Roof Shifts Forward On a Level Camper

Zambolie · 08-12-2013, 08:45 AM

Making sure the camper is leveled and the stabilizer jacks are down; after I raise da roof (literally

) it seems to shift door side. It is a small shift; but it means that the door does not set in place and often the top pops out of the winged braces leaving a gap at the top.

Our camper (MAC 228D) has an AC unit on top that was installed by the dealer

We have spent the summer like this and have made it work ok for us; but I wondered if anyone else has had this issue and how they have fixed it. I have thought about attaching ratcheting tie downs from the roof to the ground behind the camper.

Thanks in advance!

w4drr · 08-12-2013, 09:10 AM

If the awning is rolled out, it will pull the roof slightly to the door side. Since we have a high wall, we have to deploy the awning before raising the roof because of the roof height after it is raised (can't reach the awning bag without the use of at least a 6' stepladder). As for putting the door in, we have found it is easier if the awning legs are on the ground instead of plugged into the sockets on the wall.

Bob

Trevor43 · 08-12-2013, 09:58 AM

I had this happen once..........it was caused by over using the stabilizer jacks. They should just touch the ground only........if the lift the camper any, you're over using them. Lifting the trailer with them causes the frame to twist and the box to lose shape.

Zambolie · 08-12-2013, 10:06 AM

This seems to happen whether we have the awning out or not. The awning situation was my thought too.

As far as the stabilizer jacks I have raised them and reset them after set up a couple times to see if something has shifted in set up. I am always careful not to put any weight on the jacks as I don't want to twist the frame.

w4drr · 08-12-2013, 10:15 AM

Have you verified your leveling with a good level on the floor of the camper over the axle? And just curious, did the dealer install the AC on the centerline of the roof? Or offset some?

Bob

Zambolie · 08-12-2013, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w4drr

Have you verified your leveling with a good level on the floor of the camper over the axle? And just curious, did the dealer install the AC on the centerline of the roof? Or offset some?

Bob

Ya. I use a level on the floor right inside the door. I has the cheap-o's stuck on the outside walls. at first but quickly realized how unreliable they are.

The dealer installed the AC unit offset on the driver's side back quarter. The roof shifting door side seems counter intuitive but that seems to be the only explanation, unless somehow the whole camper is off-kilter.

w4drr · 08-12-2013, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zambolie

Ya. I use a level on the floor right inside the door. I has the cheap-o's stuck on the outside walls. at first but quickly realized how unreliable they are.

The dealer installed the AC unit offset on the driver's side back quarter. The roof shifting door side seems counter intuitive but that seems to be the only explanation, unless somehow the whole camper is off-kilter.

Our AC unit was factory installed, and it is the same way, offset to the driver's side. I sometimes wonder if it is done that way to counterbalance the awning. It definitely sounds like something is not quite right in the lifter mechanism, but if you have a work-around to make the door work, I doubt if it would be worth the trouble and/or expense to fix it. If you do figure out the problem, post on here and enlighten us.

Bob

BigBaron · 08-13-2013, 07:27 AM

Have you measured the distances from the box to the roof at all four corners?

Zambolie · 08-14-2013, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBaron

Have you measured the distances from the box to the roof at all four corners?

I have not, Baron. I think I see where you are going with this and I will measure that this weekend.

If one side is indeed raising higher, is there a way to remedy that myself, or is that a professional repair through the dealer?

BigBaron · 08-17-2013, 07:48 AM

You can do it yourself if you know how to turn a wrench or two.

Zambolie · 10-27-2013, 04:58 PM

So. I continued to work on this issue each time I went out this summer.

Meticulously leveled, awning in, owning out, measured to see if one side is lifting higher, rechecked meticulous leveling, re measured...

The only thing that helped was to NOT level the camper with the driver's side slightly higher. The whole thing would not be a problem except that the door tend to pop out of the top and it just concerns me not to mention the DW seems is distressed by this. (maybe my biggest factor

)

I would love to take this in to the dealer for a fix; but out dealer has not been the best for repairs...

I guess I have more experimenting to do next season...

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