Help with Heco Lift System Corner Brackets Setup and Torsion Bar - on a 1995 Skamper 060s Popup Truck Camper

[MarcioF]

Hello,

Newby here trying to get some help from you guys. I recently purchased a Skamper with a damaged roof and pulled the trigger on fixing it myself. I already removed the entire roof and in the process of reconstructing it. The roof is "almost" (feels like never ending) done, but I'm thinking a bit ahead and trying to figure it out what's the best way to mount it back.

As many of these campers, the corner brackets that holds the lift system to the roof is a huge issue. Seems like, specially when it gets wet, this brackets go right thru the roof. I'm guessing this happens because of lack of support on the side wood structures AND because these brackets have a certain angle to them?!

My first question is actually that: These corner brackets suppose to have an angle?! I would think they should be flat 90 degrees angle to hold the roof evenly. Mine seems to have a slightly angle when its all the way down, AND (most interesting) they twist while I lift it up. Here is a Dropbox link for pictures and videos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tbxxqd38g9w6xie/AAAFmHvqGheQCQQza1A8gVxZa?dl=0

I have seem other people putting a metal bar attached to the wood and the brackets to help the support. Which I will do that but before, I need to understand why these brackets move when lifting AND why aren't they in a flat 90 degrees angle?! My first idea/impression would be remove the torsion bar (I'm guessing that's what it makes them twist) and attached the corners somehow to the outer tube, but I'm not an engineer, so here I am..

On top of that, seems like the right side is a bit lower than the left side when it's all the way down. I'm not sure if that's how it should be or not.

Any help will be greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[ripperj]

View attachment Heco roof repair.pdf

Someone either here or on the Northstar Facebook page wrote this up, definitely not me

The brackets have an angle and twist when the roof raises and lowers because the torsion springs put enormous forces on that short corner bracket. This causes the 1/4-20 bolts to move in the wood frame, which breaks the caulk seal. This allows water in, then rot/soggy wood. This eventually results in the brackets moving so much that they punch thru the roof.

When I redid mine on a N* TC800, I put a stainless backing plate on the outside and a 3’ long piece of 1/8” x2” steel flat stock on the inside. The plate on the inside was attached with lots of wood screws. You drill the inside and outside plates to match the bolt holes in the original brackets. If your wood in the roof on the back and sides is soggy, replace it (if you didn’t already)



The corner brackets should be straight and not at an angle. Your brackets are likely twisted and might need straightened.

You can’t take the torsion spring out, you would have a really hard time getting the roof up.

I can’t seem to find an inside repair pic

Here’s the outside.

It’s a bit of work, but a lifetime fix (in my case for the next guy as I sold the camper . )

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[MarcioF]

View attachment 711969

Someone either here or on the Northstar Facebook page wrote this up, definitely not me

The brackets have an angle and twist when the roof raises and lowers because the torsion springs put enormous forces on that short corner bracket. This causes the 1/4-20 bolts to move in the wood frame, which breaks the caulk seal. This allows water in, then rot/soggy wood. This eventually results in the brackets moving so much that they punch thru the roof.

When I redid mine on a N* TC800, I put a stainless backing plate on the outside and a 3’ long piece of 1/8” x2” steel flat stock on the inside. The plate on the inside was attached with lots of wood screws. You drill the inside and outside plates to match the bolt holes in the original brackets. If your wood in the roof on the back and sides is soggy, replace it (if you didn’t already)



The corner brackets should be straight and not at an angle. Your brackets are likely twisted and might need straightened.

You can’t take the torsion spring out, you would have a really hard time getting the roof up.

I can’t seem to find an inside repair pic

Here’s the outside.

It’s a bit of work, but a lifetime fix (in my case for the next guy as I sold the camper . )

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thank you @ripperj ! That helps a lot, I definitely have seem your corner pic on other posts haha So, If my corner brackets are twisted, any ideas of how I can get them straight? I'm guessing when they are straight, they need to be straight on the all the way up position, because that's how I should reinstall my roof back on, correct? Also, once I mount the roof back on, the steel plates added to the corners will stop the twist movement?

Thanks again!

 

[ripperj]

You could probably use a vice with some wood blocks if serrated jaws and a big adjustable wrench to tweak the brackets back straight.

You are correct , the heco lift needs to be reassembled with the roof in the up position. Make sure the canvas is on and the roof is in proper position(both height and left/right and front back)
Depending on how much you disassembled, it may be straight forward.
Level ground is best.

Read the write up about the arms sticking outward a bit before you reconnect the front part to the gear rack.


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[Zmanfj40]

You might need to reclock that corner torsion bracket, the angle when fully raised in your video looked extreme. It wasn't under load I get but when I raise mine it's not at that angle.

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[kjcummins]

Someone had previously repaired a corner on mine and they put the corner bracket back in the wrong way...so when the tension was off the and the roof removed, it was point about 30* towards the ground vs how it should be pointing up. This caused the whole roof to shift to the pass side when it was raised up(assuming that's the cause).