Coleman Popup Trailer Crank Issue
Greetings everyone,
This past year I purchased a used Coleman Cheyenne Popup Trailer to bring to Burning Man, as well as to use it for camping and the like. It was a fair price for it, albeit it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. The black chunk of metal that sticks off the backend and has a hole for the crank had broken off/rusted on the right side (which I didn't notice at first) either from backing up into something or because of the following issue. I could pop it up and down just fine, and it didn't seem to affect the rest of the trailer frame.
I took it to a trailer service company to have the wheel bearings greased and when it was returned to me they had "fixed" the black metal bar by affixing it where it should have been, looks like it was welded and spray painted. Because of this, the middle of the bar over the crank stuck out over the crank hole, so much so that the crank would hardly make contact. I tried to bend the bar back a little bit and hammered it back just enough to get the crank over the lip. With just a fews days before we were heading out to the burn I chose to suck it up and go with it.
Got out to the desert and cranked her up. The crank would keep slipping off at a certain point because part of it was rubbing against the metal piece, but I was making progress. I got it about 6" to 1' before fully upright when something broke and the mounted crank piece would just spin and spin. I tried to take it apart and see what the issue was, but couldn't get the plate off, so I said screw it, it'll work for now. Wasn't able to put the door down, and jury rigged a door flap with a tarp.
The next week when it came time to pack it in, I prayed that I could get this piece down! Using my hand I was able to create enough friction with whatever contact on the inside the crank bar connects with that it slowly but surely came down. I was so thankful for that blessing. Fast forward to today, it's been sitting in the drive since Labor day.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Looking to see what I can do with this thing. I figure if I put myself to it, I can disassemble the box that the crank goes into to see what's going on. I'm hopeful that there is something I can weld together to get it to work. I have little experience with welding, so I'm not sure if that will be strong enough.
I'll post some pictures when I get the opportunity to rip it apart.
Any advice (other than dumping it) would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Troy
This past year I purchased a used Coleman Cheyenne Popup Trailer to bring to Burning Man, as well as to use it for camping and the like. It was a fair price for it, albeit it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. The black chunk of metal that sticks off the backend and has a hole for the crank had broken off/rusted on the right side (which I didn't notice at first) either from backing up into something or because of the following issue. I could pop it up and down just fine, and it didn't seem to affect the rest of the trailer frame.
I took it to a trailer service company to have the wheel bearings greased and when it was returned to me they had "fixed" the black metal bar by affixing it where it should have been, looks like it was welded and spray painted. Because of this, the middle of the bar over the crank stuck out over the crank hole, so much so that the crank would hardly make contact. I tried to bend the bar back a little bit and hammered it back just enough to get the crank over the lip. With just a fews days before we were heading out to the burn I chose to suck it up and go with it.
Got out to the desert and cranked her up. The crank would keep slipping off at a certain point because part of it was rubbing against the metal piece, but I was making progress. I got it about 6" to 1' before fully upright when something broke and the mounted crank piece would just spin and spin. I tried to take it apart and see what the issue was, but couldn't get the plate off, so I said screw it, it'll work for now. Wasn't able to put the door down, and jury rigged a door flap with a tarp.
The next week when it came time to pack it in, I prayed that I could get this piece down! Using my hand I was able to create enough friction with whatever contact on the inside the crank bar connects with that it slowly but surely came down. I was so thankful for that blessing. Fast forward to today, it's been sitting in the drive since Labor day.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Looking to see what I can do with this thing. I figure if I put myself to it, I can disassemble the box that the crank goes into to see what's going on. I'm hopeful that there is something I can weld together to get it to work. I have little experience with welding, so I'm not sure if that will be strong enough.
I'll post some pictures when I get the opportunity to rip it apart.
Any advice (other than dumping it) would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Troy
