Rockwood power roof winch

[Powderpiggy]

I have a 2010 Rockwood Freedom M-190XR. It is equipped with the PowerWinch P55000 for raising and lowering the roof. The winch labored going up and tripped the thermal switch several times. I greased the center tube and lubricated the corner post per the manual and greased the worm gear. This seems to help, the winch no longer throws the thermal switch, but I not a big fan of the whole design/setup.

I am planning to purchase a Warn 2000# ATV winch and mount it to the C channel on the front of the ATV deck. The M-190 is a 10' box with a 4' expanded metal ATV deck. The roof has an AC unit and Fantastic Fan.

The yellow sticker shows dry weight at less than 2500#'s. The P55000 manual states that the roof weight should be less than 800#'s. I am guessing that the roof with AC is less than 25% of the total camper weight.

Opinions/experiences on whether the 2000# Warn winch will be sufficient?

[fonzie]

Are you on shore power or only on battery power? Is battery fully charge. A low battery will make the motor work harder increasing required amps to operate.

[Powderpiggy]

I was on a 1000 watt generator through a grp 24 battery.

[GalsofEscape]

Hum, our Powerwinch does not have a problem lifting the roof. We have a 2010 rockwood hw277 with an air conditioner. It struggled when we had a bad battery, but once the battery was replaced has been working fine. Before replacing the winch, I would get the battery checked.

[gettawaydriver]

Checking battery would be good but I would also check the contacts at the battery, splices, fuse, and motor contacts. Any oxidation will cause some loss of conduction.
The worm gear should be covered in grease and watch for filings and wear in this area.
Additionally you can purchase a hydraulic system to lift with a small ram, pump, and reservoir if you wanted a replacement lift unit.
Have you checked the spring tubes and bottom cable assembly for grease as well? Even a bent tube would cause a problem.

[raspivey]

I had a 2280BH...more or less same setup. After two years I began to worry about the whole winch lift thing. It never really gave me any problems, but it seemed like it was working harder than when new. I greased the whole thing at least twice a year also. It might have been my imagination. Right before I traded it in, the roof quit working..kept tripping the thermal. Then I realized that the battery boxes were off and in direct sunlight....it was overheating the breakers.

[Powderpiggy]

The cables, springs and post are well lubricated. I bought the unit used, and it wasn't well maintained, but that's been fixed. The winch will now lift the roof, it sounds like heck, but it will lift it.

I don't like the vertical motor mount with the worm gear transition to the wire spool. I realize that it had to be done that way to fit in the frame yolk for most campers. In my case there's large opening between the ATV deck and the propane/battery deck. The ATV winch can be mounted to the end of the ATV deck with out an inflection in the cable. Seems like a no brainer, weather proof, heavy duty winch built for outdoor applications at $200 versus this motor with a glob of grease that needs to be replenished every 6 months and seems to be on it's last legs.
I can't find a real rating for the PowerWinch, it's marketed by Carefree Colorado and their specs are terrible.
We always dry camp, often boondocking, the last thing I want is a half raised roof 10 miles from pavement. The winch has a manual feature, a 7/16th's bolt that most say will be sheared off on first use.

I don't have any experience with power lifts, frankly would really just like a manual crank. I do plan to add 2 T105's to the top deck with either a single or dual propane tanks. Not sure how the manual crank could be integrated, hence the idea for an ATV winch.

[gettawaydriver]

ATV winch would work for sure but a 2000lbs winch... I would be concerned about pulling the lift system apart under the trailer if something ever had a binding issue and then your problems are huge. Often seemingly weak points like the factory winch are engineered that way as a safety. Also it would increase the chances of over extending the roof.
I see what you mean financially and mechanically it makes sense. But if you just want an affordable fix then simple boat winches are cheap, easy to install, and you can feel if something starts to bind somewhat.
Whatever you choose to do please share here as my own power winch is getting old and I've been looking into replacement options.

[Powderpiggy]

Hum, good points, the roof has a green over extended cable next to the street side front post. I use it for "is it high enough". I don't know if the over limit switches are set correctly. I just let the roof down until it's flush and the cable is slack.

A buddy is a ME, I'll buy him a beer and see what are his ideas. The over torque potential is troublesome, I was only thinking about it for "enough" capacity.

[f5moab]

I will agree that the motor, even when my 228BH was new, sounds like it is laboring. In fact, during the familiarization demo with the dealer I noted that, and he said they all sound that way, but are very reliable. (On my second trip, the main sprocket shattered, and per the dealer I took it to, and FR, it was something they had not seen before. Probably just a bad sprocket, so far it works ok when power is available.)

However, I can attest that the roof will raise with the 7/16" 3/8" socket; done it quite a few times with no problems.

First time, was in a campground and could not connect the generator, and that is when I found out my new TV had not had the power wire connected to the trailer. My Dewalt and the socket raised the roof with no problem, other than taking possibly five times as long to raise it, even with the drill.
I have also used the drill a few times out where I store the trailer. Rather than lug a battery out to the trailer, I just use the Dewalt and the socket (with short extension) and no problems raising or lowering the roof.
I do make note to pump in plenty of high pressure lithium grease over top of the bolt after use, as recommended by the manufacturer.

I will say that if I ever order a new popup, I will NOT get the power winch. Manual with a drill motor will be fine for me.

[gettawaydriver]

Just a note, my brother has a manual crank and was putting tension into the green cable to be sure of height and it snapped at the crimp. It is only for visual and will not stop roof in proper position.

[BigBaron]

We have the same lift motor on our trailer. It lifts fine, but when you think that it requires 40 amps of current to run, you know it is working hard. The manual even talks about the grease smoking!
A simple winch should be fine as long as it doesn't lift too fast. You won't need a 2,000 lb. winch, though.

[Powderpiggy]

At 500# load, the Warn lifts at 11'/minute. I am going to look at 1k to 1.5K winches, unfortunately Warn only makes 2000#s and up. I think they have a very good reputation and will be a reliable product.

[Powderpiggy]

I got an email from Goshen Stampings. They make the lift mechanism. They thought the 2000# winch was appropriate.

I need to double back with Warn to make sure the ATV winch has a braking system. Pretty sure it does and then finalize the mounting design.

[dakranii]

Originally Posted by fonzie

Are you on shore power or only on battery power? Is battery fully charge. A low battery will make the motor work harder increasing required amps to operate.

I'm going to jump into this thread not to thread-jack but so I don't create a new, related topic.

My P55000 has struggled every time I've used it, but it's worked. I squirted oil in all four corner channels, sprayed the risers with silicone spray.

This weekend at the campsite the power lift raised the roof about 75%, then I had to go lift it overhead like doing shoulder presses while my wife ran the lift. Now, in my driveway at home, it won't raise more than 12 inches.

My first thought is maybe it's battery related. I tried turning on the interior lights Friday after being plugged into all day and they didn't turn on. The 30-amp fuse at the battery was busted, so I replaced it, but still no lights. So I think my battery is bad.

My question is, how do I test the battery? Is there something I can add to it to show me the charge level to know if it's bad? I'm quite new to this. I'm guessing I can go to Autozone/Walmart and get a battery tester that hooks onto the battery?

[f5moab]

You can use a volt/ohmmeter (aka multi-meter) on the voltage testing setting,


And if your vent caps can be removed on your battery check the specific gravity of the cells with a battery hydrometer. (If cells are low on fluid, fill with DISTILLED water.)


Of you can take it to a local auto store and they should be able to test it. But you should be traveling with at least a volt/ohmmeter.

Should also add that you need to grease the channels under the trailer where the cables go into from the motor and out to the corners. My Flagstaff has two grease fittings; front and back, and I add about a tube of grease each spring.
I also drop down the corner conduits and add 30W oil into the conduits to lube the corner.
Also recommended to pull the bottom off the power motor assembly and spray down the drum, where it winds the cable with a good lube. (I lube it down with WD-40; more or less to clean the area, the do all the other greasing and lubing and then I spray with a good silicone grease and put the lower cover back on.)