Replace cable immediately or not?

[Phizy]

I was inspecting the roof lift cable today and saw this. Should the cable be replaced immediately or keep an eye on it?

Thanks

[Mike91]

Originally Posted by Phizy

I was inspecting the roof lift cable today and saw this. Should the cable be replaced immediately or keep an eye on it?

Thanks

I know if we see something like that at work, it's put out of operation.

I would take it a dealer service center you can actually trust and get an appointment to replace and ask if it's safe enough to use while you wait for your appointment.

You'll likely want to inspect it thoroughly and oil and grease it.

Good catch though, before a costly and dangerous accident did happen.

[cboss]

Originally Posted by Phizy

I was inspecting the roof lift cable today and saw this. Should the cable be replaced immediately or keep an eye on it?

Thanks

Replace it. Be safe. It will fail eventually and at the wrong time for sure!

[Phizy]

Yeah, basically what I was thinking. Thanks. At least this post can help others if they see something similar.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Phizy

I was inspecting the roof lift cable today and saw this. Should the cable be replaced immediately or keep an eye on it?



Thanks

Might help if you posted year, make and model number of your popup. Or put that information in your profile or signature.

[Phizy]

Sure, good idea, done.

But, that wouldn't matter for this issue, right?

Originally Posted by bikendan

Might help if you posted year, make and model number of your popup. Or put that information in your profile or signature.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Phizy

Sure, good idea, done.

But, that wouldn't matter for this issue, right?

There are other FR divisions that make popups, other than Rockwood/Flagstaff. They may have different roof lift systems.
It's more about getting better help from those that own the same model as yours.

[phillyg]

One of mine looked worse than that after one year, only two strands left. I bought a repair kit that's been in a drawer for four years now, and the cable hasn't yet snapped.

[Sunseeker16]

Originally Posted by phillyg

One of mine looked worse than that after one year, only two strands left. I bought a repair kit that's been in a drawer for four years now, and the cable hasn't yet snapped.

I was thinking along the same line as you. Keep an eye on it and get parts on hand to be ready for it to get worse.

[flyerdp]

You can buy that cable and even the undercarriage springs that are in the tubes direct from Goshen for your camper and have on hand. A couple of strands is "keep an eye on" to me. When I see 1/4 of them gone I would take action. Ideally I would prefer none broken and I usually fix things right away but I think I would replace that cable every year or two if I followed that rule. Then again I would do the work myself even at a campground if I had to given I keep tools in the camper and assuming I had the cable to replace.

Follow whatever guidance makes you most comfortable. That cable is good for far more weight than the roof.

Check the bottom of the page for ordering info:

https://goshenstamping.com/lift-system

[Larry-NC]

Pretty sure I saw a post with the exact step-by-step replacement instructions on these forums recently.

[MR.M]

yep keep an eye on it till it breaks which will be at the worst time . like getting dark and setting up camp and then bam . get it done asap why mess around . you can keep the old one as a spare just in case.
PS there is a lot more damage to that cable then just a few strains

[Phizy]

Thanks, I agree. I looked at it closely as well and saw there was more to it.

[Capacitor]

It would be a lot easier to replace it at home than in a campground.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Capacitor

It would be a lot easier to replace it at home than in a campground...

with a friend or two to lift as needed while you thread or tighten cables.

[Phizy]

This looks pretty straight forward to replace it. I also have the manual for the powerwinch. For those who have replaced this, is it really as simple as it looks?

[smlnjack]

Just replaced the cable on my friends PUP. He had replaced the crank with a winch motor and it worked well until the cable went bad. It was nearly up when it broke and came down hard. No injuries, but after replacing the cable (we made one up ourselves exactly like the original) we found the four telescoping tubes in the corners were damaged from it crashing down. I'll be replacing them too in a couple weeks. I'm just glad he didn't have his arm reaching inside when it happened!

[mnoland30]

A cable like that should last a long time. I'm thinking there is an issue that is causing abnormal wear and tear.

[Bhrava]

If that section rides across a pulley, it could damage the pulley as well, better to replace it before more damage can happen. If it were to break in motion, it could not only cause more damage, but someone might get hurt. Depending on how much tension is on it when it breaks, it could whipsaw and hurt someone, or cause further damage to other components.

[Freedom2318G]

Originally Posted by Phizy

This looks pretty straight forward to replace it. I also have the manual for the powerwinch. For those who have replaced this, is it really as simple as it looks?

I replaced mine before the 2021 season. It was pretty easy, just take your time and make sure everything is done correctly. Make note of the cable path, etc before you start the job. My cable wasn't nearly as bad as yours, but I figured for a "few bucks" and a few hours of work it was worth the piece of mind. I also replaced the powerwinch with a manual winch (ordered from Goshen with the cable). I didn't trust the powerwinch, and it was super loud. The manual winch is very easy and I find I get more control when lifting and lowering.