2007 Fleetwood

[tlhdoc]

Sorry to hear that you had problems with your lift system.  Hope it all works out and the dealer gets you in and out quickly.

[mbutts]

Regarding your fridge question: You really need to plug in the trailer (and turn on the fridge!) 12 to 24 hours before you leave to let cool it down.  The mobile refrigerators are easier to use than bags of ice, but they do require a "running start" before you put the perishables inside.

[Birdlodge]

I posted this in August, 2007 Fleetwood Niagra with power lift. Maiden Voyage to Sequoia National Park. Raised the roof approimately 2 ft. with the power lift. Experienced a major failure of the "Whiffle Tree" the roof crashed back down. We were unable to open the trailer, and had to drive back home. The motor still spun just fine, but it would not raise the roof. That weekend will forever be remember as "The Camping Trip To Hell"

So what a horrible weekend. I recently purchased a 2007 Fleetwood Niagra and this past weekend took it out for my 2nd trip. I purchased the electrical popup...went to plug it in and the whole darn thing fell apart. So I thought thats ok I'll just manually crank it up...well that took the strength of 4 men...ended up taking 2 1/2 hours to get the darn thing up! So the dealer said to unplug the electrical from its motor and should go up ok....not..............anyone had problems with their electrical plug popup thingy... :yikes:  

2007 Fleetwood Highlander-Niagra
Tow Vehicle 2007 Honda Pilot 4X Drive..........help I'm a newby!

[chip]

I posted this in August, 2007 Fleetwood Niagra with power lift. Maiden Voyage to Sequoia National Park. Raised the roof approimately 2 ft. with the power lift. Experienced a major failure of the "Whiffle Tree" the roof crashed back down. We were unable to open the trailer, and had to drive back home. The motor still spun just fine, but it would not raise the roof. That weekend will forever be remember as "The Camping Trip To Hell"
 
 
 

Same thing happened to us when we were in the process of packing up to go home last month...Hit the switch to lower the roof, and BAM! the roof comes crashing down.

Dealer fixed the wiffle tree and advised that the problem comes from using the lift while the trailer is plugged in to 110V.  Seems the converter causes the motor to generate too much torque.  There is supposed to be a letter from Fleetwood advising to only operate the electric lift on 12V, without plugging the trailer in to 110V.

I haven't seen the letter yet, and the trailer went up in the driveway OK.

[PattieAM]

I read somewhere about a 'recall' for these models -- it may have been on RV.net in the Folding Trailers forum (sorry I can't remember the details).

You might want to contact Fleetwood to verify this.  And, your dealership should have information on the recall.  Something about a sheerpin in the power lift (??)  (I'm an 06'er with manual crank).

[PattieAM]

Gee - actually was able to find the thread!  (RV.netfoldingtrailers)

The gist of the information is that you are not to be plugged in when operating the power lift ----

one is supposed to use battery power only.

[He Ruide]

I'm sorry to report but there are other issues with the electical lifts on 2007 /08 Fleetwoods.  Tapered pins are falling when you are lowing the roof.  A poster (Aaronthegiant) in another confrence shared the following:

"I found a recall notice at NHTSA.gov. In breif: The power lift system can ONLY be operated with the battery---you can't have the pup plugged in while raising or lowering the roof. This was not explained to us by the dealer (they may not have known?), nor do I recall reading about it in the owner's manual (is it in there?)."

Here's the recall in that I downloaded from NHTSA.gov web site.

Fleetwood Folding Trailer is recalling 1,908 MY 2007 Sequoia, Avalon, Cheyene, and MY 2007-2008 Arcadia, Niagara, Saratoga, Williamsburg, Bayside, Utah, Santa Fe, and Sun Valley recreational trailers. The power lift roof system, which consists of a power lift motor and current limiter controller, generates excessive amounts of impact torque if the power lift is operated with the 30A power cord plugged into a 110V AC power source (with or without a battery). This could cause failure in one of the shear pins resulting in damage to the trailer's lift system. This could allow the roof to free-fall from the raised position, possibly resulting in personal injury, vehicle and/or property damage. Owners will be provided with two warning stickers which explains the proper function of the power lift accessory using a battery only. One sticker will be placed at the rear of the trailer next to the current limiter. The second sticker will be placed next to the 30A power cord outlet. In addition, Fleetwood Folding Trailer will send a copy of the operation manual that emphasizes the battery-only operation of this trailer accessory. The recall is expected to begin during November 2007.

[Birdlodge]

Thank you all for the great info. I have yet to receive anything from the dealer or from Fleetwood, but, at least I now know what may have been the cause.