pusscat Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi, I’m going to be doing a bit of roof work on ur 2016 swift Rio. Can you walk / stand with care on these roofs at all?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 General questions about motorhome ‘roof walking’ have been asked on-line quite often https://tinyurl.com/yahtnn4m most recently in 2019 on this forum https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Can-I-walk-on-the-roof-of-MH-/51036/ If I were going to carry out work on a coachbuilt motorhome’s roof, I’d make every effort to avoid clambering on to its roof. However, if I found that getting on to the roof was absolutely necessary, I’d lay something down on the roof’s surface (like a sheet of thickish plywood) to spread the load. I’d also be very careful where on the roof I’d put weight as, although the rear of the roof might be reasonably sturdy - as this is where top-boxes tend to get fitted - the further forward you go the more likely the roof will be weak. I vividly remember seeing guys blithely trotting about on the roofs of brand-new Chausson motorhomes at a French dealership cleaning them off with a hosepipe. I’d already noticed that the vehicles had lots of poorly-fitting body parts and/or minor damage, and if I’d been a French potential buyer, the roof-walking would have been the finall straw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 pusscat - 2020-07-04 11:31 AM Hi, I’m going to be doing a bit of roof work on ur 2016 swift Rio. Can you walk / stand with care on these roofs at all?! Two suggestions. First, have a careful look through the owner's manual for any advice on maximum weight to be applied to the roof (and then consult the bathroom scales! :-)). Second, contact Swift's customer services/technical department for advice. On some vans you can, on others you can't, and some manuals state a weight limit, and others don't. Having said that, I agree with Derek about load spreading. You can spread the load somewhat if you stay on all fours and try to keep hands and feet well apart, but what load will go where is unpredictable. Final thought: if the roof is aluminium sheet, it is very (I mean very!) slippery when wet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskers Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 I have a Rio 320 and I certainly would not take a chance on standing on the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pusscat Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 Thanks all for your comments. I should have looked in the handbook...thanks Brian! ‘The flat roof areas, up to the over cab section, are capable of withstanding an average person’s weight (13 stone or 82.5kg).’ From the owners manual 2016. Think I will still use a piece of plywood to distribute my weight though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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