Roof Lift System Maintenance

All pop-up camping trailers have at least one thing in common. The roof must be lifted to a determined height before it can be used. The method to get it raised has been by an ever-shifting sequence of springs, pulleys, and winches but one thing is for sure, regular maintenance is crucial.

There are many factors in how you can tell if your roof lifting system is in need of some sort of maintenance. If you hear squeaking or screeching noise when you crank the roof up or it feels tight or stiff as you continue to crank the wheel. This might mean it’s time to grease your roof lifting system. The roof lift system on a popup camper requires regular maintenance to provide secure and functional service. There are many types of lift system out there and this will pertain to most if not all. Thought as I find more information on other lift systems, I will attach them in the Resource folder for others to reference from.

Fortunately, the practice is fairly easy. The 2 main parts of your pop-up camper where you will need to get into are where the cable system is located (usually the underside of popup camper), and the crank system (usually located on the side frame or trailer hitch). Look below for simple instructions.

You will need:

• Clean rags or towels (Sellars Disposable Shop Towels or old t shirt)
• high-quality grease or lubricate in tube (Ex: Lubriplate, Valvoline Moly-Fortified Gray, or Mystik Moly grease)
• Grease gun (Lumax Heavy-Duty Grease Gun or LUMAX Pistol Grease Gun with 18″ Flex Hose)
• high-quality silicone spray (Ex: Liquid Wrench or LPS)

Cable System

For this, your camper must be fully lifted. You will need to get underneath your camper, I like you to use a thick towel to lay on. You will need a clean rag that does not leave fuzzies or debris.  Wipe down the steel cable to remove any debris. Many times, mud or dust can could get hooked on the crank or other sections where the cable passes through. When you can no longer reach the cables slowly crank down the roof to expose more sections of cable. Make sure to note where you saw grease applied previously and reapply to those sections before moving on. Continue to wipe the rest of the cable lines. 

Crank System

Located under or on the side of your camper’s crank handle is the crank system unit. It is usually fastened to the pop-up camper’s frame and is the device that will pull up or down the steel cable to lift the roof. Adjacent to the crank system is a steel cable spool, and winch, this should be regularly inspected, greased, and cleaned of any debris.

Other items to grease while you are underneath your camper

• Be sure to lightly grease the pulleys and zerk fittings for easier cable flow. The zerk fittings allow the cable to move smoothly when lifting and lowering.
• Lubricate springs at each post, lubricate into the opening between two posts, do this once a year.
• If you have slide outs, while you are there you should grease the tracks.

What to look for:

• See if fraying or any type of damage is visible on the cable lines
• Rust on the crank or other metal elements
• Break lines!!! Do not grease or lubricate around that area!
• Wipe off any excess oil on external positions of posts, cables or etc. to avoid damage.