Notakwanon
mid-Atlantic
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Correct - Heco sissor lift, and it is the first foot of rise which presents the problem. I looked at a lot of options before I built because I didn't find anything 'off the shelf' that I thought would work, though these hatch lifts might. I considered electric, pneumatic & hydraulic (though a leaky hydraulic would create quite a mess). I never found an air lift jack that had the right dimensions and would give me over one foot of lift. You have to mount these things someplace. My air bags sit on the same level as the base of the bed, which gives a well about 9 inches deep. From there the device has to lift maybe 20 inches in order to do any good. If the hatch lifts are less than a foot long when collapsed, can be mounted upright to push on the roof, and then give the roof a lift of over 12 inches, then it ought to work. My air bags work, but are not ideal. I'd like to find an accordion - like bag that will fully collapse down into the well. Tom McCloud
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burningman
Seattle, WA USA
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If you're up for some custom fabrication like Notakwanon's awesome pneumatic system, I would recommend looking at the electric lifts used on boat engine hatches. They are slim, strong, and have a lot of travel. Two at $300 - $400 each wouidn't be super cheap but I think they would work great and they wouldn't have the problem of being stressed too hard at the beginning of their travel like the ones the campers come with. You'd just have to make nice mounts.
Here's an example: Link
* This post was
edited 12/28/16 03:48am by burningman *
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Notakwanon has the Heco scissor lift, which is the same as what I've got.
The design has very little leverage when fully lowered. I've always given mine a helping push with my shoulders for the first couple of inches. It just felt like you were stressing the mechanism trying to bull it up with just the crank, even before I put the AC unit on the roof.
Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.
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bcbouy
100 mile house
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palomino has an electric lift
2012 ram 2500 hemi crew cab sb 4x4 2015 northstar 850 sc 14.5 g3 guide custom fly fishing boat
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jimh406
Western MT
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I've read here that there are only a couple of different systems on popups. I don't remember the brands. I'd find those brands out for the electric systems and look up the parts.
Maybe something like this will work. http://www.adventurerv.net/carefree-12v-popup-camper-lift-p-3473.html
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Notakwanon
mid-Atlantic
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Second try at including a photo.
![[image]](http://i.imgur.com/uYOv4QWl.jpg)
2006 GMC 2500HD 6.6 diesel
2003 Outfitter Apex 9.5
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Notakwanon
mid-Atlantic
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My Outfitter Apex has an air conditioner, TV antenna, two vents and large rack on the roof, and I always have a canoe or two up there, plus there is the weight of the roof itself, and the cabinetry inside which is also being lifted. The combined weights on the roof made it nearly impossible to crank up the roof manually. I stripped teeth off two cranks, so started thinking about a lift assist. I built the pneumatic roof lift assist described here as a 'proof of principle', just to see if it would work, and it does. I could not find an air bag that I thought would work, so bought raft fabric from Northwest River Supply and Stabond glue, and fabricated two cylinders, 8" diameter x 24" tall. I never found a suitable right-angle connector for the bottom, but improvised so that fiber reinforced flexible plastic tubing like you buy at Home Depot was connected at the bottom. This tubing was connected to 2 plastic - T's, one leg for the air and the second to a pressure gage. This was attached to a Master Flow "Tsunami" , MF-1050, 12 volts DC, 50 liters per minute air compressor which is capable of airing up 90psi tires. To provide space for the two airbags, 8" diameter holes were cut into the cabinetry at the inboard end of the bed, and these lined with the heavy cardboard cylinder material you would used if you wanted to pour concrete to anchor a post in the ground. I had hoped that the bags would collapse on themselves into these wells, but the raft material is too stiff. I found it necessary to add a strap to the airbags (glued on the back, Velcro on the front) which goes over the steel bar at the roof. Without the strap, the bags inflate sideways rather than pushing upward. There are LOTS of small details I've not added, which would make this post way too long. When I turn on the compressor the bags begin to inflate and the roof begins to rise even with two canoes up there, while I watch the pressure gage with a hand on the crank. I crank up to maintain the pressure at less than 10psi. When the roof is up a foot or so, which takes less than 2 minutes, I turn the compressor off, and finish the job with the crank - and it's no problem. The attached photo will give you an idea of the layout. You see the position of the bags, the compressor is under the bed and you can see the pressure gage next to it. I'll be glad to answer questions, but maybe we move that off these forums.![[image]](C:\Users\Tom\Pictures\Air Bags\inside_camper\P1010626resize.jpg)
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Jack Hart
Florida's Nature Coast
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Joined: 11/28/2016
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Notakwanon wrote:I went a different route and built a pneumatic roof lift assist.
Tom McCloud
I've been thinking about a pneumatic system. What components did you use and where did you find them?
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Oldtymeflyr
Arapahoe Hills, CO
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Joined: 04/18/2004
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Yes, it can be converted.
The amount of space it takes up, is the space an electric Happyjack motor takes up in the drivers side compartment next to the bed by the sink. The electric lift is basically an electric corner jack on its side with a different shaft and fittings.
So far as I know the only source would be Outfitter. Give them a call, I have found them good to work with.
We have the remote control and its convenient.
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Notakwanon
mid-Atlantic
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When I stopped at the factory several years ago I asked the same question. They could install it, but I didn't go that route, partly because of the storage space the electric lift system would consume, and partly the cost. I went a different route and built a pneumatic roof lift assist.
Tom McCloud
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