Pop-Up Camper Raises With Touch Of A Button

Pop-Up Camper Raises With Touch Of A Button FARM HOME recreation 22-1-18 Any pickup can be quickly converted into a 13-ft. wide "pop-up" camper that comfort-ably sleeps four adults and has 6 1/2 ft. of interior headroom, says the manufacturer, TICOM Corp., Canton, Mich. "It lets you use your pickup like an RV yet you're still able to tow a boat or trailer. It dismounts from the pickup in only about 10 minutes so after you're done camping you can use your pickup for other jobs," says Joe Tyson. The camper consists of a molded fiber-glass cover and a hydraulically-operated, "scissors lift" mechanism that serves as the frame. The scissors lift mounts on a pair of steel rails that bolt to the sides of the pickup. You raise the camper cover from the cab by simply pushing a button that activates an electric/hydraulic motor. Once the cover is all the way up you slip four vinyl weatherproof panels into a "J hook" slot in the cover and then zip the panels together. Two large plywood bed platforms, one on each side, are sup-ported by steel rods. There's a zippered door at the back and zippered windows on each side to provide ventilation. When you're done using the camper you simply remove the four panels and lower the cover flush with the top of the pickup bed. The plywood platforms store on the bed floor and the panels in a storage sack under the cover. "It has 6 1/2 ft. of head room and the two bunk platforms can hold up to 600 lbs. each," says sales rep Joe Tyson. "Even if you don't want a camper now you can just buy the scissors lift fiberglass cover and use it as an expandable topper to make a covered work area. The cover can be stopped at any height up to 6 1/2 ft. Raising the cover 3 or 4 ft. high protects you from the sun, wind, and rain. Be-cause the lift goes straight up you have easy access to three sides of the pickup bed. "The steel rails that support the scissors lift are secured by two bolts on each side and two more on a bulkhead that mounts in front of the pickup bed. The four vinyl panels mount on the sides, front, and back. They fit in a 2-ft. wide, 2-ft. long storage sack that's only about 4 in. high.. Even with the two plat-forms and storage sack inside the bed about 90 percent of it is still available for storing other stuff." Available to fit short or long-bed full-size GM, Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge pickups. An 8-ft. long camper with a standard grey primer gel coat sells for $2,370; a 6 1/2-ft. long camper for $2,163. An 8-ft. Tonneau cover and lift mechanism with grey primer gel coat sells for $1,611; a 6 1/2-ft. cover for $1,369. The cover is also available in white gel coat or painted to match the truck at an additional cost. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pickup Top Up, Box 871160, Canton, Mich. 48187 (ph 800 275-9572; fax 313 641-6658).

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