Apache campers are in my estimation one of the best engineered pop-up campers, ever. The thought and craftsmanship has held up over the test of time and is unequaled to this day. With this said, it is very important to maintain and baby these units as parts and campers are becoming scarce as the years go by.The following was learned through shear necessity when my 1978 Royal was lifting uneven. I read nothing about the gear box assembly or how it worked before I tore into mine to fix it. I figured I would do it with no bias. This presentation will give you the information and show you step by step pictures of what I have learned while restoring Apache campers for resale.

Prelude to Grease

The First Step

Level and set up your camper. Make sure you have clearance to work on your gear boxes underneath. There is nothing worse than to not have the space to move when your underneath the camper.

Removing the Skid Plate

The next step is to remove the skid plate from under the rear gear box. This is accomplished by removing four self taping screws that are attached through the plate and into the campers frame. One thing to watch out for at this point is that the screws may be rusted and therefore may need lubricant to loosen them up and make removal easier.

Removing the Gear Box

The gear box is removed by four nuts. (see photo below). It is a good idea to put a large rag under your work area before loosening these nuts in case you drop them in the grass. I have lost them this way.

Removing the Gear BoxThe gear box will drop down at this point and be free of the camper and lift chains. Turn the crank lock in both directions and notice how the gears work. The gears are on a cam and rotate in opposite directions. There is a single pin that pivots back and forth which allows the gears to turn in opposite directions. Make sure pin is not broken and is free to move.

Pin Pointing the Problem

Nine times out of ten, the main problem with the gear box and your roof not going up and down level or hard cranking is a dirty gear box. The results are amazing when it has been cleaned and lubricated. A well maintained gear box is essential to your Apache working for years to come. Here is a list of gear box causes that may result in uneven raising and lowering of your roof or hard cranking: (1). Dirty gear box. (2). Broken pivot pin. (3). Stripped gears. (4). Bad roller bearings. (5). Broken or missing crank pins.This all sounds worse than it really is. Once the problem is solved then your home free to fixing it and worry free camping again. Now lets get that gear box apart and fix your problem.

Disassemble the Gear box

The gear box comes apart rather easily. Remove the back pin by tapping it through with a brass hammer or mallet. You may also need a punch to drive it once it is flush with the bar. Once the pin is removed you can loosen the four nuts and bolts located around the side of the casing. Once again, use penetrating lubricant to loosen rusted nuts and bolts.

Disassembled Gear BoxOnce the nuts and bolts and pin has been removed the casing and gears will slide off the crank bar. My philosophy is while I have it apart, I might as well clean and lube it. This particular gear box had no gasket or seal to keep water out and was heading for problems. Notice the white in the bottom of the casing sides. This is contaminated grease caused by mixing with water or condensation. In short time this would gum up and make cranking a chore.

Cleaning the Gear Box

When cleaning the gears and casings I like to use parts cleaner. Diesel fuel or kerosene can be also used. Put parts in a larger size tub and pour in the cleaner. Let the parts soak in cleaner for five minutes. It is a good practice to always wear rubber gloves and eye protection while using cleaning materials as these. For harder cleaning use brake cleaner.

Cleaning the Gear Box

Clean parts using a stiff bristle brush making sure to get all the old grease and dirt out. Check roller bearings at this point for proper operation. Be careful not to drop roller bearings from there casings. If bearings do drop out, find all of them and pack them back in using grease.

Check Pivot PinMake sure the pivot pin is in place, in one piece and works properly. This pin allows the gears to rotate in opposite directions around a cam. With out this pivoting motion your gears will not turn properly and will not raise the roof of your camper. Note that there are two styles of gear boxes. A cast aluminum gear system, as pictured below, and a nylon gear system. The basic principle is the same in both. If you have a nylon system and the gears are not stripped or the pivot points are good, I see no reason to change to an aluminum system. With proper use and maintenance, these nylons gears should last a long time.

Check Pivot Pin

The pivot pin is not just a straight pin inserted into the wall of the gear system on the aluminum cast models. One end is 5/16” in diameter and the other is 1/4” in diameter. The way I got around this problem on mine was to remove the old broken pin and insert a 5/16” to 1/4” sleeve and insert a 1/4” pin, 2” long, into the sleeve. This saved ordering a new pin and waiting. It also was a lot less expensive.

Grease Gear Box

Now its time to grease and reassemble the gear box. I like to use white lithium grease, it is very water resistant and is a great lubricant in this application. Put grease at every friction point of gears and where gears meet casings. Do not put casing nuts and bolts on at this time or rear crank pin. Holding the unit in one hand with cranking side of casing facing you, turn crank to the right. The closest gear to you should turn right. This lets you know the gears are assembled correctly in the case.

Lining up the Gears

From underneath the camper we need to line up the gears to the lift chain. Hold the gear box up to the opening and turn crank side until the back gear lines up with the back lift chain. At this point, notice where the front gear and the front lift chain are meeting. To line up the front gear to the lift chain you will need to pull the crank side casing out until there is enough room to pull the first gear and rotate until it meshes with the lift chain. This part is tedious and requires great patience. Do not get discouraged, it will eventually line up.

Sealing the Gear Box

Once you have lined up the gears it is time to seal the casing and insert the side nuts and bolts that hold the gear box together. I replaced mine with stainless steel to slow down on the corrosion factor, this is purely optional. To seal the case I like to use the Blue RTV gasket silicone. It is much more efficient than the factory gasket. Apply a small bead between the two halves of the casing and bolt together. Make sure NOT to cover the drain hole located at the bottom of the casing.

Attach Sealed Gear Box

Now attach gearbox to the four carriage bolts and tighten down. Do not over tighten as the four carriage bolts may not take the torque due to condition. Make sure the shaft slides into the shaft that connects to the front gear box. Line up the spine in the shaft to the pin hole in the gear box and insert the pin removed earlier. Reattach the skid plate using the four screws the were removed earlier.

Front Gear Box

Now repeat the process to the front gear box. Once again, make sure you have enough clearance underneath to perform the work. Spraying a silicone lubricant down into the lift chan is also a good idea to keep the lifting easy and non-binding. When complete the gear boxes will go up and down with great ease. This task should be preformed every spring to insure smooth operation of the gear box and lift chains. With proper preventative maintenance your Apache should work good for years and years to come.