Supporting a pop up roof - examples or methods?

Maybe check youtube.

If you can remove the arm with the roof lowered, problem solved. The lower shell of the camper supports the roof.

Otherwise, good old fashioned American 2x4 lumber, cut to the proper length, is how I'd do it. Build a temporary wall out of 2x4's. Couple of studs, a top plate, and a bottom plate. The plates spread the load out.

I've managed to raise my Outfitter roof with a set of four RV screw-type jack stands and lots of blocks. The roof arms are under load in almost any position. Be careful, because if one side falls you could run the risk of tearing the pop-up fabric.

When several teeth broke off the crank and lodged in the rack while I was raising the roof, the mechanism jambed and wouldn't go up or down. I had to jerry-rig some way to lift the roof to take the weight off while I cleared the metal chunks from the rack. An old fashioned bumper jack, a section of 2 inch PVC pipe, and a 2x4 with a dowel in the center to fit into the PVC solves this problem. Position the jack so that the board lines up with one of the frame members in the roof.
Tom McCloud

No pictures but I've removed the lift arms several time using 1x4 or 6 I forget, cut to 24in and set between the ceiling and side walls on the outside of the upper horizontal torsion bars, no problemo easy peasy simple dimple. Just don't lower the lid too far or you'll rip out the roof brackets.

whazoo wrote:
No pictures but I've removed the lift arms several time using 1x4 or 6 I forget, cut to 24in and set between the ceiling and side walls on the outside of the upper horizontal torsion bars, no problemo easy peasy simple dimple. Just don't lower the lid too far or you'll rip out the roof brackets.

Talked to Bob this morning and his suggested method was just as you say. Thanks.

I think I've had my apex about the same amount of time you have - with pretty comparable use it appears. Guess I'm lucky then this is the first time I'm having to do this.

whazoo wrote:
No pictures but I've removed the lift arms several time using 1x4 or 6 I forget, cut to 24in and set between the ceiling and side walls on the outside of the upper horizontal torsion bars, no problemo easy peasy simple dimple. Just don't lower the lid too far or you'll rip out the roof brackets.

Why did you have to remove the lift arms several times?

Twice during motor replacement. The first time the replacement motor didn't have enough factory torque set to lift the roof. Had to take it off immediately to crank the nut on the motor a minor amount for it to work correctly. That's twice. Third time was to move the entire roof over to drivers side a very small amount so it wouldn't nest on the awning, passenger side, when fully closed.

Here are a couple of excerpts from a post of mine in Sept 2015, thinking I was piggybacking on whazoo's and oldetymeflyr's advice....I had to adjust the roof lift motor torque,so I cutout notches in each end of 2x4s ~28" long to fit between the horizontal torsion bars, with the notches allowing the piping to "seat" in the 2x4.. Now I think I understand that whazoo didn't actually put the supports in between the bars, but on the roof itself....maybe I should have paid more attention the first time?? would have saved myself trouble (I actually did this job a second time when I ended up replacing the motor, and did use two supports on each side between the bars without problems.)

"I put oldetymeflyr's roof supports, one one each side, just behind the kitchen sink (and same place on passenger side). If I have to do it again, I'll put two on each side, at each end of the piping. Doing it the way I did it, in the middle, allowed the pipe to spread, which put the weight on a little fiberglass piece on the cabinet....there is no other support from end to end. It held for a while.....then I heard it start cracking, but I couldn't react fast enough to what was going on. It broke a small piece on the end of the cabinet (which is not visible) and the roof fell about 2 inches....which tightened the gap where I had taken the motor out, so there was no way to get it back in (it also tightened various parts of my anatomy when it happened). I put a jack under the piping on the kitchen counter, but immediately realized there is no support under the counter, so I had to pull out the pots and pans and build a support. I realize now part of the difficulty in sliding the jack motor out was that it was carrying the weight, because when I jacked the roof back up and ensured no contact, the motor slid in easily....
I did run into difficulty rebolting the white piping to the bronze blocks....it was a job to get the bolt holes to line up. I was able to lift and hold the roof by hand on the passenger side, but needed my jack again on the driver's side."

Hope this helps.

And you are correct, I used 4 pieces of wood, 2 on each side for support, and braced directly from hard wall to the roof. And I forgot. Trying to lower the roof in the worst wind I've seen, broadside, a side support arm broke at the weld with the lower torsion bar, that makes four times to get that repaired.