Alternate Lift System Pop up Camper
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- The lift system (the whiffletree) on my Coleman Pop Up camper broke and would have been very expensive to fix, so I removed the old system of cables and made my own lift system out of wood.
❤ just the thought I had for my 82. Seeing you do it in person confirmed I'm not cheap or losing my mind. Thank you for sharing my good man
I prefer thrifty, and sounds like you might be thrifty as well :) Glad I could validate your good idea! It really worked great!
Thank you so much for this video, it’s not getting the praise it deserves. This is exactly what I needed to see to be able to open up my camper that has broken lift cables. I got it for free and hoping to make it “camp-able” again. THANK YOU!!
Thanks for the positive comment Rosa, and good luck with your camper :)
Hey i wanted to ask what you added to the end of it and tied to it, i was only going to put wood on 4 corners but I'm scared it might fall ty kindly@@johncollins3110
Absolute legend. This is exactly what I was looking for. Was quote $3k to reconnect cables when the trailer only cost me $1,5k and didn't know how to raise it on my own.
Thanks for this. We were looking for a way to get out a few more times with the equipment we have without spending a lot on our older trailer. We do have air on top so a few modifications will probably be necessary. Happy Camping!
Thank you, hope you got yours working too :)
Absolutely love your ingenuity! Good job my friend!
Thank you Brian, I appreciate the positive comment :)
This is awesome sir, thank you for the post. I was trying to figure out how I was going to do this by myself
...and this ladies and gentleman, is how Archimedes went camping.
haha
Only thing I would do is add is a small notch in the 'roof' end of each piece of wood to steady it while changing the others (to prevent the opposite corner from slipping out).
Great video on how to open the camper without the cables.
Hi Vince, thanks for the comment and you're absolutely right! I actually cut a v-notch in the "roof end" of each of those pieces, you just can't really tell in the video, and they are necessary to keep them from possibly popping out :)
I have repaired this , with a Harbor Freight winch, not easy job but worked perfectly
Wow, great idea!
You'll definitely get your daily steps up doing it that way!
haha, yes!
Thanks for the video helped out a lot of people 🎉
Thank you :)
Thank you! I need to remove back cover but didn’t have a way to lift up. Going to try this on mine!
It worked great, and you'll never be stuck with a broken whiffletree or cable, hope it works for you too :)
genius! low cost, takes little time, and for how often most use a pop up, the roof shouldnt take much ware and tear
Thanks for the nice comments Nigel :)
i'm glad you got the camper up. but man, i don't think i'd ever camp if i had to do that lol.
Yeah by the time you got it set up it would be time to tear it down and go home.
@@davidpettengill914 😂😂😂
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After the 3rd round of switching the wood I’d be too drunk to get it the rest of the way up 😂
It really isn't so bad, about as quick as with the crank, as long as you don't really care what other's think :) My wife's dad and uncle pulled up a couple lawn chairs and beers to watch the first time!
You should look up the C&R lift kit. It’s like $500.
I wish i wouldve seen this yesterday, i just got a 95 coleman fleetwood for free that the crank is bad on and the previous owner cut all the cables in the arms made a real mess, i had a hell of a time getting it up i jacked it from the ceter inside with a 4x4 and a car jack but i like this way alot better, id like to fix it but its not rele worth the time money or effort in my opinion
A lot of the comments here reflect this reality. Sure the cables and especially the whiffletree parts, are available but the prices are OUTRAGEOUS. No wonder people are looking for alternatives.
Nope, I'm not gonna do that!!! Thanks for showing me that, that is not the way I wanna do it.
Fair enough! :)
My husband just ordered new cables for ours and fixed it by himself in like two hours..
Any suggestions on where to buy cables? And a good CZcams video to guide?
LOL. That was an insane fix for a small problem
Cables wern't the issue here, I had a broken whiffletree that could not be replaced new and used were hard to find, expensive, and may be ready to fail as well. It was this fix or trash the camper it seemed.
Same here.. I have the 1994 Roanoke by Coleman and I also put brand new canvas sides on it this year...
There's probably no way to do this with a rooftop AC well that at least one extra set of hands, but good job!
I will say the roof is heavy, but I think it would still be doable as you're only lifting a portion of the weight each time.
Thanks
Sorry so many negative comments
I too just want to get a few more weekends out of our little pup before we retire it....
Oh, I don't mind people having an opinion as long as they're nice about it, to each his own but thank you. I got a ton of use out of this popup after this fix, hope you do too Rob :)
I also have another question ? How and what did you make your final post from ( looks like PVC ) If it is how did you construct it .. Also are your risers still in the camper ? Did I see you lift them from the bottom ? so they are no longer connected to top ? I know I have a lot of questions, but we have the same problem and you have helped solve our problem .. if pvc what size ?
Hello, the final posts are not PVC, just 2x4's but painted white to match or blend in with the camper. By risters, if you mean the original stainless steel posts that support the roof, yes, they are still there. I only removed the cables. And the risers are still connected top and bottom, but because they telescope, they are not attached to each other so you have to be careful. As you raise the roof, you have to also raise the middle telescoping piece and I supported it with a block that slips into the channel inside the risers, to hold that second telescoping piece up into the top piece. Withouth supporting that middle telescoping piece, the roof will be floating freeliy if that telescoping piece falls down! I found that out the hard way! Be sure to support that mid piece as if the cable was pulling it up, like the block I put in (it was probably a 1x2 that might have been 16-18" long? I can't remember, but I just made something that fit inside the lower riser to suppor t the mid riser as I raised the roof. Hope that helps :) Edit: I just rewatched the video, at the 2:22 mark is where I show and talk about the special piece I added to keep the risers from dropping. And I mention that I put those pieces in after the blocks with the tape. The tape is just a visual reminder for me to put those pieces in NOW. If I don't and put in the next set of risers, the roof would be free floating with no support if those risers drop!
DIY genius level !
Thank you :)
You can just replace the pillows and wire pretty easily. About as much effort as raising that roof.
Didn't know anyting about that or I might have looked into it
hi thank you for sharing this can i ask you has ever the wooden conversion ever failed
No, rock solid, keep in mind the stainless steel supports are also still being used in this setup. I only removed the cables since the whiffletree broke.
My camper only starts to crank at the rear and not at front. This will work to raise the roof to fix possible damage to crank system?
I would think so, it sounds like the cables are broken/disconnected at the front. My crank didn't work at all, so I took out all my cables because the got in the way and caused the roof to not go down completely. If you do what I did here, it won't fix the crank system, but you won't be using the crank system. I only removed the cables, not the crank system. Good luck!
You can buy external lift arms like the old pop ups had.
That’s smart
I looked into them, this was way cheaper and worked great :)
Where do you get those?
I made everthing out of wood@@deeprollingriver52
@@deeprollingriver52 popupportal has pics of the installation (I think).
Smart solution!
Thank you :) (a little late)
I take it this works just as well in reverse for lowering the roof back down? Thanks
Exactly, just reverse the process.
Thanx for your time for filming.
Been looking around how to pop up a trailer similar to yours, when the cables are broken.
Would it be the same lifting it up when the cables are still inside to inspect where or why they broke?
Yes, but the cables might restrict you from lifting it up, you might have to get in there and free up the cables while you’re trying to lift it. You can remove some of the interior panels to access the cables. My system didn’t work right with the cables in place, they once made it impossible to entirely close the roof. That’s why I removed the cables entirely, so they wouldn’t cause any problems with raising or lowering the roof. And this system worked flawlessly every time after that, and I never had to worry about not being able to raise or lower the roof when I was camping.
Ok this is awesome idea. I'm having the same issues. How long is the process of lifting the pop up?
@@jennmaguire3756 It's only a little longer than lifting it the normal way, once you get the hang of it. It's as long as it takes you to walk around the camper 5 times, stopping on each corner for only a short time. And with more people, even faster, probably as fast as the normal way with someone on each corner.
But why didnt you just replace the cables? Lol this is innovative for if youre at camp and one snaps, but not as a permanent fix..
Very good video sr and helpfull
I have a cuestion
I'm thinking do same thing with mine
Can you give me the measurements for the studs ? Please
Thanks
Each set was 6" taller than the last. The last set was just shy of making the screen taught. And the final posts are a little taller to make the screen taught and also were painted to give a finished look.
Hey...can you please contact me about this? We are looking for a solution too and would like to know how you put together the final white wood. Thanks!
It's a wider L-shaped piece screwed to the top of the final post. Part of it slips up and into the roof, a fairly snug fit, and the roof rests on the bottom part of the L. Hope that helps!
Any chance you rember the measurements on the last longest block
I was checking the comments to see if he had already answered this question. I need to get mine up so I can examine it and would like to know the measurements as well.
I don't, but the final post (the white one) is determined by making it long enough to just make your screens taught, but not stretch them, so it will likely be different for you. I just kept adjusting the length with a test piece until screens were as tight as I wanted them, then cut all four that lenght. The last lifting block (not painted) is shorter than the final posts, because it's just getting the roof to almost the final hight, but not quite.
Why not install actuators on all corners and do it with push of a button
Sounds cool, but I don't even know what that is! I'm a woodworker, so I did it out of wood :) Easy for me, as actuators may be for you
@@johncollins3110 Hi John you can think of a actuator as a 12v jack ( cylinder tubes one inside another, that has a small motor inside it that works from any 12Volt battery, so when you turn them on they will extend and double their size eg. 750mm actuator will become 1500mm when fully extended, a 1000mm will extend to 2000mm and so on, you can order them to match your load capacity so 1500N actuator can lift 150kg each .
You can operate them with a switch or remote control, look it up I don’t think you will be disappointed.
@@metinibrahim6657 those would work, and very well too. but, he was avoiding the cost of repairing this system. those actuator lifts are super-expensive. could fix this entire system for the cost of just one actuator, and you'd need four of them to lift the top.
I would have liked to have seen those final poles up closer. How did you make them?
They are just 2x4 material painted white. They have a L-shaped cap screwed into the top that is maybe a foot wide or so. The tall part of the L slips up behind the edge of the roof which keeps it from kicking out. The base of the L distributes the weight of the roof a little more than if it was just a 2x4 (might be a 2x3, don't recall but made it wide enough to hide the original roof supports that are behind it). Hope that helps :)
Thx but you never told us what you are using to brace it once it's up. Looks like you made something special and removed the original ones.
They are slightly modified 2x4's, painted white to match and give a finished look. I gave more details about those posts specifically in the past comments
I’m going to the same and I was wondering what is the last wood like how many inches would it be
The last piece is a 2x3 or 2x4, just like the rest. It's just painted white to match the camper since it shows. And you'll see I added a little lip at the top for extra area for the top to sit on and also a little edge that slips up into the top to help keep that whole post there. As for height, once you have the next to last set of blocks in, determine how much higher you need to go to get the side curtains taught, and cut you're last post that much longer (including the extra lip on top). Good luck Emiliano!
You can still buy Coleman parts online
I couldn't when I did this, they had recently gone bankrupt I guess. And a used part was iffy and a ton more work to install
John , How heavy is that roof cap? , mines warped and abs cracking .
Hey Randy, I don't know how heavy it is, but just lifting one corner tells me the roof as a whole is pretty heavy.
I suppose you dont have a video of how you take this down? and a close up photo of your blocks??
I'm sorry, I don't. I made the video for the person buying it so they'd see how it went up. But down is just as easy. Take out the final support posts (the white ones) one at a time and replace with the tallest block. Then the next and so on, switching to the next shortest group of blocks and tucking in the tent as you go. The blocks are just 2x3's, each batch of 4 cut 6" longer than the last batch. The final post is built with a top end that is custom fit into the camper top so it can't fall out (it tucks up into the top) and then it is secured with a velcro strap to also keep it from falling out. Hope that helps.
jesus at this point just pitch a tent HAHA
This was my solution to a tent on the ground!
In what world did coleman go out of business??
they were bankrupt or going thru that when I was doing this, new parts were hard or impossible to find
@johncollins3110 parts can be found my guy. I have a 1973 apache mesa.
No way is this near as fast as the 60 seconds it takes me to raise the roof with the normal cable/crank. Taking the roof down this way would scare me. A lot of extra stuff to carry, and a ladder? Even putting the roof up looks dangerous. I'll replace my lift system instead.
True, was faster when it worked properly. As for safety, pretty safe but not as safe as if it had a working whiffletree, I'll agree there. New ones were not avail when I fixed this, Coleman had gone out of biz and a used one would potentially do the same thing afer an immense amount of work to replace it, so it was this or scrap it. Got many more years out of it after this :)
Whats the length for the last peice of wood to hold it up and how many pieces did u use
The length of the last piece would be determined by your camper, so that the tenting is just a little taught. And there is one for each corner, so four. They are made so that a piece sticks up into the top to hold it in place, and they are painted white to match the camper. They sit right in front of the stainless steel uprights and blend right in.
Great video John. I have a Coleman Cape Cod that has 2 broken cables. This idea of yours is wonderful and I intend to use it indeed. Thanks for your time and help!
How long is the las piece ….?
The length of the last piece would be determined by your camper, so that the tenting is just a little taught.
That’s too much work buy aircraft cables and put an Electric winch
That’s what I did
Please elaborate
I might have, but never thought of or came across that solution. Also, and a woodworker, I can't help myself, I fixed it with wood!
Would that also work on a 97 jayco pop up camper
I'm not familiar with that camper, but I don't see why it wouldn't work on any popup if you were able to remove the cables. I tried it first without removing the cables, and they became a tangled mess which is why I decided to remove them. Good luck with yours :)
Hilarious. You can get a whiffel tree for about 400.00.
I couldn't at the time I did this, Coleman had gone bankrupt, no new ones available and used ones were twice that, in short supply, and no guarentee that they wouldn't soon break just like mind did after a lot of work putting it in, so the carpenter in me got to work with wood! Worked great!
There's actually a few suppliers on eBay and Amazon that sell them relatively cheap now, but they're after market and not original Coleman products and have only been around since like 2021. They're much cheaper than the Coleman manufacturer website, though, and they DID shut down for a few years but reopened late in the pandemic when pop ups were getting remodeled left and right.
Cool.
Thank you k m, appreciate the comment :)
This was just what I was looking for. May I message you with questions about wood lengths etc? I have one that I’m about to rebuild and fix up.
Sure, ask any questions here, it might help others. As for the posts, I think I started with 6" and each set of posts are 6" longer than the last set. I laid the first set on their side, so only lifted the roof 1.5" first, just enough to get my fingers under it. The final 4 posts, the ones painted white to match the camper, are cut to the final heght of the fully extended canvas, and are custom notched to fit in around the roof at the top so they don't fall out. Good luck with your camper :)
Do you think that would work going solo on a little palomino colt. And what where the size and with of the post 2×4?
@@bmorningstar58 Not sure what a palomino colt is, but if it's another popup then yes, this would work with any popup. And the final post is a 2x4 so 1.5"x3.5" and the height is determined by how high the roof needs to go to fully stretch out the canvas. Good luck :)
This wouldn’t happen with a AC on top.
It would be the same with an AC on top. A litltle heavier, but still doable if one (or more) people were able to lift it. Keep in mind, you're only lifting one corner at a time, so it's not the entire weight of the roof (and AC if there is one).
Not bad
Thank you :)
I'm sorry, but no friggin way. I mean, it's great if you have a broken cable as a temporary, but damn man, that's WAY too much work. Not to mention the fact that you have a TON of room taken up by wood blocks.
Understand it's not for everyone, but it really wasn't much work and replacing the whiffletree was way too expensive for that camper, so this was a good alternative. And I made a custom box for the blocks that slid perfectly inside the door, and with them neatly nestled together, they didn't really take up much room.
I think it’s a good idea if you can’t fix the lifting system. I might try it with a little bit longer boards to eliminate a step. It really doesn’t look too hard. I don’t know why people are intimidated by it. Simple is good.
@@zirconcat Agreed, longer posts would eliminate one or two trips going around lifting, and if raising more than 6" at a time worked, all the better :) And you're right, it is not hard.
How much do you think that roof weighs?
Sorry, no idea, but I remember thinking it was heavier than it looks when working on it, but that doesn't tell you much
@@johncollins3110how do you let it back down ?
@@pamelatyer1030 Same process in reverse, one support at a time, working your way around the camper :)
@@johncollins3110 hey , what were the sizes ( lengths ) of the 2x4s all the way up to the top ?
@@pamelatyer1030 I don't know, the camper is long gone, but the height would be determined where the camper sides just start to get taught. You can shim up the last 2x3 temp support until the sides are as tight as they should be, then make the final 2x4 support the length of the last support plus the shims :)
Like why ? They have parts online that’s new lol ….
Unfortunately a new whiffletree was not avail when I fixed this, Coleman had gone out of biz and a used one would potentially do the same thing afer an immense amount of work to replace it, so it was this or scrap it. Got many more years out of it after this :)
Think I'll do the same, do have couple of questions. I don't understand clamping the sticks to the risers. What are you using to bind them? And how did you choose the 6-inch length for the cycles?
Not sure what you mean about clamping the sticks to the risers, the last supports (the painted ones) are attached to the metal posts of the camper with velcro just to ensure they don't get knocked out somehow which would be bad. As for 6", that's what I thought would be a good increment and it worked. I would have adjusted to more or less if needed when I first started making them, but it seemed to be just right.
I sorta understand this .. curious as to how do you let it back down ?
Is this satire?
Not at all, it's an easy work-around to an otherwise very expensive fix. Replacing the wiffletree would have cost more than the camper was worth, but with this fairly simple fix I was able to get several more years of use out of it and then sold it for most of what I paid for it to a gentleman who was very happy with it. And you'll never be stranded with a broken wiffletree and a roof that won't go up or down with this system :)
You’re joking
@@johncollins3110 you're joking, right? There's NOTHING EASY about your "lift wystem"
@@guyh.4553 I don't recall saying it was easy, I said it was an alternative. And for me, it is easy, and does not take much longer that the original way. And it was easier than paying more than I paid for the camper to repair it, and easier than not using the camper, and easier than buying a new camper and scrapping this one. So, in my opinion, it is easy. Your opinion may be the oposite, and that's OK too :)
This guys name should be “Jack”.
Close! :)
No way, hahaha!
Haha, I know, looks a little silly, but it works!
Probably takes an hour and is not safe. No thanks. Fix it right.
It's pretty quick, and pretty safe but not as safe as if it had a working whiffletree, I'll agree there. New ones were not avail when I fixed this, Coleman had gone out of biz and a used one would potentially do the same thing afer an immense amount of work to replace it, so it was this or scrap it. Got many more years out of it after this :)
I’d straight up be embarrassed to pull in and start setting this thing up. I’d rather go fishing lol. I think camping setup and tear down is a pain in the ass as it is. I’d rather setup a tent and not have to tow it. It’s like wearing old pants that are ripped to shreds and you take the time to velcro 20 pieces of them together and unvelcro every time you wear them becouse you don’t want to spend money on a new pair. Seems to make scence one time and one time only!
It only embarassed my kids! (I also used to duct tape my jeans together, so this fix was inevitible!)
Whatever floats your boat. But there is NOTHING easy about this. Plus, the time it took you just to put the top up, I would have my Coleman Royale COMPLETELY set-up. IMHO, this is completely dumb!
I don't recall saying it was easy, I said it was an alternative. But it is easy for me, it dosen't take me much longer than the original way. And it was easier than paying more than I paid for the camper to repair it, and easier than not having a camper, and easier than buying a new camper and scrapping this one. So at least for me, it''s an excellent alternative and pretty easy, but that is my opinion. Your opinion may be the complete opposite, and that's OK too :)
As a single female, I’m not going to be doing this.
But you could! But I will say the roof is a bit heavy, and I'm also 6'-8" which made it easier as well.
@@johncollins3110 so there I am, alone camping. I’m 70 years old. 5’3”, 135 lbs. And I didn’t bring 100 logs to prop this thing up.
Are you really that stupid to think people want to spend hours jacking up a broken POS after they drive to a park. No. I would never buy these things.
@@deeprollingriver52 Go ---- yourself and your negative attitude, you're the broken POS. No, I'm not stupid, that is a very nice camper, it only takes a few minutes to put up with that system (one would be stupid to think it takes hours when you see in the video it took minutes not hours), and I'm trying to help others who may have a similar issue. And I'm going to try to help you too, with some advice. Be nice, treat others like you want to be treated, don't be an ahole
@@johncollins3110 wow. Your response indicates how angry and unhinged you are. I pray you are getting anger management assistance and that you aren’t married
@@deeprollingriver52 I apologize, my response was excessive. I had a very bad week and came home to find you calling me stupid and my camper a broken down POS. How do you expect someone to respond when you insult them like that? And I’m just trying to help people with that video, why cut me down, why the negativity? I just don’t understand why people do that, I seriously don’t. Explain if you can, seriously, I don’t understand your negative response to me, a stranger who is just trying to help others with similar challenges. Don’t be a troll on the internet. Think before you type. Be nice.
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