Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

...after buying the plans I am a little disappointed with the lifting mechanism, which is a Rube Goldberg single central column and screw setup that must be installed and removed each time.



Can anyone point me to plans or clear instructions on an alternative method that could stay in place all the time? I was thinking that springs or counterweights on all four corners could be used to simply raise and lower the roof by hand. I welcome other suggestions and ideas.

Cheers,

Matthew

Are you basically raising and lowering a "cap" that slides over a base?

I've none rigging on stages and for scenery my entire career, and I think the biggest challenge for this is even lifting to prevent binding. Ill assume sll 4 corners have rub strips - like UMHW or even hardwood contact. I think a system of probably 3/32" aircraft cable and pulleys all reeved to a central area, perhaps under the floor, and all clewed together, with clew pulled by a simple hand (boat trailer) winch would be simplest. I love counterweight but space concerns and even pulling are harder. Dimensions would help, like how much travel and how much overlap when extended. But hand winches are tough to beat for simple. And maybe a battery drill motor with right fitting so you can remove crank and drive it with drill.

Thanks, QB. The vertical travel looks to be about 2' 6" or 75 cm or so with about 6" or 15 cm overlap. See the YouTube clip linked below.

https://youtu.be/41c36Bbrqsg?t=50

I don't mind adding bolts or pins or stops to support the movable top in both positions so the lifting mechanism only comes into play when lifting and lowering and is otherwise under no stress. I did think of a cable system as well, maybe two fixed pulleys at the top of each corner of the fixed portion and one at the bottom of the movable portion and one continuous cable leading back to a central spool turned by hand or an electric drill. One corner would have just one pulley and the fixed cable end, the adjacent corner also just one pulley and the spool, and the cable would go all the way around. I am not entirely sure that would work, however, as I don't know that the travel would be the same on all corners that way. I wold have to make a little model to be sure.

I agree that hard plastic rub strips (or hard plastic skids and metal strips) are a good idea to prevent binding, perhaps even a bit of C-channel with a plastic slide running in it like sail track.

What you describe might work. I'm sure a lifting wore rope at each corner would work, all to a single rigging clew which is winched. Should not need pinning.

Trick will be reeving all 4 lines to clew.

cluttonfred wrote:...after buying the plans I am a little disappointed with the lifting mechanism, which is a Rube Goldberg single central column and screw setup that must be installed and removed each time.



Can anyone point me to plans or clear instructions on an alternative method that could stay in place all the time? I was thinking that springs or counterweights on all four corners could be used to simply raise and lower the roof by hand. I welcome other suggestions and ideas.

Cheers,

Matthew

I don't know where you are in your build but I have decided to leave the lifting hardware on the free popup camper I got for my build. I adapted a fitting to my battery powered drill and it lifts and lowers beautifully.

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Good day. I have been looking at the telescopic campers on this and other sites. Does anyone here know how the sealingis achieved between the top and bottom parts?