Whiffletree is the metal rod present on the bottom of the camper. The bars move up and down over the rod to pull and extend the cables for lowering and raising its roof.
What is a Whiffletree on a Pop-Up Camper? Whiffletree is the bar that is located underneath the pop-up camper. This reliable lifting mechanism allows the pulling and release of interconnected bars to raise and lower the roof. It provides stability during the lifting mechanism, and you can adjust the height of the roof. Its two common types are ball bearing and plastic Delrin nuts.
It is necessary to maintain them properly because many people complain that their camper’s roof is not coming down when they rotate the crank handle.
What are the functions of Whiffletree in a pop-up camper?
Whiffletree is a significant part of the pop-up campers, and you cannot lower or raise their roof when any of their cables are detached and damaged.
Reliable lifting mechanism
It is a reliable lifting mechanism to raise and lower the camper roof as compared to manual lifting.
It does not require human effort to raise the roof of the pop-up camper. These contain interconnected metal bars pulled together to exert force on a central pivot point.
The resultant force is beneficial to raise the roof and increase the living space on the interior side. It is better than most manual methods that demand more physical effort.
In addition, it is an easy setup, and you can quickly move the roof up and down using a manual or electric cranking mechanism.
Allows lifting of the roof
Whiffletree allows the lifting of the roof to create additional living space. These are foldable campers, and you can increase the headroom and living space by adjusting their height according to your needs.
You can increase the interior space when you are staying on the campgrounds to enjoy the weather and natural scenes in the particular area.
It can improve your camping experience when you find more space to move and sleep inside. In addition, these provide greater space utilization, and you can also lower that to make the towing procedure easy and better fuel efficiency during traveling.
Provide stability during lifting
It is a safe and secure lifting mechanism because it provides stability during lifting. Interconnected bars allow equal force distribution on all sides of the campers, which can decrease the risk of poor stability.
The specific design of the lifting mechanism ensures that every single point bears the same weight to maintain stability.
It prevents unequal weight distribution on one side, which can disturb the integrity of the frame and leads to damage. Moreover, structural integrity and stability maintenance decrease the risk of collapsing campers.
Height adjustment
It is the most reliable lifting mechanism that lasts for years when you maintain them properly. In addition, some of their designs provide adjustability of roofs at different heights for people’s ease.
You can adjust the roof at different heights by using the crank handle. You can customize their height according to your needs and living preferences.
It is an adjustable and flexible lifting mechanism, and you can select different roof heights according to the weather conditions and available space of campsites.
Moreover, the reliable material also withstands various environmental conditions in different parking lots.
How does a Whiffletree work in a pop-up camper?
It is the lifting system that is present in all of the pop-up campers. These are foldable, and you can adjust the height of their roof according to your needs and preferences.
You can adjust the roof height with the help of this lifting mechanism. It connects a set of interconnected metal cables or bars attached to this metal rod in a crisscross manner.
The opposite end of each metal wire is connected with the central point of the Whiffletree. This component is connected to the manual and hydraulic crank handle.
You can operate it by rotating the manual and hydraulic crank handles. The lifting mechanism allows the interconnected bars to pull together to create the force on the center pivot point when you crank the handle to raise the roof.
The force created with this action is preferably used to raise the roof and increase the interior space. You can expand and adjust the canvas walls and windows to create a living space.
Interconnected bars return to their original position when you disengage the crank handle to lower the roof. You can lower the roof to fold down the camper while storing and moving on the road to increase fuel efficiency.
It is necessary to read the owner manual while using Whiffletree for raising and lowering the campers because its function can vary depending on their design and specific model.
Where is Whiffletree located on your pop-up camper?
Whiffletree is a metal rod that is interconnected with several bars and cables. You can see this lifting mechanism on the lower side of your pop-up camper.
It is attached to the lower side of the frame and runs along its length. Moreover, it is located in the center of the lower side of the frame and is connected with a crank handle.
It allows the interconnected bars to equally distribute the force on all frames’ sides when you use the crank handle to raise their roof.
How do you maintain the Whiffletree on your pop-up camper?
It is necessary to maintain the Whiffletree that is located on the lower side of the camper. Poorly maintained lifting components do not allow the roof’s lowering and raising to create additional living space.
It is necessary to keep them clean so dust and debris do not cause any obstruction during their movement. Sometimes dust and dirt accumulate between these metal roads, and they do not provide proper force to raise the roof.
You should maintain them properly to keep them operational throughout your trip. I prefer to lubricate the lifting component of my pop-up camper before every trip so it cannot cause any issues during the journey.
One of my friends told me he mostly uses the WD-40 lubricant spray to grease their parts because of their reliability and longevity.
Sometimes birds can also make their nests on these parts. Birds can make their nests when you do not store them in suitable locations. Birds usually choose these places for nesting sites when you park them in open garages and near trees without covers.
Take the bristle brush to remove the debris that usually comes because of the bird’s nests. Store them away from the gardens and open places so birds cannot access these dark and warm places for their nests.
What are the common types of Whiffletrees in pop-up campers?
The two most common types of whiffletrees are available in the market. These are ball bearing and plastic Delrin nut type.
The ball bearing contains the threaded rod that is located underneath the trailer. Bar moves up and down to raise and lower the roof by exerting and releasing sufficient force.
Its second type contains the plastic Delrin nut in the center of the drawbar. It is known as Delrin nut because it is made of Delrin nylon.
The presence of the plastic nut increases the reliability of the manual cranking mechanism and reduces the risk of damage. Many manufacturers prefer to add the Delrin nut-type whiffletree in their pop-up campers because it reduces the friction between moving parts of the lifting mechanism.
Moreover, it is resistant to corrosion and is beneficial in rainy weather and highly humid areas.
