Lifting roof XPStream - making improvements

[OP827]

For filler I used microballoons with fumica in epoxy, then I used auto body polyester filler all over. Need to be careful to make sure that foam is fully covered in epoxy fiberglass with no holes or you'll have large holes eaten out by polyester filler in the foam under. I used automotive two part urethane high built primer, paint and clear coat. Note that body work is a lot of work if you never done that before. And automotive coating is not cheap.

 

[leblanda]

I got it!

thanks for all the info.

Dan

 

[OP827]

You are welcome, Dan. I'm interested to follow your build progress, so drop me a link. Thanks,
Oleg

 

[hossesdad]

Oleg, I’m going to come back and savour every post and photo on your build like a fine wine.

It’s elegant as well as soundly engineered. Top marks

 

[OP827]

Thank you!

 

[Tony Latham]

Posted a short video on youtube showing how the lifting roof works

[youtube]SV1v1mvrD2E[/youtube]

HOLY CRAP!

Tony

 

[OP827]

Thanks very much, Tony!

 

[jagizzi]

Hi Oleg,

As others have already stated, this is a very impressive build that you have accomplished. This is just awesome!

I have tried to go through the build thread and find out some details around your lifting mechanism but have been unable to find them in the thread. Any change that you could point me to a section that shows how you accomplish the roof lift mechanically? I would love to put something like this together but the lifting has me stymied at the moment.

Any help on parts purchase for that mechanism would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, and again, very impressive!

Jim

 

[OP827]

Jim, thanks for the compliments on the build.
I ended up re-using central lifting screw from a donor tent trailer. I started with electric actuator and it worked, but I wanted to reduce the risk of failure and switched to mechanical only part for this single point vulnerability component. I do not have photos of the internals of the lifting mechanism and cable system, but I hope it will be clear enough from description below. The central lead screw pulls the pulley to double the speed of cable pull towards all four corner cables. I ran all cables inside the cabin along the walls to protect them from elements and then hidden them in plywood trays so there is nothing that can get there and jam. Each cable has a turn buckle for fine adjustments. Routing of cables really is not important as long as they position the lifting roof properly. I used sliding door metal pulleys and turn buckles from big box store to run all the cables and then custom-made brackets to fix the pulleys to trailer floor or walls. I answered similar question in the YouTube video, link in my signature below. The idea of the lifting mechanism is old, there are some links in the video comments to give you the ideas. You will have to size the cable to match your loads and then size the pulleys to make the aircraft cable last longer as it requires a minimal bending radius for certain amount of bending cycles, Google it. Let me know if you have further questions.

 

[jagizzi]

Ahhh, I see the design now in the comments. I need to get better at looking at the comments after watching a video I guess ;-) I've watched the video but didn't read through the comments, thanks for that.

Jim

 

[DaddyJeep]

I watched you video... That thing lifts fast. Nicely done.

 

[OP827]

I watched you video... That thing lifts fast. Nicely done.

- Thanks DaddyJeep! The reliability of the lifting mechanism is also important.

 

[iconicflux-TNT]

Did I read somewhere that your initial linear actuator was centrally located?

I've been considering putting them on either end with an emergency failsafe for if they stop working. Most of them mount with a pin of some type.

I do really like what you've done with the mechanical lift on this. Do you have the cables wrapping around a central tube/hub or are they direct pull?

Thanks!

Jim, thanks for the compliments on the build.
I ended up re-using central lifting screw from a donor tent trailer. I started with electric actuator and it worked, but I wanted to reduce the risk of failure and switched to mechanical only part for this single point vulnerability component. I do not have photos of the internals of the lifting mechanism and cable system, but I hope it will be clear enough from description below. The central lead screw pulls the pulley to double the speed of cable pull towards all four corner cables. I ran all cables inside the cabin along the walls to protect them from elements and then hidden them in plywood trays so there is nothing that can get there and jam. Each cable has a turn buckle for fine adjustments. Routing of cables really is not important as long as they position the lifting roof properly. I used sliding door metal pulleys and turn buckles from big box store to run all the cables and then custom-made brackets to fix the pulleys to trailer floor or walls. I answered similar question in the YouTube video, link in my signature below. The idea of the lifting mechanism is old, there are some links in the video comments to give you the ideas. You will have to size the cable to match your loads and then size the pulleys to make the aircraft cable last longer as it requires a minimal bending radius for certain amount of bending cycles, Google it. Let me know if you have further questions.

 

[OP827]

I have a centrally located ball screw that directly pulls all four cables in each corner.
Initially I had central actuator which then was changed to a ball screw. Some trailers have actuators in each corner, but that introduces more components that may fail in a most inappropriate time.

 

[iconicflux-TNT]

Do you have anywhere in your coments that you describe the door? It somehow snaps together to make one piece from what is initially a two piece door, right?

I think im going to have to do this with mine in order to have a 72" tall door.

 

[OP827]

Yes, the door parts come together same way as walls. I do not think I have detailed pictures of that, so I went to the trailer and took the picture, see below. My design might not be the best out there, but it works, was tested in heavy rains last summer. Hope it helps.

 

[OP827]

And another picture of the door opening weatherstripping placement on the door lock side.

 

[iconicflux-TNT]

The doors look fantastic to me!

What kind of hinges did you use on the folding walls and how do they lock in place? My wife thought those folding walls absolutely kick ass.

Thanks!

 

[OP827]

Folding walls are fixed with piano hinges and fixed in its up position with homemade quarter turn screw latches. Look up esterel, gobur, A-frame folding walls trailers to get ideas.

 

[iconicflux-TNT]

Thats probably the whiffletree. They're neat but a little prone to failure from what i was reading. Enough so that you can buy aftermarket ones that are better than the originals. Probably not worth messing with unless it breaks.

Ill probably be using the same thing on mine. Id switch to a boat crank but i want to convert the tongue to a folding tongue.

So why did you use the pulley lifts like you did instead of the coleman lifts?

Any chance you can make a drawing of how you did it so I can include it on the thread i started to collect info on lifts and slideouts? I think i saw one that didnt include the whiffletree maybe?

Thanks

I have a centrally located ball screw that directly pulls all four cables in each corner.
Initially I had central actuator which then was changed to a ball screw. Some trailers have actuators in each corner, but that introduces more components that may fail in a most inappropriate time.