1986 Coleman Lift System--help!

[DLEWTER]

I just recently had a 1986 coleman popup camper given to me. Everything inside the camper works great.  The only problem is it will not let up.  The cables are broken & it doesn't have the whiffletree under it.  Where can I get these & how hard of a job is it to do?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[AZsix]

I wish I could help on where to get the whiffletree. I would think you could order one from whoever owns the Coleman line these days. You can get the cables as well already cut to size. I have an 88 Coleman and I had to replace one of my cables. The dealer said it would take 10 days to get the cable so I went to Home Depot and bought two pieces of cable (so I would have an extra) and the clamps for about $12. It wasn't that hard to do once I got it figured out. It would help to have someone helping you. I did it on my own so it took a little longer.

Good luck with it and let us know how it progresses.

[mike4947]

The good news is here's a PDF file for the lift system: http://www.popupportal.com/manuals/Coleman_Lift_Systems.pdf
 
The bad news is the parts are only available through a Fleetwood dealer. You could try one like http://www.pecocamping.com/ if you want to have them mail ordered.

[tlhdoc]

A guy I work with has a camper around that age and his Fleetwood dealer told him they couldn't order a new whiffletree for him.  The dealer doesn't have the best reputation and they may have told him that trying to see him a new camper.  Good luck on getting the whiffletree.  You will have to go through a Fleetwood dealer to get a new one (if they still sell them for your PU).  There are some trailer salvage places that may be able to sell you a used whiffletree.

[fshnfool76]

For the whiffle tree, how about trying one of the camper used parts site like http://www.colawrvsalvage.com/, http://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/catalog/display.php and http://www.telusplanet.net/public/wks/. There might be others too. Good luck