Broken Roof Bungee

[Pooneil]

Among the casualties of my recent road trip is the breaking of one roof bungee. It was fraying before I left so it was no surprise and mattered very little for the trip. But it needs to be repaired.

It looks like it is a matter of supporting the roof in a partially-opened position and drilling some rivets. But some guidance from previous expereince would be appreciated. Has anyone done the repair? Are these some sort of special bungee material? I don't see a knot in the cord so either it is a loop or the ends are held in one of the brackets.

[mzak]

Not a direct replacement but might be worth looking at.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...HG5YNocrdljiSw

[Pooneil]

That look pretty durable.

[Big Red Camper]

Hey guys,


Just curious, what seems to be the life expectancy of these bungee cords? Obviously this would be somewhat dependent upon how many put up and take downs the roof has had.


Tom, I see your aframe camper is a 2012 model. Pretty new camper for the bungee cords to go bad. What would be your best guess/SWAG (SILLY WILD A _ _ GUESS) on how many times the roof has gone up and down on your camper?


Thanks,

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by Big Red Camper

Hey guys,

Tom, I see your aframe camper is a 2012 model. Pretty new camper for the bungee cords to go bad. What would be your best guess/SWAG (SILLY WILD A _ _ GUESS) on how many times the roof has gone up and down on your camper?


Thanks,

A few hundred times. I tend to raise it one or two times when loading for each trip, then once on the trip and once or twice afterwards. It seems like the bungee is a bit to fragile given the difficulty in replacing them. I like the part mzak linked to, it looks far more durable and exchangeable with less work. I wish it was made for FR products.

I guess I'll muddle through this and if my fix doesn't work, then the dealer can take care of it. Thankfully there is a Flagstaff dealer close to me, rather than taking it out to, what seems like East Austin, where the dealer is.

[Big Red Camper]

I guess this is something I'll have to start looking into so I'll have an idea what to do when it happens. Looks like it is not a matter of if but rather a matter of when..............

[abdiver]

I think exposure to the sun will shorten there life also if you keep them open a lot. On mine I found nicks in the cords due to pinching on the top half's closing on it so I will also have to figure out how to replace them also.

[4th Quarter Coach]

I just picked up a 2017 212HW. super fun! only one glitch we noticed. when the power lift is dropping the roof the roof side over the bed, as it passes the vent opening on the roof side over the dinette, it catches on the fan control knob, pulls it for about a second or so, looks like the knob is going to be torn off, then it finally passes over it. Has anyone else with the power roof seen this? Thanks!

[chuck9997]

If (when) the bungee fails.. what is the immediate result? Can the roof panels still be raised? Can you still set it up safely until the repair is made?

I guess I am asking what the function the bungee (or bungees) is.

[dts3204]

If not a member of the Aliners Owners Club would suggest you join. Their DIY section has all sorts of useful information and the replacement of the Bungees are in there. Worth the 20 usd Aliner Owners Club Plus you can end up not being the only Aframe in the park.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by chuck9997

If (when) the bungee fails.. what is the immediate result? Can the roof panels still be raised? Can you still set it up safely until the repair is made?

I guess I am asking what the function the bungee (or bungees) is.

The bunges function to keep the roof halves together when raising the roof. Both to keep the front from getting loose by catching the wind and to keep the bottom from running out from under the top section, allowing the top to fall.

The same could be done with rope, as the guy at the aliners site showed. But the bunges will keep tighter control on the upper section.