Popup Disaster at the Fort

[happycamper2012]

Just got back from the Fort. We are from Pennsylvania. We were there from June 11 to June 22 in site 2060. When cranking up our popup, the crank mechanism failed and the roof came crashing down! We have a 2004 Fleetwood Sequoia. After taking the camper to a local mechanic, it was determined that we needed new parts to fix our problem, but the parts weren't available because the Fleetwood popup division is out of business! Talk about insult on top of injury! So, we ended up tent camping. Everything was fine, but not what we had planned! So.....we are looking into getting rid of our popup (if/when it can be fixed) and purchasing either another popup, hybrid, or travel trailer. Does anyone have any good advice for us? We are leaning toward getting another popup, but we will be spending alot of time educating ourselves on how the crank mechanism works, and how easy it is to fix! Most of all, if the manufacturer goes out of business, we will be selling right away! Thanks.

 

[amie28]

So sorry to hear what happened. We too are from PA, so we know what a trip that is and then to have that happen. Your choice on what to buy depends on your likes and needs. I can say that if you travel often, especially far like Disney, you will not be sorry investing in a travel trailer. Again, it all depends on what you like. Good luck on your search. Whatever you decide to buy, I hope you will be able to take it back to Disney someday and enjoy the trip!

 

[jonimce]

Also from PA. Bucks county. We tent camped for many years and loved it. At about age 52, after spending a couple of wet weeks in Maine and freezing in the screen house we decided it was time to move up. Went shopping for a pop up, came very close to purchasing a folding camper, (Shamrock) and ended up with a new left over Travel trailer that was actually cheaper than both of the other two. It's 21' and I am so in love with it. Every time I go into it I feel so lucky. We have never towed anything before and were very leary. Our first trip with it was Alaska form CT. Go to a camping show. Sit inside a few to see what feels right. We love just pulling into a rest area and being able to pull out the grill or open the fridge and make lunch. Can't do that with a pop up.

 

[WorldWacky]

Although we haven't camped at Fort Wilderness...yet, we are avid campers and I frequent a few popup forums that you might find helpful. Pop up Portal and Pop up Explorer are two that have very helpful and friendly campers willing to offer great advice on everything from campgrounds to repairs. There are a lot of very knowledgable folks over there. Good luck!

 

[rock_doctor]

I truly feel for you. You wait all year to go down to the fort and this happens. I will say your pop up mechanic was extremely lazy. All popups work basically the same. A big screw that you turn and it pulls on a piece of metal that has the 4 cables connected to it. No reason they could not have adapted one from another manufacturer to work with yours. Climb under there and have somebody crank it. Either the screw broke or the block the screw goes though stripped. If the block stripped find a big bolt that meshes with the screw and have somebody weld it to the block. Everything is fixable when the person wants to do it. Do some research and i suspect you will find you can fix it.

http://www.customcylindersintinc.com/understanding_camping_trailers_roof_lift_systems.htm

 

[happycamper2012]

Thanks everyone. I was concerned about buying a TT or Hybrid because of losing gas mileage and we would no longer be able to store the camper in our garage. It would be nice to have a full size fridge and be able to utilize the camper at rest stops/etc, though. How much mileage do you lose when going to a mid-size TT? We have a Chevy Suburban so we would be able to pull something larger. Our crank mechanism connects to the worm screw via a gear/clutch and chain. Something broke in the gear/clutch. Fleetwood gave us two websites of RV dealers to check into, one in Michigan and one in Nevada. Hopefully one of them will be able to diagnose and supply parts for us so we can get our popup fixed. The mechanic that worked on our popup in Kissimmee was unwilling to come up with a solution other than replacing the existing parts because of liability issues. We did have a good time, but it was totally different than what we were expecting. Disney did supply us with one of their tents when they found out our popup was disabled, so we were VERY thankful for that!

 

[canopynut66]

loved the pop up until went with some friends in a fifth wheel camper and now that was is real like---- so we traded up. we had the trcuk already just had to get the fifth wheel installed. then my son bought a 21 ft trailer and it is very nice as well and he was always a tent camper. Know absolutley nothing about the area you are from but here the best deals seem to be at the campgrounds that also have a sales place close to them. we thought at first better look around and ended up back there for lowest price. as we needed to trade in as we did not want to put any more money in the pop. Just idea for ya.

 

[amylevan]

If you decide to buy something new, I suggest holding out until the RV show at Hershey in September. The ability to walk through everything from pop ups to the million dollar Class As while comparing all the manufacturers is invaluable in the buying process. Plus, there are some great deals to be had there. We and several of our family members have purchased through the show due to deals that couldn't be passed up. (And they gave trade in values to several us, sight unseen.)

 

[Buzzcut]

Don't give up yet. My parents had the same thing happen to them when they had their pop-up and the local dealer fixed it quite easily. Call Stolfus Rv and run it by them. Also go to RVnet. Com forum and post your problem in the pop- up section and see if someone can give you some answers, that is a very helpful site.
Good luck!!
Dave

 

[kcp1377]

We just upgraded from a pop-up to a TT - pick it up Friday. We grew up having pop-ups and never had any major issues, but it was always in the back of our head that it could happen. Plus we love the idea of being able to pull off the road to eat and such. It's going to make our lives so much easier. We had just missed the local shows when we started looking so we didn't get to go to one, but went to all the local dealerships (traveled up to 2+ hours away) and feel like we had a good grasp of what was out there. We ended up going with a ultra light weight TT - the keystone bullet. We loved that it had the slide in the kids' bunk house - a must for us. Anyway, I don't think you'd regret moving up if that was your decision.

 

[aceys_h0ney]

We recently went from an older pop up to a hybrid. I totally am in love. The pop up was fine we just needed a little more space but I underestimated how much I'd enjoy our new (to us) hybrid. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Labdog]

happycamper, Call Weimer's RV in Duncansville,PA 814-695-0932, They used to sell Colemans and then Fleetwoods. They have a huge parts inventory, I'll bet they can help. Good luck

 

[happycamper2012]

Update: Thanks to everyone for your advice. We have been able to order some of the crank mechanism parts that we need from Midland RV in Michigan. Hopefully we get them soon. We still need to get a drive shaft (for the crank mechanism), which seems to be a problem. No one seems to have them. I may have to get one manufactured at a machine shop. The threads are stripped on ours. Weimer's did not have a drive shaft, but they were able to give me a part number. I am now checking with Beckley's RVs in Maryland. I am thinking we will camp in the popup this summer (once it is fixed) and then look into getting a hybrid at the Hershey RV show in September. I think I will get angle iron supports made to strap onto the posts when the popup is open. After seeing how fast the roof came down, I wouldn't want to be inside if there is a problem!

 

[WDWCP96]

I am really surprised you don't have supports for at least two of the posts. We had a Rockwood HW and I thought all pop-ups had that. As for the drive shaft there was a place in Fredericksburg VA that sells tractors a d trailers and such and they might have one or could order you one. The axle on our pop-up broke on our way camping and they were able to fix it right away for us. The name of the place was Dickinson Equipment Inc.

Also we go yearly to the Hershey RV show and my in-laws bought there new trailer there 2 shows ago and got a good deal.

 

[wdwrroad]

Do a google search for Coleman wiffle tree. There is an aftermarket replacement readily available, or so it appears. I can not post the link to the site I saw due to not having enough posts.

 

[Tigger1966]

I would hope you do have your two corner supports as I wouldn't go in without them in place. With that said you can raise the top by hand without the crank then install the braces. That is how we have to do it when making repairs to the lift system. Not my first choice but doable to save a vacation. another thing you could then go somewhere and get four 2x4s cut to put in the corners.
Like I said not the ideal thing but just something to think about if youv'e just pulled into the Fort after a 1000 mile haul.

 

[rock_doctor]

Do a google search for Coleman wiffle tree. There is an aftermarket replacement readily available, or so it appears. I can not post the link to the site I saw due to not having enough posts.

http://www.rvworkshop.com/index.php/categories/whiffle-tree-coleman

 

[happycamper2012]

Thanks for the link. The problem isn't with the wiffle tree. It's with the crank mechanism. I have now been able to locate all of the parts that I needed! Beckley's RV in Maryland had the last missing piece (a small driveshaft that the crank screws onto). Hopefully I get some time this week to put it all back together and give it a try. While picking up the parts on Saturday at Beckley's, we looked at some popups in the showroom. Interestingly, the popups were made by "Somerset RV". I thought it was a little fishy since the names of the popups were old Fleetwood/Coleman names (Niagara, Utah, etc.), and that Somerset PA was where the old Fleetwood popups were manufactured. I flagged down a salesman and got the scoop. Sure enough, Columbia Northwest (the maker of the Aliner) has opened up a plant in Southwestern PA and hired alot of the displaced Fleetwood workers who lost their jobs last year. They are even going to start making some parts that will be able to retrofit the old Coleman/Fleetwood popups. Their website is somersetrv.com. I will give an update later in the week to let you know if our popup is once again "popping up"!

 

[happycamper2012]

Well, I think we are back in business! The popup is back together and things seem to be working fine. It's funny how I never thought about the crank mechanism failing, and now that's all I think about when cranking the camper up! While I was fixing things, I decided to tighten the front cables at the wiffle tree (the worm gear under the trailer) because I was having trouble latching the door. It was easy, and now the door fits nicely. Now, we start checking into hybrids and trailers. I think another popup is out of the equation. Hoping all you popup owners never have to go through what happened to us. Thanks to everyone for your advice.