I just bought a used 2016 FWC Eagle and have been using it to access all the powder we've been getting CA. I love the camper but am struggling a bit dealing with the snow. Popping the top isn't that much of a problem because I can remove most of the snow with a brush by moving around on the rear-wall steps and running boards. However, dropping the top is much more, uh... exciting....
The other day was the worst as I had about 6" of dense consolidated snow on the roof after skiing. I knew it would be heavy so I though I'd just pull forward a bit and hit the brakes to knock the snow off the roof. Snow didn't budge. So, I then decided to up the effort and do some hotlaps around parking lot driving like an ************ erratically swerving and braking. Didn't work. However, it did work quite well in pissing off the wife....
Since the snow isn't coming off, I didn't see any other options than just dealing with it. Holy crap was that thing heavy. I'd call the Battle of the Roof a tie. I didn't drop it, but I didn't leave unscathed; I write this now with a sore neck reminding me that I don't want to do that again.
So, how do other people deal with the snow? It's a 2016 so it came with the exterior struts. I searched forums and found that some people use speaker lifts to help raise and lower the top, but I think the snow is too heavy for that. The stand people are using seems to be rated at around 100lbs. My roof is setup with a solar panel, yakima rack, and cargo box. With 6" of consolidated snow, my calculations (image below) are coming in at about 550 lbs. I could drop almost 50 lbs by switching the cargo box for a ski rack, but it's the snow that's the problem. Perhaps I lower the front during the day so the snow can try to slide down? Any other ideas?
The other day was the worst as I had about 6" of dense consolidated snow on the roof after skiing. I knew it would be heavy so I though I'd just pull forward a bit and hit the brakes to knock the snow off the roof. Snow didn't budge. So, I then decided to up the effort and do some hotlaps around parking lot driving like an ************ erratically swerving and braking. Didn't work. However, it did work quite well in pissing off the wife....
Since the snow isn't coming off, I didn't see any other options than just dealing with it. Holy crap was that thing heavy. I'd call the Battle of the Roof a tie. I didn't drop it, but I didn't leave unscathed; I write this now with a sore neck reminding me that I don't want to do that again.
So, how do other people deal with the snow? It's a 2016 so it came with the exterior struts. I searched forums and found that some people use speaker lifts to help raise and lower the top, but I think the snow is too heavy for that. The stand people are using seems to be rated at around 100lbs. My roof is setup with a solar panel, yakima rack, and cargo box. With 6" of consolidated snow, my calculations (image below) are coming in at about 550 lbs. I could drop almost 50 lbs by switching the cargo box for a ski rack, but it's the snow that's the problem. Perhaps I lower the front during the day so the snow can try to slide down? Any other ideas?
