Reinforcing the front cap

[coralcruze]

Originally Posted by MrGallegos

I never thought about that, so how do I measure it to know if there is a problem sag or not?

I have not noticed any leaks, and I can see that there is noticeable curve (crown ) in the back shell so I dot not suspect any problems there, but the front shell (from the inside) looks flat, (no sag or dip in the center).

The only issue I notice is that the front shell is heavy (takes two to open it), and one of my torsion bolts is stuck, so I do not know if that is the issue or if the there is water that has collected in the interior foam which makes it heavy. If there were water that collected in the interior foam, how would one find out, and what can be done to dry it?

If your rear shell has a noticeable crown but your front shell does not you will see this right behind the AC from the inside on a 2720 model. The way to check this specifically is look at the seam pillow that is attached to the rear shell. The two outside ends closest to the walls on mine has more space between the seam pillow and the cieling of the front shell. Then where the bracket is on the back shell edge in the center of the AC I can see an obviouse squashing or crushing of the seam pillow. If this is the case on yours than the front shell is sagging. How much of a sag will depend on many factors but I think its imperative that you check the sag to determine if intervention is necessary.

What I did to determine this is make a paper template of the rear shell edge from the inside using a sharpie marker and taping the long paper to the cieling and tracing the curve or crown of the lower shell. Then close the back shell and place the template over the front shells back edge. Line up the two ends and measure in the middle or belly of the arc. That is OF there is an arc. This measurment will tell you exactly how much of a sag you have. If it's flat or no crown or less than an inch of crown I would recommend intervention and reinforcement supports. Otherwise, the sag will only get worse and when that sag gets below flat line it may be impossible to raise it of stabilize and replacement of the shell would be necessary at this point. If interested in what I am doing to stabilize it PM me.