John61CT wrote:Yes, the lifting points' loads must be well distributed IMO with a rigid metal profile.
The way the cracking radiates from the lifting points makes it very likely that was the cause?
I did not realize this until you said it. All the cracking at the lift points would be caused by lifting, not flex while driving down the road!
Pmullen503 wrote:Watching the video of the top lifting, I wonder if the air cylinders on four corners isn't part of the flexing problem. It looked pretty easy to rack the top from unequal lifting.
It should be possible to have it securely clamped in the down position to eliminate flexing it that's a problem. Maybe a removable brace to tie the back together while traveling and set/take down.
As far as clamping it down while travelling- i will upload a little video later and show that, but i did secure the back down so that it wouldnt flex in and out while driving.
Pmullen503 wrote:John61CT wrote:Yes, the lifting points' loads must be well distributed IMO with a rigid metal profile.
.......?
Or a mechanism that guarantees all four corners lift together like the cable system in a pop up.
So, with the lifting... we had loads of problems with that. These air cylinders were version 5 and were completed 3 days before we left I believe. First versions leaked bad but I had glued them all togeather and had to buy and make everything new for the next versions. Abs and pvc pipe is very uneven on the inside and my seals would seal for 3 inches of travel, leak for 2 inches, be too tight for an inch, then slide nice and seal, then leak too much to lift.... This last time I used some fancy seal and dry fit and tested everything and it worked perfectly, no leaks at all. Then I took everything apart and glued it all togeather, but i believe I damaged the seals on 2 cylinders when installing them- the ends of the pipe were pretty sharp. They leaked the first time I tried them.
My air compressor is the biggest 12v compressor canadian tire sold. 4 piston, 40 amp draw. Moves a lot of air for a 12v compressor but not enough for my leaks.
The top would go up unevenly because of the leaks. A lot of times it would get half way up, then one piston would suddenly leak and it would come crashing down. Twice my wife let all the air out with it up and it crashed down right from the top. Quite a few times we had accidents when lowering and it would get jammed, all the air would leak out before I got it unjammed and then it would crash down the last foot or 2ft.
3 times we couldnt get it lifted with the air so we asked neighbouring campers to help us lift it. One time the guys we asked were drunk and really slammed it around. The second time the people we asked had no concept of how light it was and nearly threw it right off the top after jamming it 50 times while lifting....
That top half has been through a lot...
It also doesnt lift evenly because of the rear overhang. The rear cylinders have to lift more than the front and they are the same size
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