Questions on height adjustment

[Kimmygr]

OK all, so we finally greased the wiffle tree and cables, now it is time for height adjustment- this is our dilemma...

We cut the boards to 51 1/2 as said in manual. We cut them to the longest due to a/c unit. when we put next to lift arms, we had to put between canvas and roof lift because roof was to low. Even when roof was lifted to highest point PRIOR to grease wiffle system, the boards were still to long to fit under lip of roof where the seal is.

How do we increase the height of the roof? even at the shortest length per manual (50 1/2) the roof is still to low. So how do we get it high enough to fit boards where they need to properly be?

How do I know which height is the proper height for my model (88 coleman columbia) with a/c unit?

The roof seems to be approximately 1- 1 1/2 in to low (without measuring).

We are going out to put the wiffle back together and lower/raise to spread grease for now, but we do want to do a height adjustment.

Thanks- Kim

 

[mschepac]

When I did mine, I placed the boards on an angle and slid the bottom (thus lifting the roof). It works when 2 people do the front then the back. Do not put too much pressure on them, and do it slowly. If it doesn't feel right, STOP!

 

[bknjohnson]

I just adjusted mine last year, 2006 Fleetwood Williamsburg, there were four cables with a threaded end and a nut at the whiffletree with a cable leading to each corner. Adjusting those at the whiffletree adjusted the roof height. According to the mechanic at the dealership I bought it from, they don't measure the roof height, they adjust until the canvas is taught and the roof is level. There are a lot of topics on this adjustment throughout the forum, hope this helps.

http://www.popupportal.com/index.php?topic=73609.0

 

[Kimmygr]

Does putting the wood at an angle and sliding the bottom stretch the cables out? I am trying to picture how the system all works in my head. Is there something we need to do to release pressure off the cables when we do this? Or does it do that automatically?


Thank-you guys so much I'll do some more searches later tonight for height adjustments. We are going to tackle that hopefully tomorrow since we are running out of daylight and the hungry monster is raising it's angry head.

What a HUGE difference the lube made! DH was amazed! We lubed the tree, cables, posts, bunk ends, and door. Before, when you went to put the roof down, the crank stayed in place if you let go. Now, it freely unwinds- going to have to watch that now! And raising the roof, he was happily impressed. Well worth the argument we had about doing it. I'll make up for it later

Hopefully we will get height adjustment tackled and done tomorrow!

BTW- It looked like it had been a VERY VERY long time since the tree/cables had been lubed. It was full of dirt, sand and dry as hell!

 

[arthuruscg]

I lifted the roof and had my brother slide the board to support the roof.

Then we tightened the cable ends enough to take e slack out of the canvas or the the point that the board could wiggle slightly.

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[Kimmygr]

DH and I went out and did some quick measurements in preparation for tomorrow. We measured from the lip of the roof down to the body rail. This is what we discovered...

Both front corners- 49.5"
Both rear corners- 48.5"

Lowest recommended height adjustment per manual is 50.5"
Recommended height with a/c unit is highest adjustment which is 51.5"

We are going to try and adjust it so the safety latch hook can be used. As it sits now, in order for the door to work we have to crank all the way up and tie the crank handle off in order for the door to work properly (we tie it off for my peace of mind). If we try to use the safety latch hook, it lowers the roof to much to use the door. The canvas is also slightly "loose" so it definitely needs to come up a little.

The fun part will be figuring out which adjustment it needs to be at to use the safety latch hook.

One more question- when the cable gets stretched out over time, does this cause the roof to drop? So raising the roof with the support boards to one of the proper heights per manual will add slack to the line? Then as the adjustment bolts are turned this takes up said slack? And you keep tightening until boards fall or wiggle?

I am sorry for asking specifics on how it works, but that is what my mind needs to understand how the system works. I like info- lots and lots of info. And yes, I have been reading other threads! I have about 8 tabs open right now that I have read!

 

[arthuruscg]

Yes the cables stretch over time. As the cables lengthen the roof does not get raised as much.
When you lift the roof and install the boards, the tension in the cables will be reduced.

If you run out of these adjustment, you can move the corner pullies towards the outside of the trailer. This will lengthen the cable path and will take up some of the slack, raising the roof.
The amount of lift depends on the # of stages in your lifting posts.

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[Kimmygr]

Thank-you so much for clarifying that for me. I was just so paranoid. I did not want to have any of the cables break because of me/us misunderstanding something.

Wish us luck that everything goes smoothly tomorrow!

 

[Kimmygr]

Ok, so we did the height adjustment today. This is what we have gotten...

passenger rear- 50
pass front 50.25
driver front 50.75
driver rear 50.5

Is this ok? The canvas on the passenger side is still a little floppy, but not terrible. Should we stick the boards under again and try to bring up the passenger two corners a bit more? maybe to lvl it out a little more? Just so runoff wont pour off the door side?

 

[Kimmygr]

UPDATE:

We went out and did some more minor adjustments and all 4 corners are now right around 50.5" Wohoo!

Thanks again to all of you! You guys are the best!

 

[Txbum]

Kimmygr...Thank you for the updates....I will try to make some fine adjustments soon. Txbum

 

[Tribble]

Hi Kim,

Did anyone mention that coleman campers have adjustable pullys at the corners?

When replacing the cables, you need to make sure these are reset back to their stock positions. They are located underneath, just before the cable goes through the frame and into the lift post. They usually have 3 available positions. Stock is all the way toward the lift post i think, which allows the most slack in the cables.

To adjust the pullys, remove the Cotter pin from the axle and slide the axle out. Move the pully, re-insert the axle, and re-insert the cotter pin.

The adjustment at the Wiffle tree is for Fine adjustment of height. The Pullys allow for larger adjustments as the cables stretch.

 

[arthuruscg]

Factory position should be towards the center of the trailer.

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[turborich]

I have adjusted 3 Jayco's, a Coleman and a Starcraft. I also made and replaced all of the cables on another Starcraft.

This is what I have always done. Set the roof at the correct height so that the door properly aligns, latches, etc. Once I know what this measurement is I adjust all for corners to match. This works every time for me.

 

[Kimmygr]

Yes, we know about the pulleys. I am not sure which hole they are in though. The cables will probably need to be replaced within the next year or two because one is stretched a lot more than the others, but it seems fine for now. We will probably look into having the cables replaced by someone the next time a height adjustment is needed. Hopefully I can find a place to do it and it won't cost an arm and a leg. Neither one of us really want to tackle that ourselves. The door fits and opens/closes/latches fine. I think we are pretty close to the height it should be. When it was at the full 51.5" the canvas was a bit too tight. I think 51" would be ideal, but the 50.5" is working well.

 

[arthuruscg]

It is not that much more to replace the cables. The only specially tools you need is the crimping tool and pop revit tool from home depot.

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[nudib]

My canvas also has a little slack. I was just going to move the pulleys under neath, which way to tighten towards the sides or towards the center. Also I'm going to grease the pulleys while I have them out. The manual says to raise my roof enough to pull the bunk ends out a foot then lower to rest on them, then move pulleys. Does that sound right? CAMP ON!

 

[arthuruscg]

Moving the pulleys towards the center takes out about 1 1/2" per hole.

You would be better off to adjust the cables at the wiffle tree and grease everything.