1- how much roof load ( pounds per square foot) will the swing north and south roof sections support?
I gather you are thinking of adding some equipment or storage up there? Maybe kayaks? Or cargo storage racks? Few owners do this, and I've not heard a PSF rating. Even if the racks carry the weight to the edges of the roof, which one would think are stronger, weight on the roof makes the shells hard to open and close since you start with a dead lift of whatever is up there.
2- how much snow load will the roofs support?
You can take guidance for roof load capacity, as well as snow load, from the Owner's Manual (you can find a copy elsewhere here on the forum). It says that the TM can withstand ONE FOOT OF DRY SNOW, but that you should rake it off before it gets any deeper. Of course, wet snow is much heavier than dry snow, so it is important to get rid of all snow if any rain or slushy snow is forecast. The idea, of course, is that the water must be allowed to run off the roof, not trapped up there.
Wet snow is a killer. Each year we get one or two reports of a TM which has been effectively destroyed by an accumulation of wet snow during storage. This is really sad, since it is next to impossible to repair a deformed roof. A tarp, of course, doesn't help.
And remember, of course, that the snow capacity is lower if you add any equipment or storage weight to the roof, or if a tree drops an unexpected branch onto the roof.
...how much frame flex can I safely take?
I've never heard this discussed, and I guess I'm not sure how you would measure flex dynamically on rough road. You might address this question to the Trailmanor factory (
[email protected]).
Bill
