Community Forums

Gadget Man · 04-11-2014, 06:08 PM

I try my best to keep my motorhome covered when we’re not using it. Not having to winterize is a benefit of living in Southern California, but the UV rays here can cause damage in a short amount of time.

In my 30's, I could throw my cover over my shoulder and climb up to the roof. In my 40's, I had to acquire to help of my son, who would climb up on the roof and pull the cover up as I shimmy-ed it up the sidewall of the RV. Now I’m in my 50's...my knees and back are shot and my son moved out and started his own family. Last year I began looking for an alternate way of getting the heavy RV cover up to the roof. I tried the RV cover hoist sold at CW, but it was junk. Several members of this forum came up with some good ideas, but most of them didn’t work for me, mainly because of my lousy back. One member suggested I buy a drywall lift and hoist the cover up to the roof. That seemed like overkill, besides the lifts started at $300 and up.

My motorhome went uncovered most of the winter. It kills me to leave my baby unprotected, so I decided to act before summer hits. Harbor Freight sells a drywall hoist that gets fairly good reviews. They are normally $300, but are currently $100 off. Add the 20% off coupon that I received in the mail, and the price drops down to $160. Then I found out that the stores have an in-house coupon for 25% off, but it is good only on Easter Sunday. I called my local store and they told me they only had one drywall hoist in stock. Fearing it would get snatched up by Sunday, I decided 20% off was good enough.

I brought it home and assembled it. The owner’s manual is worthless, but I found a very good assembly video on YouTube. It took me about 15 minutes to put it together. I wheeled it over to the motorhome and it reaches the roof perfectly. Overkill? Perhaps, but it makes a cumbersome job a heck of a lot easier! Now I just have to figure out where to store the darn thing...

Craig

**Scarab0088** · 04-11-2014, 06:32 PM

Nice

You're smart to cover it IMHO.

We cover our RV too - protection from the SoCal Sun.

Thanks to HOA and community laws, it has to be in a secure lot, so we can't erect a cover. Plus covered storage starts around $550 a month

in these parts, so the cover goes on any time the RV will sit over a month 'er so.

Be safe up on the roof.

Fred1609 · 04-12-2014, 02:40 AM

Brilliant idea......I know without my sons help getting that cover up would be a job and a half.

coolhand108 · 04-12-2014, 07:37 AM

hi guys do you have problems with the wind moving the cover, wearing on the paint on your sidewalls. some say it ruins your paint, I need one but decided to see if you have had a problem with yours. thanks for any advice. coolhand 108

mwwade · 04-12-2014, 09:29 AM

What ever it takes to get it done!

Gadget Man · 04-12-2014, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolhand108

hi guys do you have problems with the wind moving the cover, wearing on the paint on your sidewalls. some say it ruins your paint, I need one but decided to see if you have had a problem with yours. thanks for any advice. coolhand 108

I too have heard such complaints, but here’s my experience. I live in the Inland Empire of SoCal where the Santa Ana winds whip up on a frequent basis. I always wash the RV before I cover it and I make sure that my cover is securely fastened. I also a keep a good coat of wax on the RV. I have never experienced any damage caused by the cover. The covers do wear out over time and they can develop tears, but that is something you get use to dealing with.

I have a friend who buys his covers exclusively from Camping World. He buys their product protection warranty for an extra $100. The first sign of a tear, he returns it to CW and exchanges it for a new one. He then pays another $100 for the protection on the replacement cover. This way he only pays full price for a cover once. Great idea IMO. I’m going to try his system with my next cover.

Craig

**Scarab0088** · 04-12-2014, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolhand108

hi guys do you have problems with the wind moving the cover, wearing on the paint on your sidewalls. some say it ruins your paint, I need one but decided to see if you have had a problem with yours. thanks for any advice. coolhand 108

High winds will balloon a poorly fitted cover. Get one that fits and has straps at the ends to prevent it from blowing around. I only use 2 bungy cords on the cover under the frame of the RV to prevent the cover from being too tight...wear on corners and sharp edges is bad for the cover.

The materials on current covers will not damage the paint. You, of course should avoid using tarps for RV covers. Vinyl tarps will damage paint.

If the RV is dirty then a cover could grind against the dirt and damage the paint.

Keep the RV and cover clean and there's no problem...and much better than sun damage.

Best luck