Starting out with a few questions (and a brag)

[campinmom]

Remember, I'm the new girl on the block, and I'm doing this all by myself, so be nice and simple when you answer the questions, k?

First of all, I'm really happy with myself today. I was able to remove, clean and reload the bearings in one of the wheels today! What a messy job! I did need a little bit of help. I didn't know how to get the rear bearing out, so I needed a friend's husband to show me. I think I'll be able to do the other one by myself. I'm happy because a different male friend of mine told me I was crazy for taking on such a project, that a woman could never take care of a camper alone. I'm sure there will be many things I'll need help with, but each thing I can accomplish on my own makes me feel really good!

Now, back to those questions! I've uploaded some pictures onto Shutterfly so you all can take a look.
Here's the link: Camper Pics  
I'll get them on my website eventually, but this will work for now. First of all, you'll see the work I did on the first wheel while I had it off. Then you'll see pictures of a little latch. This is what holds up the entire weight of the roof!  :yikes:  I thought that when I raised the roof it would ratchet or something. It doesn't. If I let go of the handle at any time while putting up the top, the whole thing would crash back down. I read in one of the other posts that sometimes you need to "reset" it by taking it all the way up until it stops, give it an extra nudge, and it would "reset" that ratchet. I tried that. Nothing happened. Maybe I didn't push hard enough? Could you tell me where I would find the ratchet (if indeed I have one on my ancient, 1972 beauty)?  :confused:

The next thing you will see is pictures of the top of my PUP. There is a crack that runs all the way across the top (side to side, not front to back). There is also a pretty nasty crack in the left rear that I've shown you as well. What do I use to fix this? One friend suggested cauck (sp?), another person suggested epoxy (sp?). What do you all think? Is this something I can fix myself? Where would I get the supplies?

Lastly you'll see just some basic shots I took of my camper when I first got it. Overall, it really isn't in that bad of condition. She just needs some TLC and she'll be as good as new!  :p

Thanks for taking a look and letting me know what you think!

~Erin

[angelsmom10]

In the past we have had single mom's camping alone and doing things on their PU themselves.
 
Glad you are not afraid to do it yourself; you'll have more pride in you PU.
 
Yes, the LP tank will need to be replaced along with the fittings.
 
The screen where there is duct tape, I'd but some screen material and sew them to replace the duct tape.
 
I'm no expert, but you should be able to remove the old caulk from the roof and replace it; and for the rear corner, maybe you can get a fiberglass kit in the automotive section to fix this problem.
 
Since you seem to be a do-it-yourselfer, I'd contact Coleman and ask for a "repair manual", Starcraft makes them for $15 (incl s/h) and DH found it very useful in repairing things on our old '85 that we used to have.
 
Here's to you for the what you have accomplished and what you will accomplish in the future :! :#

[startx]

Hmm, I was thinking fiberglass too, to help with the crack.  Would fiberglass also work on the roof I wonder?

On the "ratchet" your camper most likely does not have one.  The newer models will have a safety stop on the lift system.  Our 1980 Starcraft had a gear on the side of the winch that each time you cranked over would engage and lock the mechanism if you attempted to go in reverse, so you could turn loose part way up.  The safety feature to keep the top up though was basically a combination of this gear, and a metal rod right under the front of the camper that slipped into place when the top was all the way up.  That rod wasn't that great though, since you could tell many times in its life someone cranked the camper down with the rod in place and it bent.  My H even did it once, and had to straighten the rod back out.

We have friends with an older model Coleman that didn't have a safety "ratchet" on his winch either.  Brian replaced his winch when it disentigrated and the new one has the safety features.  Don't necessarily trust the manufacturer on winch questions though, his friend ordered the winch at a higher price from the manufacturer, and Brian still had to custom build a mounting bracket to make it work on the particular model of camper.  We saw one that would have been perfect in the Northern tool catalog for half the price and wouldn't have required a mounting bracket.  He would have sent the winch back, but he had a camping trip the next weekend and didn't have time to wait.

Don't let the men fool you, you can do this stuff.  Great if you have a guy that can help you, but that doesn't mean you aren't capable of learning to do this stuff yourself.

[campingboaters]

While I don't have any advise for you, I just wanted to give you some encouragment!  You GO girl!  I'm also one of those DIY women that some men can not believe exists.  I know WAY more about "manual labor" than a lot of men.  I'm no expert, but I can hold my own for the projects I decide to tackle.

So, the next time you come across anyone that treats you like you don't know anything... just smile and say "You'd be amazed at what I can handle on my own... because I want to!"

[wiininkwe]

I'm sorry that I don't have any advice for you either, but do want to say how good it is to see you so enthused and eager to do this without worrying about if it's a 'guy' thing or a 'girl' thing to do.   I was raised in a time that dictated that women, once out of high school, had only a few options open to them.  Teach, nurse, take dictation or find a man to take care of you and the many children you should have.  I am so happy to see that today's woman has the strength and courage to forge into all areas of life, including camping.   I have real confidence that you'll manage to find a way to take care of the camper problems and be able to treat your kids to one of the best experiences there is.  Way to go, girl, ya make us all proud!
T

[hoppy]

I took a look at the pics. that you posted, and although you have alot of work to do in front of you, it should come together just fine.

  Seeing that you have the mechanical ability to change out and lube wheel bearings, (which I might add is no easy task for anyone, and very messy at that) the rest of the repairs will seem like a walk in the park.

   Yes, you will need to repair the roof using fibreglass compound and tape. You will be able to find this at any automotive store. Read the directions, and this will repair the crack in the roof. For the corner, I would ask for advise on that one. But where it is located, at least it won't leak into the pu.

    If the wench to the lift system is easy to get too, the wench system should have a lock system very simular to a boat wench. Often times, there is a little spring that engages a locking lever into the main gear while you are turning the crank handle that is either is broken, or rusted frozen in a position away from the main gear.  (this is the clicking sound you hear when the locking lever is working properly)

   If it is only frozen, spray penetrating oil on the lever assembly, work back and fourth by hand until free.   If it's the spring, any marine supply outfit can set you up with a spring. Gosh, if it still gives you a problem, a new wench is about $ 25.00 - $ 35.00. But if you are like me, I much rather try to fix the durn thing myself.

    Hope this helps.

     Hoppy

[CAPEd CODger]

Then you'll see pictures of a little latch. This is what holds up the entire weight of the roof!  :yikes:  I thought that when I raised the roof it would ratchet or something. It doesn't. If I let go of the handle at any time while putting up the top, the whole thing would crash back down. I read in one of the other posts that sometimes you need to "reset" it by taking it all the way up until it stops, give it an extra nudge, and it would "reset" that ratchet. I tried that. Nothing happened. Maybe I didn't push hard enough? Could you tell me where I would find the ratchet (if indeed I have one on my ancient, 1972 beauty)?  :confused:

The next thing you will see is pictures of the top of my PUP. There is a crack that runs all the way across the top (side to side, not front to back). There is also a pretty nasty crack in the left rear that I've shown you as well. What do I use to fix this? One friend suggested cauck (sp?), another person suggested epoxy (sp?). What do you all think? Is this something I can fix myself? Where would I get the supplies?

Lastly you'll see just some basic shots I took of my camper when I first got it. Overall, it really isn't in that bad of condition. She just needs some TLC and she'll be as good as new!  :p

Thanks for taking a look and letting me know what you think!

~Erin

Hi Erin, I had a '76 Coleman, and it used the same method for holding the roof in place. It dosn't look like it'll hold, but I never had a problem with it.
I agree with the others as far as using a fibreglass repair kit to repair the roof damage.
Another alternative is good-old "Bondo" body-putty, if the roof is metal.
An auto parts store should have both of these items.
Best luck to you in your repair endeavors.

Bob

[Campers3]

Hello

I have viewed your photos and read your post along with all of the replies so far.  I don't have any good repair hints, but I do have a ton of encouragement for you.  I think that you can do anything you want, and enjoy it too. Way to go!  

Our first popup camper was a new 1991 Coleman Columbia.  The cranking thing was exactly the same as the one you show in your photo.  It worked fine.  There was no ratcheting mechanism, just the simple cranking either up or down, and that little hook to catch the crank when you were finished.  

When I see women being independent and not afraid to jump in there and take on the tasks, it makes my heart smile.  I really hate to hear about people who try fit others into a stereotype one way or another.  Heck, if a person wants to do something, then I say, Why not?  

Good luck and enjoy camping!

Steve