For myself, The thought of the roof giving way is always a "possibility" - I'm sure the chances are equal to becoming the next Lotto winner...but someone wins!
When the cross bar bolt snapped on me once, that was my wake-up call - scared the crap out of me (mostly because it wasn't anticipated). This is one of the reasons I place the dowel bars in the 4 corners once top is in the "up" position...overly cautious??? Maybe, but I sleep better.
The telescoping cargo bars from Home Depot that Dango mentions seem to be a good way to address this. On the many other (now) pop tops out there for adventure vehicles, this does not seem to be a potential design flaw (=user/owner concern).
__________________ parisdakar
(bryon)
2010 Ford EB E350 4x4 6.0L with SMB Penthouse
Were there verified collapses of the SMB penthouse tops? People seem highly concerned, but it seems mainly if they are loading the roof close to or beyond the recommended weight limit.
Not that I know of but it doesn't mean it hasn't happened. My concern is lifting the top. Once it's up the screws should hold the rods. Which doesn't mean supporting corner posts aren't worth having if only to hold things steadier in winds.
__________________
-Don-
Life and baseball both sometimes are not fair, but it is how you play the hops that counts. —Scott Miller, NYT Sports
AWOL
Jiminy
Adobe Loon (aka the Dawghaus)
Linear Mode
