Have you ever wondered how the Jayco telescopic arms works?
Jayco Popup campers work because of their lifting mechanisms. The lifting mechanism is what allows the camper to unfold and give enough space to live within during your camping experience.
Some of the most important parts of any popup camper lifting mechanism include telescopic arms and pulleys.
Telescopic arms may be one of the most useful parts because it allows the popup camper to both extend and collapse, depending on whether you want it open or closed. This is what allows the popup camper to provide collapsible storage and extended height.
In this article, we are going to break down Jayco telescopic arms so that you can better understand your popup camper.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What Are Telescopic Arms?
Before going into detail about telescopic arms on campers, we have to first understand telescopic arms in general.
Many items use telescopic arms, not just campers. This is because telescopic arms are both functional and convenient.
Identifying The Telescopic Arm Design
Although its name may sound confusing, telescopic arms simply use the telescoping mechanism. This mechanism allows an item to be both collapsed or extended to provide customizable length and reach.
It may be helpful to think of telescopic arms as being almost like Russian nesting dolls.
“The arm includes multiple lengthening objects that are connected to one another. These objects can be collapsed into each other too because the lengthening objects are different sizes.”
The smallest object collapses into a slightly bigger object. The smaller object can extend out of the larger one because of an opening.
There can be more than two lengthening objects inside a telescopic arm. Frequently, there are three lengthening objects inside one telescopic arm.
Whenever the arm is completely collapsed, you will only see the biggest or the widest object because the other two are collapsed inside it.
Whenever you extend the telescopic arms, you will be able to see all three because they’re not hidden inside the bigger object any longer.
Jayco Jay Series Lift System Technical Description >> Check out the video below:
The Purpose Of Telescopic Arms
The point of telescopic arms is to add optional length with an optional collapsible design.
You can often find this sort of a design in campers, telescopes, ladders, camera stands, and a number of other items you may use every day.
How Do Telescopic Arms Work?
Telescopic arms are actually really simple in how they work.
As we already mentioned, telescopic arms include multiple lengthening objects that can fit inside one another.
Because they can fit inside one another, you have a conveniently compact device. At the same time, you can add a lot of length since you can extend the objects.
How The Parts Stay Connected
You might be confused about how you can extend these objects without the various items falling out of one another.
Most often, the lengthening items will have a rectangular shape. The end of each lengthening object has a lip.
This lip is bigger than the opening, preventing the smaller lengthening object from sliding out of the larger one.
Things I have BROKEN on our Jayco POP UP CAMPER >> Check out the video below:
Operating A Telescopic Arm
On some telescopic arms, the item is either extended or collapsed using your hands. Small ladders and camera stand, for example, are typically used and operated in this way.
Bigger items may need pulleys or hydraulics, though few items use hydraulics any longer.
For example, large ladders often need a pulley system since these items are too big for a single person to reach.
Other items, such as campers, may require some hydraulics and pulleys at the same time. This provides much more leverage and power for extending or collapsing the telescopic arms.
Telescopic Arms On Jayco Campers
As we’ve already mentioned, telescopic arms are often used in popup campers.
You probably are familiar with the popup camper mechanism, but let’s go over it here so that you can understand how they rely on telescoping arms.
An Overview Of Popup Campers
Many people choose popup campers because they can be collapsed and extended. When in the collapsed state, all parts of the telescopic arms are collapsed into one another.
Hooks and latches are used to connect the roof to the body of the camper, ensuring they stay in the collapsed position.
Whenever you are ready to open up a popup camper, you will unhook these latches and insert the camper crank.
As you turn the crank clockwise, it will start to extend the lifting mechanism by interacting with the pulleys, raising the camper up so that you can easily stand inside the camper.
After the top of your camper is opened, you then have to set the door and the beds.
The beds often slide out using telescopic arms too since they extend outwards whenever the camper is opened and slide back into the camper when it is collapsed.
Read also: What Is The Jayco Swan Bed Weight Limit? (Must Read)
Jayco Campers
As you can see, there are quite a few parts to the lifting mechanism, one of which being telescopic arms.
The same is true of Jayco campers. Jayco telescopic arms are designed so that the popup camper can be both compact or extended, depending on how you want it at one point or another.
Jayco campers come with multiple options for the lifting mechanism, ensuring that everything works as it should.
If one of the items gets damaged, you will have to replace it immediately or get it fixed.
Read also: Buying A Jayco Swan Outback (9 Helpful Tips)
What To Consider
Before opting for a new Jayco trailer with a telescopic arm, there are a few things you need to consider.
Most campers come with telescopic arms, but not all are designed the same. This is true of different brands, as well as individual models within the same brand.
There are four things we recommend considering: the lifting mechanism, durability, ease of use, and repair.
Let’s look at each factor in more detail individually.
Lifting Mechanism
As we mentioned above, all telescopic arms are used within the camper’s lifting mechanism.
Most campers will come with a pulley system in order to raise the roof and allow the camper to extend and break back down.
There’s not a one size fits all lifting mechanism and telescopic arm for every camper. Most will be designed generally the same, but there may be slight variations based on the camper’s size and additional features.
Understand the basics of your camper’s lifting mechanism to ensure you know how to use the crank and mount correctly.
One thing we recommend keeping in mind when using the lifting mechanism is to gently turn the crank.
Turning it too fast can break the lifting mechanism inside. If you notice more resistance in the crank, it may be time to take your camper to get evaluated to see if there is anything broken inside.
Durability
Something else you want to consider when looking at the telescopic arms is the durability. Once again, these arms slide into one another.
Because they slide open and closed, they can undergo a lot of general wear and tear. You want these arms designed from heavy-duty metal so that they don’t get bent or broken easily.
The same goes for the lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism is what actually opens the telescopic arms. If this mechanism breaks, the arms won’t be of much use.
Only select materials that are heavy-duty and generally withstand the test of time well.
Ease Of Use
In terms of ease of use, Jayco trailers are basically all designed in the same way. There is a crank that you turn clockwise to extend the camper and counterclockwise to collapse it again.
This makes the camper really easy to use and set up.
If you are debating between a Jayco camper or some other brand, make sure to look at the ease of use.
There’s no point in getting a pop-up camper that is incredibly difficult to set up since the setup already requires quite a bit of labor.
Repair / Replacement
Finally, the last thing you should consider is repair or replacement.
Even if you are diligent in selecting a camper made from great materials, you may need to repair the telescopic arms and lifting mechanism at one point, especially if you have had your camper for a while.
If you feel that there is an issue with the lifting mechanism or telescopic arm, you may want to evaluate the parts by yourself.
You may be able to determine the issue and quickly fix it. If you cannot pinpoint the issue, we recommend taking it to a dealer so that they can recommend fixes.
A look inside the Jayco lift system and the repairs
Replacing broken lift system and attaching the roof >> Check out the video below:
Final Thoughts
Telescopic arms are nifty devices that are found in a number of items, including Jayco trailers.
The arms are what allow popup campers to expand and collapse, making them a highly convenient and functional recreational vehicle.
It is because of the lifting mechanism that these arms can work. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a popup camper without a telescopic arm in the mechanism.
If you do happen to find one, we recommend going back to the classic design involving telescopic arms because of their ease of ease and functionality.
References
https://www.jayco.com/tools/brochures/
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