raising the roof.

[nathan]

ok, so i finally bought the perfect fwc, just recently, but i find it really hard to lift the roof up. any opinions? i had one once before, years ago, don't remember it being this hard. it's a 2001 hawk shell model.

 

[Argonaut20]

Look at this topic: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/5537-roof-lifter-shocks-redux/
especially Alley Kat's post about 28 pages of roof lifting helper shocks.

 

[Bosque Bill]

I had difficulty lifting the roof in a demonstrator, so bought the speaker-stand crank device even before I took delivery. It does work just fine. But it is a bit of a bother to carry and use, so started trying various techniques to lift the roof unassisted. I don't have a rack or carry stuff on top.

I can't describe my method exactly, plus you'll do better to figure out what works best for you, but I'll give some hints. I sit down on the sofa to raise the rear, pushing up on the ceiling board, and at the same time pushing back on the hinged lifting panels. You're not supposed to lift just by pushing on the panels, but they are strong and if you push up with one hand and back on the panels with the other as you stand up, it goes up without excessive effort. Just remember to put the strap around the knob once it pops into place or the back will fall when you try to lift the front.

To lift the front, I remove the cushion above the water tank. Crouching I stand on the cabinet above the tank, place my shoulder against the lifting board, and stand up, lifting with my shoulder. That uses the muscles in my legs which are stronger than my arms.

And of course leave the door open when lifting so air can flow easily into the camper as the roof goes up.

Hope this helps.

 

[RicoV]

I guess I'll have to try raising the rear portion first, just to see if that makes the whole roof lifting thing easier for me. But up to now I've always raised the front portion first (not sure why)... x2 on having the door open when you do all this lifting!!

 

[Bosque Bill]

I guess I'll have to try raising the rear portion first, just to see if that makes the whole roof lifting thing easier for me. But up to now I've always raised the front portion first (not sure why)... x2 on having the door open when you do all this lifting!!

I was told to always lift the rear first and lower the front first. Think it's in the manual, too.

 

[Espresso]

Step 1 - Make sure the door is open. It is impossible to lift the roof in a sealed camper.

I raise the back first. To raise the front, I stand on the seats by the cab window, put my back on the ceiling board, and lift with my legs while pushing on the hinged panel rod. I make sure my feet are over the vertical wooden support and not in the middle of the seat where it is unsupported.

I have a Grandby with a queen bed and I'm able to lift the roof without any problem.

 

[steelhead]

Rico, the text below is from the Owner's Manual on the FWC site. I tried raising the front first when we first got our Fleet just to see how it worked. Only did that once because it is significantly more difficult. You will be surprised at the difference by raising the rear first.

"To raise the roof you must enter the camper and position yourself at the rear, facing the
door. The door must be in the open position to allow the camper to fill with air as you raise
the roof. You cannot raise the roof unless you allow air into the area that is being expanded.
You always raise the roof from the rear due to the proximity of the rear door. This is the
largest opening and will allow the most amount of air to be displaced while lifting the roof."

 

[mtn-high]

My technique for raising the top is the same as Bosque Bill. Raising the front is a combo move of pushing upwards with the legs and simultaneously pushing the bar above the bed forward to pop the front panels in place with your right arm. (might not work if yer short...needless to say I've never had that problem)

good luck

 

[Hittheroad]

The speaker crank device is a must if you have a weak back or are carrying a load on the roof. I find it only slightly bothersome to carry and I have found it very useful in ways I did not expect. On one trip the padding under the camper was coming out and I used the crank to lift one corner of the entire camper enough to work the padding back in. I often use it as a pole for a clothes line. My wife likes the idea that she could manage the roof if I fell off a cliff or was otherwise removed from the scene.

 

[NorCalSteve]

I use my Head. That is, I place my head against the wood while sitting on the bench seat. I then stand up. Maybe that is why I was just diagnosed with scoliosis. I do raise the front using just the arm attached to the lift panel. But it almost goes up on its own because of the lift struts.

Steve

 

[Otis]

The speaker crank device is a must if you have a weak back or are carrying a load on the roof. I find it only slightly bothersome to carry and I have found it very useful in ways I did not expect. On one trip the padding under the camper was coming out and I used the crank to lift one corner of the entire camper enough to work the padding back in. I often use it as a pole for a clothes line. My wife likes the idea that she could manage the roof if I fell off a cliff or was otherwise removed from the scene.

+1 on the speaker crank device, I just picked one up from Best Buy ($80) it works great to lift and lower - we have a roof rack and carry a few odds and ends up top, I don't think I'll have to empty the roof basket every time we set up. It does take a couple minutes longer to raise the roof, maybe 7 minutes total set up compared to our old 5 minutes. A major plus is that my wife will be able to set up on her own.

 

[Cerdahl]

My son and I surf/camp a lot and leave the boards on the roof at night so they won't get stolen. These are longboards on Yakima racks with Rhino Racks to lock down the boards. I'm guessing there is an extra 60 lbs up there and needless to say, it takes both of us to pop the roof. I think might get the speaker stand

 

[Jon&Sue_DeArman]

We carry our 50lb, 17 footer up top for weeks at a time. The 60lb gas springs inside the FWC provided seem to do the trick.

 

[Jon&Sue_DeArman]

Here is the show & tell. The image did not up load the 1st time