lifting the tent rack questions

[dstock]

too late for the joints ...but i had no idea the length of wire would make a difference.....Matt

p.s. mixing my dry wax concoction this week

the difference in length in wire is subtle, but the one with the longest wire on mine was always the one slightly behind

 

[colorado matt]

the difference in length in wire is subtle, but the one with the longest wire on mine was always the one slightly behind

i am curious do you have one switch that controls them all at once ? and if one gets behind ...does that mean you have to catch it up after a while and how would you do that if they are indeed controlled by one switch

 

[dstock]

i am curious do you have one switch that controls them all at once ? and if one gets behind ...does that mean you have to catch it up after a while and how would you do that if they are indeed controlled by one switch

I did have one switch controlling them all and there wasn't enough lag to need to catch them up. The stroke of my actuators was only 16 inches so the lag wasn't much of an issue and you can just hit the switch in reverse for a sec at the top to level things off. My build thread is in my sig. It worked great for several years, we just got tired of the RTT flap in the desert winds and I converted my trailer over to a camper shell.

 

[colorado matt]

good to know thanks .... i was hoping one switch for everything... i was picturing 2 wires leaving switch and going down each side of the trailer spitting in the middle of the trailer and feeding each corner..that should keep the distances close .... then i got quagmired in series vs parallel and now thinking each corner should go all the way to the switch... that would put the back 2 wire length approx 6 feet longer ...which i could make them the same and have a couple coils of wire near the switch coming off of the fronts .... starting to think i am getting analize paralyzed .... inline switch for each so i could shut them off for a second...AAARRRGGGHHHH

 

[dstock]

good to know thanks .... i was hoping one switch for everything... i was picturing 2 wires leaving switch and going down each side of the trailer spitting in the middle of the trailer and feeding each corner..that should keep the distances close .... then i got quagmired in series vs parallel and now thinking each corner should go all the way to the switch... that would put the back 2 wire length approx 6 feet longer ...which i could make them the same and have a couple coils of wire near the switch coming off of the fronts .... starting to think i am getting analize paralyzed .... inline switch for each so i could shut them off for a second...AAARRRGGGHHHH

LOL yes it's easy to over think! I used one switch and ran separate lines for each, just do your coils close to the switch. I mounted my switch and fuse panel in the tongue box. I never had any binding issues like one has when trying to lift the rack manually.

 

[PacificNorthWestJeeper]

I did not worry about wire length and mine worked very well with zero binding..
I started out with the gas struts in the beginning of my build but they were a pain in the axe..
The linear actuators make it so much nicer.....
.
.

 

[colorado matt]

sweet .... that makes me grin a big grin ...and what kind of switch is that ... does it reverse polarity .... why am i looking at a control box for a hundred bucks ?
and
i dont have my actuators yet so this may seem like a dumb question .... why are they wired that way .... meaning to me they seem upside down and need the coil wire to extend.... flip them over and no extra wire needed ....what is it i dont know ??.... . Matt

 

[high-and-dry]

They are simply a motor that you reverse the wires to go the other way. Looks like his switch is a maintained contact and the actuator has limits switches built in ( they all do I think ). The coiled wire is probably his lights, you can see the motor down at the bottom if you know what your looking at.

If you dont want a maintained contact see the switch below.

Amazon.com: BANDC Momentary Motor Polarity Reverse reversing Rocker Switch Control DPDT DC 12V or 24V (1 PCS): Industrial & Scientific

Buy BANDC Momentary Motor Polarity Reverse reversing Rocker Switch Control DPDT DC 12V or 24V (1 PCS): Rocker Switches - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

here is a latching switch

Amazon.com: Rocker Switch Polarity Reverse Motor Control maintained: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Rocker Switch Polarity Reverse Motor Control maintained: Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

 

[PacificNorthWestJeeper]

All in my build... You're heading the right way, keep up the good work..

A Little Different M416 Trailer Build

I have been wanting an "Off-Road" trailer for some time now. After looking around for a few years I considered a few things...Buying One $$$$$...Making on from scratch-ehhh... Then I came across the M416 military trailers. I liked the look, kind of nostalgic, not too big, floats (lol), and its...

www.expeditionportal.com

 

[colorado matt]

why are they wired that way .... meaning to me they seem upside down and need the coil wire to extend.... flip them over and no extra wire needed

haha i am a ************** ...that coil wire feeds the lights ..... read your build ...makes me jealous ...Matt