we are getting the hang of getting the roof up. It's the back section, which is awkwardly over the dinette, where there is no good place to put yourself for the pushing.

I didn't realize the speaker stand was pretty cheap. I thought it was costly. Something to consider.

Click to expand...

Knees on dinette seats?

Just fix it right, you just need to undo one screws on that side and lift it slightly. The butyl will restick and you just need to put new lap sealant on what was disturbed.

Just get the speaker lift.
Your 60 y.o. back will thank you.

+4 on 'fix it right'.

Sagefemme said:

I was afraid y'all would say "do it over." It is probably the wisest route. I think we are getting the hang of getting the roof up. It's the back section, which is awkwardly over the dinette, where there is no good place to put yourself for the pushing.

I didn't realize the speaker stand was pretty cheap. I thought it was costly. Something to consider.

Click to expand...

I think the speaker lifts are around $170 now. Far less expensive than a trip to the emergency room with a slipped disk.

pods8 said:

Just fix it right, you just need to undo one screws on that side and lift it slightly. The butyl will restick and you just need to put new lap sealant on what was disturbed.

Click to expand...

This is what I'm about to do. I think it will work.

Wandering Sagebrush said:

I think the speaker lifts are around $170 now. Far less expensive than a trip to the emergency room with a slipped disk.

Click to expand...

You speak the truth. The feeling I get when I'm using my hands AND my head to push up is scary. A voice in my head (or maybe it's in my neck) is saying "don't do this."

AWG_Pics said:

Try two stacked yoga blocks about 2/3 of the way toward the back of the camper, on the bed. It gives you a leverage point which seems to help our efforts at raising that second lift.

Click to expand...

This is genius!! I even have the yoga blocks!

Sagefemme said:

This is genius!! I even have the yoga blocks!

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And with a thick mat, you can do yoga while out camping. My wife loves doing yoga on slickrock sandstone in the middle of nowhere, so we always keep an eye out for such sites.

Ok, it is done. Wire is freed. Only had to back out two screws and pry a tiny bit. Jammed a bit more butyl tape in the gap, screwed it back down, reapplied lap sealant. Not as bad as I thought. Now for the interior ceiling "garnish." Love that terminology!

Now I think it's time to have a party and celebrate

I just finished the interior finishing flange (another bunch of small PITA things happened) and in fact I'm just sitting down with a delightful margarita. Very thirst quenching for us trailer DIY-ers.

Thinking about what improvements I should make next.......

And let me add, since difficulty raising and lowering the roof is how I got into the trapped wire scenario in the first place, that turning on both fans pulling air into the trailer seems to help significantly. Got the roof up and down a few times today alone without much difficulty. I don't understand how two small fans make such a difference, but somehow they do.

Three ideas for your improvements list. We did them after a couple of years with our FB Hawk and wish that we had done them right away.

Swap out the standard table for a Lagune table with a rectangular top. Much better performance and flexibility.

Commit to east-west sleeping and leave the bed slider at home. Suddenly the under bed storage is easily accessible because it’s always ready and lifting the bed is soooooo easy because it’s lighter. And making or breaking camp goes much faster.

If you don’t need the guest bed, replace the heavy and awkward dinette bench slabs with light plywood on piano hinges. Access to the big storage bins is now easy. We use folding bleacher seats for padding and back support.

Anyhoo, there’s some ideas. Wisdom suggests that you do some camping to see if any of these make sense for you. Enjoy.

John

Sagefemme said:

I just finished the interior finishing flange (another bunch of small PITA things happened) and in fact I'm just sitting down with a delightful margarita. Very thirst quenching for us trailer DIY-ers.

Thinking about what improvements I should make next.......

Click to expand...

Consider getting the aluminum tire table. Amazon.com
It is one of our most used add-ons, sets up quickly and moves the cooking outside. We put it up under the awning (right rear) where it serves as a hang-out spot and, with a connecter to one of the propane tanks, a cooking surface to hold our stove. Save cooking smells & grease from building up in the camper.