14 rockwook Power winch

[Andrew Harris]

After raising roof completely, the winch retracts enough to where guide line is not taught anymore. Is there a repair or adjustment that I need to make to correct the issue? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Annunzi]

We had the very same problem with our Rockwood power winch. Apparently the power winches on the Rockwood's are very unreliable and fail often, so we decided to replace it with a manual winch from Goshen. You can get a socket Genie adapter that attaches to a good power drill, so you can use the drill to raise/lower the roof.

 

[Andrew Harris]

Is it difficult to convert from a power to a manual winch or is everything bolt on with the winch? I'm new at all this stuff

 

[Annunzi]

It's actually pretty straightforward forward, there's just 3 bolts that hold the winch to the frame and the power wires. The trickiest part for me was removing the cable from the power winch. I had to cut the cable with an oscillating tool as close to the spool as possible, as I wanted to keep the cable as long as possible.

There's some YouTube videos on the winch/cable replacement.

 

[Andrew Harris]

Perfect. I'm currently watching one right now. The more I learn now, the easier the repair will be once I do it. Thanks!

 

[Annunzi]

Here's a pic of mine before I removed it. The winch had a top and bottom cover that need to be removed, then unplug the power wires that go to the switch. The arrows show where the anchor bolts are. There's a third one lower down between the upper bolts.

I believe the model of manual winch you'll need is the Goshen 1200. Here's a link: http://www.popupparts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4

 

[Andrew Harris]

Does this look right?

 

[Annunzi]

Yes that's the one, I added a link to a cheaper one in my previous post. I ordered mine directly from Goshen for about $90 plus shipping.

 

[Andrew Harris]

Thank you!

 

[Michael Guldan]

Andrew,

While I agree with everyone else that these winches are problematic, the problem you described is likely taken care of by a quick adjustment of the clutch.

I am attaching the manual in the event you want to look into this approach

Reference page 11 !

FWIW, I have a Rockwood as well, and have experienced the same problem that you describe

Mike

 

[Andrew Harris]

Thanks! I will check that out.

 

[Grandpa Don]

We had the very same problem with our Rockwood power winch. Apparently the power winches on the Rockwood's are very unreliable and fail often, so we decided to replace it with a manual winch from Goshen. You can get a socket Genie adapter that attaches to a good power drill, so you can use the drill to raise/lower the roof.

Yes, yes, yes! That's the way to go!

 

[Greg H]

Replaced the one on my Rockwood with a manual winch once the power winch crapped out. The job was less than an hour from start to finish. Pretty hard to mess it up. Very happy I switched.

Thanks! I will check that out.

 

[carbonunit]

Replaced the one on my Rockwood with a manual winch once the power winch crapped out. The job was less than an hour from start to finish. Pretty hard to mess it up. Very happy I switched.

I also was glad to be rid of the electrical demon on my Rockwood. I bought a replacement winch off of Amazon that has a built in brake that holds the roof weight as it is cranked up and offers resistance as it is cranked down. I believe it was a bit over $100. It was an easy install.

 

[Andrew Harris]

Thanks everyone for all your input. I went online and bought a goshen manual winch. I'll probably just replace it and be done with all my problems before next camping season kicks off. Did anyone have to do any crazy mods to the winch cover to make the crank handle fit properly?

 

[Greg H]

Nah, the existing cover works, you just need to cut a hole for the winch handle. You’ll have a small hole on the other side where the switch was, but that’s not impactful.

Thanks everyone for all your input. I went online and bought a goshen manual winch. I'll probably just replace it and be done with all my problems before next camping season kicks off. Did anyone have to do any crazy mods to the winch cover to make the crank handle fit properly?

 

[Andrew Harris]

Nah, the existing cover works, you just need to cut a hole for the winch handle. You’ll have a small hole on the other side where the switch was, but that’s not impactful.

Cool. Thanks!