crank problems

[doreenb]

Thanks for that link on the manual. It will help alot. I didn't see anything in the manual for awnings, but I'm sure we'll figure it out with your instructions.
thanks again, Doreen

[doreenb]

I guess that must be where the latch was, cause it doesn't have anyway to secure the door open.
Doreen

[Shawsee]

No there is nothing in the manulas for awnings as I already checked when I thought that there were some poles missing on mine. If you look closely at your awning at the very end there should be a rectangular shaped aluminum tube. That piece should have the two vertical/upright poles (the ones with the wooden rope tension adjusters) attached to it thru a pin. As I mentioned above there may be three other or sometimes only two horizontal rafter poles. Those go into the rectangle piece at the end of the awning and they rest against the roof held in by pressure, at least that's what I was told by the Fleetwood dealer. It is rather simple once you start looking at it closer. I will try and get some pictures of mine to show you. If you don't want your rafter poles I will gladly buy them from you!  :p

[Lab-dog]

Speaking from one that just sheared a shear pin earlier this week in an attempt to hear the clicking sound, I would not recommend over cranking the crank!

We bought a new camper earlier this week and got it home and felt like the top wasn't going all the way up, and then read on the posts that I should hear the ever elusive cranking noise, so in my he-man wisdom, I decided it needed a little more cranking.

As you can read in another post, I broke it, and spent all last week getting the crank mechanism fixed.

So the reason for me posting here, and posting now, is that I'm still concerned that I'm not hearing this clicking noise.  I'm afraid to sleep with my feet dangling over the bed end for fear that the top will come slamming down in the middle of the night an remove my feet!

I guess I'm really just re-iterating from above, do we HAVE to hear the click?  I read on a Coleman web ring from Penn State that the crank is designed to hold the camper top wherever you left off.  So I'm under the impression it should stay up...  thought?

[doreenb]

We figured out the awning poles. Thanks for your help.
Still trying to remove the curtains to clean them. The rail they slide is on is so close to the camper side that I can't get the tabs through. I think I might just cut the curtains off leaving the tabs, put velcro on the tabs, make new curtains and put velcro tabs on them. I'd like to do it in a retro theme, so new fabric would be needed anyway.
thanks, Doreen

[Shawsee]

I guess I'm really just re-iterating from above, do we HAVE to hear the click? I read on a Coleman web ring from Penn State that the crank is designed to hold the camper top wherever you left off. So I'm under the impression it should stay up... thought?


Lab-dog,

I was like you in my thoughts of the "over-crank" method. I read and re-read my manual and nowhere in mine did it state to overcrank to hear/re-set ratchet sound. I called Fleetwood and spoke with a Tech and he was very helpful and knowledgable, in fact he even put me on hold to go speak with an engineer who worked there for many years. He told my my particular Coleman Fleetwood DID NOT come equiped from the factory with the "ratchet pawl" design. From what I understood, is that it came with a clutch/brake system, no ratchet. Keep in mind, this info was for my 93 Coleman Roanoke Destiny series. Also he informed me that my camper was built in 92 even tho the nomenclature plate listed it as a 93. He stated they all are built this way.

If I were you, just give them a call at the number I listed in my previous post. Plus I added a link there to the lift mechanisms listed by Fleetwood, so you can always check it out.


Doreen,

"We figured out the awning poles. Thanks for your help.
Still trying to remove the curtains to clean them. The rail they slide is on is so close to the camper side that I can't get the tabs through. I think I might just cut the curtains off leaving the tabs, put velcro on the tabs, make new curtains and put velcro tabs on them. I'd like to do it in a retro theme, so new fabric would be needed anyway.
thanks, Doreen"


When my wife took our curtains down she ran into the same problem. there is a "tab" with a screw thru it on each end of the track that holds the canvas in place. Under this tab there was a space where the track was actualy bigger and appeared to look as if it was pryed open a bit to let the sliding plastic tabs go into place. I removed the screw with the tab and it was a piece of cake for her to then remove all the curtain slides. Before you go cutting anything off take a closer look at the slide and the tab that holds the canvas in place.

[doreenb]

I took the tab and screw off, but the slide rail is so close to the edge of the camper, that the tabs won't fit through. There is no way to get them off in that tiny space.
Doreen

[Shawsee]

Doreen,

OK let me try to explain better here. The cutain slide rail on our camper is the same as yours, very close to the side wall. When I removed the tab and screw there was a spot in the "T slide"(if you will) that was approx. 3/4" to 1" from the end of T slide. This spot was larger then the slide opening itself, almost as if it was pryed open causing a larger opening then the actual slide opening itself. So in better perspectitve, picture the T slide opening being, oh lets say, 3/16" wide. The larger opening was, lets say, 1/4" wider, that's where you remove the curtain tabs from. I had to lift them out "upward" at an angle toward the roof in order to remove them, but they did come out. However I do not know if this "larger opening" was there from the factory, or the original owner did this with a screwdriver or some sort of prybar. I will say this tho, all the ends of the curtain slide bar(including the valence) had them in exactly the very same location. So I doubt he did this because he would have to have been very accurate in his modfication. The curtain tabs themself will not go completely to the very end to be removed they must come out thru the larger opening in the T slide.

I hope this helps and if not post back again and I will try and get some pictures up by this weekend for you so you can see what I mean, OK?

[doreenb]

thanks, I'll check it out tomorrow.
Doreen