DIY roof lift 12V Linear Actuators

SlowernOlder

Okay-I'm also old-just turned 80, fell on my shoulder and back (again) and despite my new speaker holder and new pair of roof assists-"thinger lifter upper witch-em-macallits", I'm having problems lifting my 05 Grandby's roof by myself and can't hit the back country like I'm used to doing. So w/o getting into the said woods/outback soon, I will drink myself to death watching tv, go crazy and probably die and may even not make 81 :p! So what are these things and will they work on my Grandby-and if so, how do I get them. how difficult are they to put in and how much do they cost ? Will I make 81?? Thanks for any info!

Smoke
 
IDPaddler said:
Out of curiosity I went the FWC site to see the cost and didn't find it. How much??
Click to expand...
I think I saw 875.00 for the interior an over 2000.00 for the exterior and can only be done at a dealer. You have to look at the section that shows the possible add on features when you build your pop-up.

Smoke
 
The internal is able to be retrofitted to older campers. It's talked about in the second half of the video. The external lift is for new campers only. Easy install for the internal. When I picked up my camper they were shipping out a bunch of the internal ones for retrofit.
 
Wondering why they added the internal tracks. seems like it would function fine with just the lift panels. Thanks for posting
 
Try speaker lift stands on the inside of your camper to assist lifting. We use them on our Grandby when we have kayaks on the roof and they work great.
 
I guess I'm not up to date on options, is that a roof mounted A/C in the pic?
 
Looking for guidance on linear actuators. I have called FWC and they are not selling these as parts for retrofits at this time. They are only putting them in new builds for now. SlowernOlder, thanks for the images but I'm now confused. The Progressive PA-04-30-400 does not expand long enough to push the top all the way up when lifting from the floor position. The maximum expanded length of that unit is 67.87 inches. I did find a video of someone that has this actuator(new Hawk build) and it appears that he is attaching a 6-8 step/block to the actuator to fill the gap. Is that correct?

To add even more confusion to the topic, the FWC New Product announcement video (
) actually has content that appears to be using two different linear actuators for internal lifts. The video shows one actuator that has an external motor (which is black) and then jumps to using a bullet actuator that has an internal motor. The video appears to show that one being used without the need for a step/block. I believe the bulllet linear actuator in the video is made by Firgelli while the other is made by Progressive.

FWC told me that they are using the Progressive. If that's the case, I guess the step/block is needed?

Installed Progressive linear actuator

I can find the progressive units on Amazon but have no idea which Firgelli would work in this application.

Thoughts... suggestions.
 
" it appears that he is attaching a 6-8 step/block to the actuator to fill the gap. Is that correct? ''
Yes mine has a 4'' step block on the bottom. The rear doesn't go all the way up but far enough that the panel is easy to push up the last couple of inches. My actuator is Progressive as it has the black external motor.
 
Does the FWC actuator have a thread on the end? I have one of the manual crank subwoofer roof lifters form "onStage" the gen 2 version which is heavier duty than the original. Like all pro-audio gear, it seems to have an M20 thread. Extensions are available for those...
 
Vic Harder said:
Does the FWC actuator have a thread on the end? I have one of the manual crank subwoofer roof lifters form "onStage" the gen 2 version which is heavier duty than the original. Like all pro-audio gear, it seems to have an M20 thread. Extensions are available for those...
Click to expand...
The actuator that FWC is using (Progressive) does not have a threaded end. The ends of the actuators are designed to connect with a swivel bracket which has pin that holds the actuator.

I thought about using a gen 2 version of the "OnStage" lifter but even when it is compressed its 5" longer then the space between my bench and the ceiling of my Hawk.
 
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