Easy ways to put on/off RV cover Spirit 31K Class C.

[shemphill]

We we have a Spirit 31K Class C. We have a nice cover for it to protect it from the sun. I've been really pleased with the cover so far but it's a pain in the rump to put on and take off. I've been taking it off, putting it on the ground and rolling it up, then humping it back up the ladder to put it back on. Carrying that heavy cover up the ladder is a chore. I just thought someone may have figured out an easier way to do all that.

 

[Morich]

Got to agree that a cover is needed considering how much damage the Texas sun does!

But I also have a lot of concern for the damage the wind does when draped over an RV where there are so many things to damage. We find the cover may shield from the sun but rub the paint off at the corners when the wind blows and it certainly does blow around here!
If it didn't catch on the batwing antenna and rip the cover, it was willing to settle for just ruining about anything else it could find!
One of the great joys of no longer having so many things to watch tear itself apart!
We never figured a good way to go on the cover!

 

[shemphill]

I put a storage tub over the batwing antenna to keep that from happening and I put tennis balls over the gutter extenders. it does not appear to rub to much on the paint but it may rub the corners. I have not left it on for long periods of time yet.

I found a video online where the guy lays the cover out beside the RV then tosses the long tie down straps up onto the roof, then he pulls the cover up with the straps rather than trying to carry the cover up to the top. I'll try that next. Next year I'll put up a perm shelter but for now I'm hoping the cover will protect it a little. We still use it about once a month so I was just looking for suggestions to make it easier.

Thanks for the concerns though. I'll keep that in mind and try to mitigate it destroying anything

 

[Eagle5]

Hi shemphill,
The Strap Ramp sounds like a great idea.
I park next to my front porch roof, so I just leave my cover up there; never taking it down:

Covering a 22M

Here is how I cover my Minnie Winnie 22M. I use the lightest-weight 12'x30' green tarp I can buy (7 mil) to keep the expensive fabric cover dry. I use bungee cords and small rope to secure it. Because the green tarp is lightweight, I can easily get it up over the motorhome from the ground...

www.winnieowners.com

Eagle5

 

[Morich]

I tried various ideas but not the cover over the batwing!
It always seemed to find the batwing, air conditioner, or some minor thing like the cover for the roof vent and I was always up on the roof before we got it done.

When I tried going to the roof to keep it from snagging there, it seemed to know and snagged on the electrical outlet or the fence!

When we paid for offsite storage, the night creeps pried the gas lid open and tore it up, even though they did not seem to get any gas. Just left more damage than we wanted. They may have lost money on that trip as they left a pretty nice 8 foot ladder leaning against the fence!
But then it may not have been their ladder anyway!

 

[JackK-WO]

My cover weighs about 55#. To remove it, while on the roof, I fold the front, back and sides flat on the roof, then fold in into thirds so it is about 3' wide. I then roll it up as tight as possible, front to back, and stuff it into the carry bag. I can't take it down the ladder because it is too bulky so I toss it off the roof onto the ground. My ladder isn't rated to carry both my weight and that of the cover.

Now that I have a nice neat roll, to get it back on the roof, I place the roll on a blanket in front of the RV, tie a strap around the end of the roll, by bunching up the end of the roll, which is the rear of the cover. While I'm on the roof, my wife tosses the strap to me and I simply pull the cover up as it unrolls on the blanket, so not having to lift all the weight at one time. I keep pulling the cover to the rear being careful not to snag it on anything that could be damaged and when done I just unfold it the opposite of how I folded it up to remove it; the sides, front and back simply flop down and I zip up the corner zippers and fasten the under straps. Of course, before I put the cover back on, I pad the heck out of anything sharp to protect the cover (these things anr not cheap), before dragging the cover up with the strap. Hope this helps.

 

[shemphill]

Thanks Jack. I have been thinking about that too. Pulling it up with the rear straps from the front may be simpler than pulling it up from the side with the side straps. I appreciate the suggestion.

 

[JackK-WO]

One caveat to my method; don't do this on a windy day. My RV is 12' high and I don't wish to go paragliding to the ground. Sometimes when I have to remove it for a trip and it is windy, I will let it fall to the ground on the downwind side and roll it up in a very non-tidy bunch. When convenient, I lay it out on my clean driveway and fold it like I mentioned in my first post. It is then ready to put back on easily.

 

[shemphill]

As an update, I have been using that method successfully for a while now. I roll up the sides from the ground then go up top to fold and roll tightly front to back. Then, as you suggested, when I put it back on I put a tarp down in front, tie a rope to the rear straps and toss it up on the roof. I go up top and pull the cover up and unfold it. it sounds like a time consuming operation but honestly without rushing I can have it uncoverer or covered in about 45 minutes. I still don't like going on the roof (that paragliding to the ground or the opposing fence is always on my mind) I just try to be careful and always make sure my wife is there in case of an emergency. If there were a way to do it without going up that would be great but this method works pretty well and it's pretty easy really. As I get a little older I'll have to look into some sort of hard storage.

Thanks for all the ideas! This sight is always great and I really appreciate all the experience and knowledge!