UPDATE! I had written a response to this topic a while ago and just needed to "update" form our last trip...
At Four Mile State Park, just North of Niagara Falls, we were lowering our top to head to the Falls when about half way through the decent the top dropped about 3-4 inches...!!!...we were a little concerned but went about our day...landed in Erie State Park SW of Niagara for the night, popped top....next morning as we were lowering the top, it DROPPED AGAIN the last 4-6 inches with a super loud thud! Scared the he!! our of us (thank GD wife was sitting on couch and I was on ladder w/fingers out of way)...called SMB North and Jim answered...told him story and said, " Sounds like a bad motor." Well, we had a week to go (planned/had left Mackinaw, southern shore of Superior, Duluth, home) Jim transferred me to Nancy and (of coarse) she sd."I can work you in on Friday am (it is Saturday, and yes crew is there for a 1/2 day...unbelievable!!))...earlier the better!" How could we turn down the work in!?! So we decided to take her up and cut the vaca short...(we did shoot up to Superior SE shore Mouth of Two Rivers SP, and worked our way back for the Friday spot....)
OK...I KNOW a long way to get to the meat of story...
Got there first thing in am 8am(stayed at a campground 3 miles away), went to the local cafe a couple blocks away in Downtown Huntington, IN...came back an hour or so later to check in and Chad sd. "motors are fine...BUT, the PH hardware is as dry as a bone!" Chad showed us where/how to undo screws to move fabric/protector out of way to get to small (hydraulic looking piston drive) lift area...showed us how to lube tracks, guide bars (ESPECIALLY main guide tube that has some 'play' in it) and piston bar itself......what was happening:
Dry 'male' tube was catching on side of of 'female' tube and would 'release' and catch up with other side, hence the 'drop' effect.... problem fixed, Chad tightened up some things, re-chalkued shower, w/o asking just 'noticed' it needed it, and a few other things, showed us top discovery, replaced our toilet, (ANOTHER story of forgetting to blow the flush apparatus dry last winter) and got out of there for $170....(so I understand members frustration, I believe that North has less unhappy customers b/c they ANSWER the phone and try to work things out, so leave North out of your tirades) BUT, when you pick up your VAN...LISTEN AND TAPE the conversation and tour...we have looked at that thing many times and STILL have forgotten the 'maintenance' these FINE machines need to keep running smoothly...and looking back at the video of us picking Sporty up and sure enough, Chad and Jim talk about lubing the PH...so keep looking up tips, lube, adjust, maintain and wa-la happy times!
PS AS USUAL, FORUM COMES THROUGH... if I had ONLY SEEN it earlier...oh the irony!!
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