Lift cable adjustment

Measured hydraulic ram movement at 16 inches and roof movement at 26 inches so everyone is wrong. The ram does move the pulley so it should be a 1:2 ratio ram:roof.
Pulley on ram moves 2 inches and cable is pulled 1 inch. The other inch is on other side of pulley not raising roof but allowing ram to extend. 1+1=2.
Yay math.

Per other post... I dont have outriggers on mine. Roof rest on rubber blocks on the tongue frame and bumper frame. Nothing on sides.

I suspect you have slack in your cables when the top is down. This would allow the ram to move some without raising the roof. Possibly, it moves 3" before actually taking up that slack and starting to lift the top?

Anyway, by your math, which I agree with, the lift ratio should be 1:2. If not, it's due to another reason such as cable slack.

- Jack

Per outriggers:

On my 22 footer I also have resting spots on tongue and rear bumper as well as outriggers just behind rear axle.

marininn said:

...<snip>...The ram does move the pulley so it should be a 1:2 ratio ram:roof.
Pulley on ram moves 2 inches and cable is pulled 1 inch. The other inch is on other side of pulley not raising roof but allowing ram to extend. 1+1=2.
Yay math....<snip>...

Click to expand...

I just reread your post. Pulley action on cables can be confusing - I'm going to try one more time to clarify, I've bolded the part where I think you may be going astray:

When the pulley on the ram moves out two inches, it transfers two inches of the cable from where it was before pulley movement to the other side of the pulley. Additionally, it effectively shortens the remaining cable on the original side by that same 2". The end of the cable (attached to the roof) sees a total movement of 4" (2 + 2 = 4). And, this raises the roof 4" for every 2" the pulley moves.

Think of the total length of cable on each side of the pulley between the pulley start position 0" (0 + 0 = 0") and at the final 2" position (2 + 2 = 4").

If 4" of cable length has been taken up, the top HAS to raise 4".

But, as I mentioned earlier, if there is starting slack, then that slack has to be taken up before ANY movement of the top occurs.

- Jack

Jack, I'm 100% sure that's the correct solution. I have recently changed the bulb seal on my own 27'er, took the time to adjust the top, incrementally, to get it near perfect all the way around. I used a micrometer and marked blue tape about every three foot where the cap rail goes. Adjusted the cables, then adjusted them again, one at a time. After that, I found only one cable had slack. I don't have a tension meter (yet), but that slack is minimal. The white dots painted on the cables showed your figures within about 1/4". I did forget to remove the blue tape under the cap rails!
Tree

*grin* I wasn't worried about being "correct", Tree - was just trying to give guidance on what the effect of changing the position of the adjusting bolts on the top position was. I've noticed in the past there seems to be a bit of "mystery" surrounding this adjustment and thought it needed to be explained, for some of our newer members.

There seems to be a universal fear about the lift system among new owners that is totally unwarranted. As we know, it's really a pretty simple mechanical process. And, it's relatively easy to maintain.

- Jack

Cable slack could be coming from a bent trailer frame since all should be same or similar tension? I bet if you go inch by inch you see roof rest on one pad first, then the next, then the next… instead of all touching down exactly at the same time.
nonetheless, I will adjust minutely since I have it close…

OK, I've read the 15 page description for replacing cables by David Ward several times. I have replaced the new, from J and R rear left cable. I have also slightly adjusted all cables with the top down so there is a slight amount of slack in each. The front of my Hi Lo is still about an inch lower than the back which creates some friction noise on raising and lowering. I am concerned about tightening the front adjustments any more though I do have some room. One thought I have is that the older but still very good cables have lengthened over time while the new one doesn't stretch. I don't have a quiet neighborhood in which to drive slowly with the top up to hopefully get them all even. Besides three are original with one new one.

In retrospect I don't think everything has been flush/even for years and I have learned to live with the up/down noise and slightly lower front end even when my outside and small level I use on the counter say I am completely level before raising or lowering the top.

I am open for any recommendations about how to get the top square over the bottom and eliminate noise which I think is may be top rubbing on the bottom. It is amazing what one gets used to over time like the frog being cooked in the pot when the temperature of the water is raided slowly.

Also, Jack I since you have shared your knowledge of Idledale as a child I would appreciate if we could communicate by personal email more about Pine, Arizona and places to visit in your area, probably in the spring so I can get away from plowing snow at 7,600'. Richard .

Richard, I sent you an email from my home account and removed your address from your last post, to keep you from getting perhaps unwanted mail from other sources. Our members are quite well mannered and would not do this, but since anyone can visit the forum, I can't speak for others.

You should adjust your cables so that the bulb seal just meets the lip on the lower half when the top is up. This may not make the top look even with the bottom half on the inside. In my trailer, the top half looks low at the front on the inside, but the bulb seal meets all around, and the top is within 1/2" of being level when measured from each outrigger.

Hope this helps.

- Jack

Jack, your comments are always spot on. This morning, like my back I think the cables just needed a bit of stretching. I did adjust the front cables slightly but even with that the top goes up and down like before. My front area, like yours, is down slightly with the level but I suppose it has always or mostly been that way.

I have lowered and raised the top several times with the result being the same for as long as I can remember.

Now to my utility trailer, fence and house staining projects.

As always, thanks for your input. Also thanks for removing my email from my last post. I will check my personal email.

I just checked my cable adjustments. The best I can get is 31 inches rear and 30.5 inches front to the outriggers. The top appears almost perfectly level with the bottom with a four foot level. I have seal all around. I replaced the cables a few years ago and I checked to see if there was any stretch. There doesn’t seem to be any documentation on tolerance.

Johnnie, if you have seal all around, your cables are adjusted properly. A 1/2 inch difference in height between the front and back is not excessive, and I think mine is about the same. Nope, no documentation on "tolerance".

- Jack

Thank you. That makes me feel better. I don’t want broken cables. I was sooo lucky that when I had a broken cable it was at home. I replaced them all. I also put in lubrication ports on the trim inside. I didn’t want to take off the trim when I lubricated the pulleys.

Clever idea to add lube points! I WILL however caution you that you should probably lift the trim strips off so you can inspect the cables for fraying. My understanding (and I could well be wrong) is that fraying and breakage happens most often over the upper pulleys.

- Jack

Maybe I used the wrong term. I put in inspection ports that allows me to inspect and lube the upper pulleys. I felt if I took off the trim every year I would end up stripping screws. Now I could easily inspect any time without removing the trim. I read that the cable at the top pulley has a tendency to rust. The cable that broke was in that pulley area. Maybe the previous owner never inspected or lubed the cables. I do under that trailer once a year and the upper pulley area more often.

Cool! I think I understand what you did now. Could you possibly post a picture of your "mod", and how it works? I think it could be helpful to all of us.

- Jack

I have pictures on my IPad. I know how to send them to someone but I have no idea how to put them on this forum. I clicked on the photo icon and it said to put in a http//

How To Include Pictures

If you click on "Post Reply" under the last post in the thread (lower left side) it will open the "Advanced Reply" dialogue, which will have a button labeled "Manage Attachments", in the "Attach Files" section under "Miscellaneous Options". Click on Manage Attachments, and it will open a popup window where you "Browse" for files on your computer (which I hope would include your IPad.) You can upload .jpg files from this popup window. Click on a browse button, highlight the file you want and then click on "Upload". It should paste your picture into your reply.

- Jack

The photos are in the forum under”Upper Pulley Access Mod”