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Old 05-19-2015, 08:27 AM   #1
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Bungee Cords ???

I have an A122S that is only a couple years old. The first winter I stored it with the roof down. This past winter I stored it with the roof up. Its always under a rv-port (car-port) when home. From the day I bought it up to the last outing last fall the roof raised as it should, push up on the front roof and the rear roof follows along being pulled up by the bungee cords and moves into place without much effort. My first outing this spring didn’t go that way at all. During the outing I raised the roof 3 times and all 3 times the rear roof lagged behind to the point that I had to basically push up on both sections at the same time to get them into place. Not an easy task and a poor selling point for rockwood in a crowded campground. I have looked everything over and can find nothing wrong other than the bungee cords don’t seem to be doing there job. Any comments, opinions, and advise on bungee cord replacing would be appreciated. Thanks
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Old 05-19-2015, 08:53 AM   #2
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Raise the roof by pushing up on the back section. The sections will easily fit together then.
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Old 05-19-2015, 08:58 AM   #3
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Thanks Tom. I'll give that a try.
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Old 05-19-2015, 09:11 AM   #4
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I'm not sure it is the bungee cords. The other thing to check is the torsion bars used to provide the lifting force. After sitting in the "up position" all winter I wonder if they have lost some of their "spring".

It is my understanding the bungee cords are there to help control the lifting force provided by the torsion bars and you, by keeping the panels lift rate close, not to provide the lift. They also help keep the panels close when lowering the roof and provide some wind protection.

Do the roof panels start to lift on their own when you begin to raise the roof? Since our T21QBHW has a roof power lift I can't compare it to your A122. I do know our front panel easily spring up a little when I unlatch the roof and lightly push up on the front panel. After that the lift kit raises the rear panel while pushing the front panel up.
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Old 05-19-2015, 09:29 AM   #5
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Perhaps the bungee cords are loosing their elastisticity over the years. Can they be replaced?
While I'm not familiar with your unit, I do use various types of these cords as tie downs for a multiple of purposes and they do loose some "oomph" (that's a technical term) over time. Good luck with a solution.
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Old 05-19-2015, 01:36 PM   #6
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Tom, I tried by pushing up on the rear panel only and it worked. But not as easy as before now.

RedLdr1, I checked the torsion bars, they are hard against the roof even in the up position. Also in the up position there is less torque on the bars which I would think would be better than in the down position where they are under more torque.

As you raise the roof by pushing up on the front portion the bungee cords ‘lift’ the rear portion while at the same time they stretch, then at the last foot or two they contract giving the rear portion an extra little oomph to get it into it’s final position. I would think that if they were only for ‘control’ Forest River would use something like nylon straps that wouldn’t ware out so quick.

When I unlatch the roof the front panel will raise an inch or so and the rear panel slightly less. About the same as before this problem started.

Until now I never had to push on the rear panel at all, the bungee cords would contract and pull it into position so that it would slip into the slot of the front panel. Now it hangs down about a foot and half below where it needs to be.
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Old 05-19-2015, 02:57 PM   #7
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I agree with Tom. You are supposed to raise the roof by pushing up the rear portion. You may start the raise by giving the front portion a boost with your hand, but past a certain point, the raising is all done by pushing up the rear roof section until it engages the slot at the top of the front slope.

You lower the roof by pushing up the front portion, which drops the rear out of engagement from the slot in the front portion, allowing both panels to drop down, the rear portion being controlled in its descent by the bungees.

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Old 05-19-2015, 04:04 PM   #8
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Tom, I tried by pushing up on the rear panel only and it worked. But not as easy as before now
Mine has gotten heavier over last two years. I suspect it is the lift springs giving up. Lifting from the rear is what is stated in the manual.
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Old 05-19-2015, 06:18 PM   #9
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Hay come on Tom, who reads manuals? What you and DanM-AZ make a lot of sense. I’ll have to get the manual out, I think I saw one somewhere. Actually I was doing it the way they showed me at the dealer when I picked it up, by raising the rear panel by lifting up the front panel. That worked real good until the cords got weak. Thanks everybody for your input and advise. I will consider this problem “SOLVED”.
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Old 05-19-2015, 09:45 PM   #10
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Actually I was doing it the way they showed me at the dealer when I picked it up,
Ya, the did that to me too. But I watched a setup video from somewhere on the inter-tube and it showed how to do it the other way.
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Old 05-20-2015, 03:39 PM   #11
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I was having trouble until I read the stickers by the handles. The rear handle said "lift here to raise" and the front one said "to lower". I finally understood, and it actually works - except when the ground I'm standing on is too low.

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Old 05-20-2015, 10:34 PM   #12
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I guess my 'lift here to raise' sticker is missing. All I have is the 'lift here to lower' sticker. All this because of a missing sticker!!!!
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Old 05-26-2015, 12:33 AM   #13
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I don't have that sticker on mine either. Just the one to lower.
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Old 06-05-2015, 08:53 PM   #14
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My torsion bar on the right front side broke and I have to replace it. Anyone have any idea how this is done?
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Old 06-06-2015, 09:45 AM   #15
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The first time I set mine up I ended up looking like an idiot trying to open it from the wrong end! Mine even has the correct stickers...
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Old 06-06-2015, 02:15 PM   #16
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Our too, has gotten "heavier" to lift and even using the rear lift is almost impossible as We are short and have a terrible time lifting it into place. Now I get into the unit and assist it going up by slowly walking it up until it fits into place. I guess we all grow weaker as times goes by. Still beats a tent and the cold damp ground !
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Old 06-07-2015, 07:11 AM   #17
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My torsion bar on the right front side broke and I have to replace it. Anyone have any idea how this is done?
I have no actual information, but from looking at the camper, it seem the springs just fit in slots. My thought is that the bungies at the peak would have to be disconnected so the roof panels will separate. Then the section with the broken spring would have to be rotated until the tension is relieved from the existing spring and the new on can be put in place. Depending on the price of the part, replacing both springs at the seem time to keep the lift even on each side might be a good idea.

A low tech approach, but one I would want to do with some help and inside away from any possibility of wind catching the open panel. And it may be entirely wrong. My experience with the local dealer, is that the shop will give repair advice to owners.
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Old 06-07-2015, 10:58 AM   #18
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I have a small pallet that came bolted to the bottom of an upright freezer, basically two 4X4s with boards nailed across to make a solid surface. I stand on it when lifting the back roof panel. I'm fairly short (5'7") and the extra few inches helps a lot! While camping we use it as small stoop in front of the steps.
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