Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Rook askew, Skamper popup roof is crooked

[andytruck]

I picked up a used Skamper cheap, and planned to just do interior mods. I need to make some roof fixes first.
The roof is off-center at the back, skewed to the left a couple of inches which makes it rub on the right side rear on the way down and sometimes stick, and the left has a big gap from lower wall to roof side.
I can see on the Skamper where I can raise or lower the steel mechanics that raise the roof, this should push the roof in the direction it is raise, but my 2 inches raising it has not.
I could remount the other side closer to center to push the roof that direction, but what will that do to the structure of the roof? Will it make it warp?
I cannot tell if any of the poles are bent, and not sure how one could get bent with the roof so fragile, the roof should break before these pole bends.
Does anyone know of a fix to adjust the roof?

[Nobody]

I've owned 3 pop-up truck campers, 2 Skampers & a SunLite. All had the 'crossed' poles & the rack & pinion lift system. Don't have any of 'em now but never encountered the problem you have. I'd think it'd almost have to be one of the crossed poles has somehow gotten out of 'square, or perhaps the rack & pinion is somehow out of 'sync' on one side or the other?? On my SunLite camper you could loosen the 'pole shackle' at the rear corner & 'square' the roof.

[andytruck]

I've owned 3 pop-up truck campers, 2 Skampers & a SunLite. All had the 'crossed' poles & the rack & pinion lift system. Don't have any of 'em now but never encountered the problem you have. I'd think it'd almost have to be one of the crossed poles has somehow gotten out of 'square, or perhaps the rack & pinion is somehow out of 'sync' on one side or the other?? On my SunLite camper you could loosen the 'pole shackle' at the rear corner & 'square' the roof.

The front poles and roof seem to be straight. The rear right is the issue and it visually is not positioned like the others, it does not get as close to the wall as the other 3.
I did figure out I can loosen the screw on the pole to adjust it and raise or lower the top cross bar. Is that what you mean by "square" it?
I raised that corner and to my delight see that I can put tension on the canvas so it does not sag, but am not able to get it square yet.
Like I said, these poles are stout and I can not imagine them getting bent by any of the flimsy parts in the camper.
If I try to bend them back, assuming I know what back is, how would it affect the system if I get it wrong?

[andytruck]

I have learned a little bit…
These rack n pinion lifts are common among many brands.
Mine, I think, has bent on the left side. (Imagine the aluminum rail bending down at the outer last 8 inches, just a little bit) Somehow the camper has dropped on the left and the rack frame is bent causing the system to lower when raised fully and I get the whole roof moving left to accommodate this change in geometry.
The lift system uses torsion bars that insert from the rear. The torsion bars are concealed inside the upper horizontal bars. From the front the hand crank provides lift, so is balanced a little.
It is common on older units to see the roof arch at the back. The tension from the torsion springs when the roof is down puts a lot of tension on the frail mounting brackets, and constantly torque the roof. The horizontal back side of the roof is what is resisting the twisting of the torsion springs, and thus, over time, the roof arches up in response to the spring tension. A good remedy would be to attach a draw latch in the center back line of the roof to keep it from arching up and away from the trailer frame - assuming there is sufficient structure there to attach to and hold. I may try this to help pull, or bend, everything back to normal, but is a losing battle. it might keep the roof from arching even more though.
Also, any water damage on the roof structure, which is usually made from wood, will weaken the place where the torsion brackets mount and give away. I had a trailer where the bracket broke loose from the rotten wood and punched a hole into the roof. This trailer I bought used from a dork that was not able to maintain the trailer enough to keep water out.
If you bought your camper/trailer used and are finding these problems then things to check include anything the previous owner may have tried to fix and messed up, or the above mentioned rot and ensuing mount movement.
If the roof is very hard to lift then the torsion bar/spring might have been un-clocked. The torsion bars insert at 60 degree increments. Some people may try to take it apart with the roof up and re-insert the torsion springs at the wrong angle. It is much easier to insert them wrong, but this will not provide enough spring tension to assist with the roof lift.
Also, perhaps the springs have lost some of their "spring" and need to be re-clocked so they provide more spring. Be careful as the 60 degree of movement is a lot and can put more stress on the system when closed than it is designed for if you rotate the spring out another 60 degrees.
I would, under all circumstances, beef up the area where the torsion brackets mount. I used metal angle brackets attached to the flimsy wood roof structure to give support. With the metal you can screw or bolt many points into the roof rather than relying on 2 or 3 bolts as from the factory build.
If you do have water damage, then perhaps the brackets have only moved slightly, or rotated. Fixing that might resolve the lifting problems.
Upgrading the structural build of the camper around where the lift mechanism mounts to the camper shell in the rear should be considered. There is a great deal of stress from these torsion springs, so much that when I had the upper pieces unbolted from the lower ones (and the roof was supported with braces) that I was only able to move the bar 10-15 degrees by hand with all my strength. In operation , it has to move about 90 degrees from open to closed.
There is also adjustment to the height of the roof, and this will also adjust how far left or right the roof will sit when closed. I have not mastered the knowledge on this yet as I have not played around with it enough, but should be considered if things do not line up when closed.
When I worked on the roof I raised it fully and supported it with braces. Be careful that the floor is strong enough to hold the braces, or use pieces of wood on the floor to spread the load. The floor can be weak from rot too, but where the metal frame is will be a strong point, so the wood will span that gap.
I write all this in case there is a poor sole out there who has dug into this issue and might need some pointers. Otherwise things won't make sense to the casual reader.
Feel free to contact me for discussion if needed. Though, I do not check this forum every day, I will eventually.