Hey Mark
Good job. I like it !
I have tried to make a few different styles of lift assists over the years (and FWC has too) from ideas on the forums, but we never found anything that was simple, cost effective, and reliable for the average customer.
Not long ago a customer from So Cal came up with something he shared with me that is awesome. I thought I would also post it for the people on the forum.
We bought one to play around with and I really like it. It is so simple, looks and works professionally, and it is super light weight.
The only thing one might want to do is to install a small plastic retaining cup to keep it in place when raising the roof. (if you go to the closet section in the hardware store they will have closet hanging rods and the plastic end caps that would probably work well).
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DEVICE TO RAISE POP-TOP FROM INSIDE THE FOUR WHEEL CAMPER
I found a device that will lift the roof of my pop top camper from inside the camper. It is a speaker stand with crank that is manufactured by a company called On Stage Stand. Although the device lists for $160.00, I found sources on the internet that were selling it for $59.95. (Last time I checked it was available at guitar center, amazon.com, and ebay.com)
This device is designed for displaying speakers on a stage. You mount the speaker on the pole and use a crank or drill to raise the speaker to the desired height. The pole is stabilized with a 3 legged stand. The device is designed to raise an 80- 100 pound speaker from 47” to 80”.
The link to company On Stage Stands which makes the speaker stand is
http://www.onstagestands.com/catalog/item/home/model/SS8800B+/grp/GRP000168
To use the stand with my camper I modified the speaker stand by removing the three legs and the support stand from the bottom, leaving a 46” pole with a crank system. I also removed the rubber feet from the 3 legs and placed them on the top and bottom of the pole to protect the floor and roof of the camper shell.
This makes it possible for my wife and I to raise the camper roof easily. The pole is made of aluminum and weighs only about 4 lb without the stand. The pole is easy to store. Time will tell how durable the crank system is, but it doesn’t seem to labor when I use it to raise the poptop.
Bill from So Cal
