pop up top too big to seal

[clive]

If I lower my top to almost touching the camper bottom and sight along the sides (or front or rear) I can see the rubber gasket on the top is outside the metal rail on the bottom it is supposed to rest on.. (on all four sides) It looks like a wider gasket, maybe 3/4 inch would fix the problem. Anyone have any suggestions on this? Thanks. clive

[Colorado]

Welcome to the Forum..


Pictures help here...

[Jagiven]

Welcome Aboard! What year and model PU do you have?

The seal design has changed over the course of the years.

On our old PU, I know when it was closed we could not see the seal, but it was a really old PU.

[clive]

1996 10' thanks

[bankr63]

Sounds odd. Is it possible it's a bulb type seal that is meant to press against the side wall rather than compress against the rail?

[clive]

Looks like the best I have come up with is this. The rubber seal is on the bottom of the top and is supposed to fit down and seal on a flat aluminum piece that goes around the entire top of the trailer. On the top, the front and back have each bowed out slightly so they neither fit properly, primarily in the middle. I'll use some ridged, hollow, square aluminum bar, maybe 1/2 inch wide, inside the entire width of the front of the top, attach it on the ends, and run a bolt from the center front through the center of the bar. As I tighten this it will pull the center front of the top in until the seal on the top is in a straight line and lines up with the aluminum bed on the top edge of the trailer. Same with rear. With the sides I'll use 1 1/2" aluminum plate 1/64" thick down the entire length of the sides (accept the door) , placed on top of the original aluminum base, but a little outside, so it extends the width maybe 1/4" - 3/8", or whatever is correct, so the seal will fit correctly. Any better ideas welcome. C

[RogerR]

We had three different popups, all different brands, Wheelcamper, Coleman and Jayco. None would seal down if the canvas was folded incorrectly or there was too much bedding. Also, none folded completely tight until the side clamps were engaged. Have you checked inside to see if the internals were not packed properly?
Also, are you sure your arms and the erecting mechanism is working correctly?

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by clive

Looks like the best I have come up with is this. The rubber seal is on the bottom of the top and is supposed to fit down and seal on a flat aluminum piece that goes around the entire top of the trailer. On the top, the front and back have each bowed out slightly so they neither fit properly, primarily in the middle. I'll use some ridged, hollow, square aluminum bar, maybe 1/2 inch wide, inside the entire width of the front of the top, attach it on the ends, and run a bolt from the center front through the center of the bar. As I tighten this it will pull the center front of the top in until the seal on the top is in a straight line and lines up with the aluminum bed on the top edge of the trailer. Same with rear. With the sides I'll use 1 1/2" aluminum plate 1/64" thick down the entire length of the sides (accept the door) , placed on top of the original aluminum base, but a little outside, so it extends the width maybe 1/4" - 3/8", or whatever is correct, so the seal will fit correctly. Any better ideas welcome. C

Honestly, sounds like a lot of work and expense for an old trailer.

Did you check out Steele Rubber products for a slightly larger version of the current seal that would fill the gap? Probably a lot less effort and maybe expense than what you are contemplating. steelerubber.com

[clive]

Actually, a wider rubber seal was the first thing I thought of. But the wider part would be toward the inside of the top with nothing above it to counter the upward pressure of the top of the trailer, resulting in a lot of leverage on the groove it would fit into. Couldn't see how that would work well.
I have boat, motorhome and numerous other projects going on all the time so this is a pretty small job compared to other stuff I am usually doing. I already had some of what I needed and yesterday picked up the rest, for eight bucks and change, from a local metal recycling business.
It didn't seem relevant so I didn't mention what this trailer really is. I wanted a trailer to pull behind our motorhome that would hold a lot of stuff there wasn't room for inside. I thought about some sort of box trailer we see everywhere, but I wanted something I could stand up in so it would have to be quite tall resulting in not being able to see out the back except on the sides and a lot of wind resistance. So I thought a pop up trailer with nothing inside except a lot of floor space would be great for a bunch of see-through plastic boxes with lids. So I put A wanted ad on Craigslist and got a call on this one. It was in great shape and they only wanted $200.00 because someone had taken everything out of it! Couldn't have been better for what I wanted. This saved me a ton of work since someone had already done what I thought I was going to spend a month doing. It looks like it will be perfect for what I want. Has a really strong frame, minus the interior weight , minimal wind resistance, can see out the back and will have very small negative effect on my already dismal mileage. Plus I will seldom need to raise the top since there is plenty of room to crawl around inside to do whatever I need to do. Thanks for your suggestions. Clive