How to put cover on TT?

[IBcarguy]

Just bought a new 31' TT that doesn't have a rear ladder. The dealer says they won't install one, has to be factory installed. My last TT baked in the sun and the paint and graphics faded badly so I want to keep this one covered. Hauling a heavy cover up a folding 12' ladder is going to be a pain, also trying to crawl onto the domed roof from a ladder sounds a little dangerous. Has anyone come up with a safe, easier way to do this? I thought of tossing ropes over the roof and dragging it over but I'm sure it will get snagged on the AC, antenna, etc. I know if I don't come up with a good way to do this, I'll never use the cover.

[silverfz]

I brought a cover that has small pockets where you would put a collapsible fiberglass rod that let you put the cover on .You need 2 person to lift them and then just walk to the back of the TT and you are done.

now I ended up just getting on the roof with a ladder to do it. I had to leave blow the pine needles and then just climbed on top to do it.

but have done both, the first method is good, if a good non wet day is picked and you have enough space to lay the cover length wise infront of the TT.

[Naio]

TheBreu wrote:
I went to put a cover on my trailer over the weekend. It was given to me (by my BIL) and was told it was for a 34 ft trailer. Long story short I was given the wrong cover and it was 10 ft short lol When I did go out to put it on, I used one of these:

THAT'S the way to do it :B

[TheBreu]

I went to put a cover on my trailer over the weekend. It was given to me (by my BIL) and was told it was for a 34 ft trailer. Long story short I was given the wrong cover and it was 10 ft short lol When I did go out to put it on, I used one of these:

[ktmrfs]

I dig out my 10ft orchard ladder. These are very stable ladders, only 3 legs, very wide base (about 4ft) with a single pole as the third point that can be positioned as needed. Since 3 points define a plane, they are inherintly stable unlike a normal stepladder with 4 points that end up wobbling on uneaven ground.

With that ladder it is easy for me to carry the cover up to the roof and roll it out.

An "normal" 10ft or 12ft stepladder IMHO is not nearly as stable or safe.

[2012Coleman]

I just covered mine. I use an 8 foot step ladder to access the roof. My cover is stored in a Rubbermaid garbage can folded accordion style. I set the can at the back of the TT, and the ladder on the side opposite the door a few feet from the back to avoid the awning. Get someone to hold the ladder if you are uncomfortable. I also don't walk upright on top - I keep low and lay on my stomach when working near the corners.

I then grab the cover - the front is on top, climb the ladder and get on top. I then pull up on the cover and move forward, lifting over things like the AC, vents, and antenna. I put a mark on it in the center of the AC cover so I don't have to line up the zippers to access the door.

As the cover was folded to the center when removing, I unfold it and let it drape down the sides, then I exit the roof, store the trash can inside the door, and connect the straps.

To take it off, get on top, pull up the sides, and fold them into the center. I then drag the cover off the TT, folding it accordion style, into the trash can at the back of the TT. Of course, it gets hung up on stuff, but you can free it from the ladder.

Remember to cover your sharp points like down spouts with pool noodles or tennis balls - don't forget the door latch where you connect the door so it will stay open. The areas around the bottom of the awning supports are problem areas that need something like bubble wrap.

Don't forget to cover your tires!

And of course, washing and waxing is important, but unless you want to constantly be doing it, a cover is great for keeping it clean. I spent the entire day on the roof and detailing the rest of the exterior and under the awning last weekend. The front was stained by leaves and all the garbage falling from the trees. I'd have to wash it every weekend this time of year to keep it clean. When I uncover it in 2 months, it will be as shiny and clean as when I covered it.

After 5 years, my ADCO cover had some wear spots which I corrected with Gorilla tape.

[naturist]

My TT storage is next to a workshop building, and I keep the TT under a tarp slung from the eve of the building. This makes sure that except for the corner of the trailer from which its awning is hung, the tarp is at least several inches above the TT roof for ventilation. To get it up and over the TT, however, requires one of those telescoping poles with a brush on it to keep from poking a hole in the tarp. Using ropes to pull on the edge of the tarp and the brush/pole, I can put the tarp over the TT without the use of any ladders all by myself by lifting the corner/edge of the tarp, chucking the rope over the TT, then walking around and pulling the rope on the other side. Usually takes me about 3 or 4 cycles of lift/push the pole, go pull the rope and tie it off so it doesn't fall back. The OP might be able to do something similar using a pole with a brush on it. It should be noted that under certain circumstances, I sometimes do climb a ladder and use the pole/brush to lift, hook, and pull the tarp over AC, antenna, etc.

[rbpru]

I have a TT that does not allow walking on the roof.

We lay the cover on the driveway, the side are spread out, then we roll both end towards the middle so we have a long tube. We flop the tube in the middle of the TT roof and roll it out towards each end, my DW on a ladder on one side, me on a ladder on the other side.

The only difficult part is unrolling over the AC shroud. It is a pain no doubt but unrolling and dropping the sides takes about a half hour.

There is a bit of prep work as we have to pad the gutter spouts and any sharp edges. After the cover has been put on place, I get the honors of crawling under the TT to connect the straps.

I use the cover to keep the snow and rain off the roof. Other do not feel TT covers necessary.

[ashnic]

We have a 30'Outback. My wife and I cover ours after every trip and we have it down to about 15 mins. tops. The key for me is how we take it off. I walk around unsnapping all the strap latches, then pull up on all four corners so it does not get hung up while pulling the cover to the top of the trailer. I then get out my 9' ladder and position on the side to the very back of the trailer. I then climb to the top of the ladder and pull that corner up and fold on top of the trailer. I then climb on top of ladder to top of camper, pull up back of cover and fold on top, go down either side and pull all the way up and fold over the top repeat on other side. I do this twice so the roll ends up about 2.5' wide. I then go to the back and start rolling towards the front. When I get about 5' from the front I pull the front the rest of the way back roll up and put in the adco bag. Drop it down onto the driveway then into shed for storage until we return. Pretty much just the opposite to install..Hope it helps..

[temccarthy1]

BarneyS wrote:
Although my trailer does have a rear ladder, I have found one of these to be a much safer, comfortable, and easy to use solution. I string the cover out on the ground behind the trailer and gather the sides so it is like a long large rope. I put the ladder up on the rear of my trailer, I go up carrying just the end and have my son feed the cover all up as I walk or crawl to the front of the trailer. I then just unfold the sides and let them fall down the side as I walk or crawl to the rear and then bring the rear of the cover back down as I descend. It works very well and quickly.
Another advantage to that ladder is that it is very easy to store and transport, either in the trailer of the back of my truck.
Barney

Barney has the exact same cover that I have from Adco, and I do not have the advantage of a walkable roof on my Bullet TT so similar to Barney, I lay my cover on the ground , stretch it out, turn in the sides so it is inside out to about 3 ft wide and roll it up like a cinnamon bun. Then I just carry it up my 10 ft stepladder, place it on the front roof and unroll it back to the rear , adjust for placement and unfold both sides down over the TT. Since I can't get on the roof, it takes me longer and several ladder changes on both sides but I can get it on in about 45 minutes.. It is worth it for the protection from ice, snow and fading it brings. MAKE SURE you pad all sharp edges (antenna on the roof and bottom sharp edges near wheel wells) and all 4 rain gutters ( I use pool noodles cut). When you attach the straps under the TT, do not over tighten or you could cause tears over time. Jut enough to keep the cover from moving. I believe it is definitely worth the $250 investment and time to protect my new TT and keep it looking new for many years. Good luck and happy camping!

[Dr_Quick]

The directions for mine said to unroll the cover and turn it inside out behind the trailer, and fold sides in so cover is about 4 feet wide. Tied a rope to the front "loop" on the cover. Got up on the roof and pulled the cover up the back or the trailer as wife helped guide the cover up. Pulled cover all the way to front so that "roof section of cover" was positioned on trailer so roof section was equally placed on roof and hanging over a bit. Push side sections down and wife helped to guide them into place.
For the gutter spouts, I used tennis balls and split them to fit over spouts. For any sharp objects on trailer I used semi-rigid 1" pipe insul. from Lowes. used at some corners, steps and rear hose bumper ends. I also have a ladder so I used pipe insul. at side of ladder at corner of trailer, so ends of steps would not poke holes.
To remove just reverse process, lift sides up and fold in along center of roof, rollup form rear to front of trailer and just drop off roof.

[Calicajun]

OP if your TT came without a ladder be sure you have a walk on roof. Most TT that don't come with a ladder are not walk on roofs.

[IBcarguy]

Oasisbob wrote:
Lay cover on ground correctly positioned. Use two poles. One person on each side walk the cover back and over the top. Carefully going over AC . That's how wedid it. Stay off the roof.

Maybe 2 expandable aluminum poles like the pool guy uses with hooks on the end might work. Start at the back with one person at each corner walking it forward on each side, adjusting the length of the pole as needed. My wife could probably stitch a canvas loop at the upper corners of the cover to hook on to. You guys might be on to something....
I'm definitely going to get one of those telescoping 12.5' latters. I've got just the spot to store it in the trailer.
thanks for the input.

[Dick_B]

I use a Sunshield tarp that covers the roof and parts of the sides, front and back (depending on what size tarp is used). My Wife and I fold up the cover, accordian style, and I fold in the sides to make a manageable bundle. I tie a rope around the bundle, climb up the ladder, and hoist the bundle up with the rope. Then it is a matter of carrying the bundle to the front of the roof, unfold the bundle and drag it back across the top. Then it is back down the ladder and tie the cover down with rope and boat fenders half filled with sand. Bottles of pink stuff could be used also.
Note it is not an all-encompassing cover like CW sells which are too big and bulky for my taste.

[SoundGuy]

IBcarguy wrote:
Hauling a heavy cover up a folding 12' ladder is going to be a pain, also trying to crawl onto the domed roof from a ladder sounds a little dangerous. Has anyone come up with a safe, easier way to do this?

That's how I've been doing it for quite a few years now with a number of trailers of different lengths and haven't found it any issue at all. These covers aren't really that heavy and you should be able to easily "walk" the bag it's in up the ladder ahead of you to the roof. Once on the roof unroll the cover from front to back and feed the sidewall material over the sides ... it does help then to have an assistant on the ground who can dress the cover down around the walls and make sure it's aligned properly. If there's anything time consuming about the process it's having to first pad any sharp corners before installing the cover ... that takes me more time that actually installing the cover itself. Nonetheless, I only do this for winter storage and wouldn't want to go through this routine during the camping season - WAY too much work for me! 😉