At 12:42 AM 2/14/2002, developtrust wrote:
>OK, even with an alarm a few of us would still forget to close that pop top.
>But with a cut off switch how can one forget? One would really have to have
>a brain made of mush.

Ah...a young man, I see. <g>  Does anyone remember the year 1975(?) when
none of the new cars would start unless all front-seat passengers
(including bags of groceries) had their seat belts buckled?  Granted that
none of them would run anyway because of the crude antipollution stuff in
place then, but there was still a lot of fuss.

A warning light makes more sense to me, both in bang-for-buck and in less
chance of unintended consequences.  A light certainly would have saved me
driving seven miles once with the top up (it did seem a bit sluggish above
45, but 45 was how fast I was driving).

It would -if properly designed -- also have averted the little occasion
when the top opened by itself while we were going down the road at 70
per.  I try to make a point of checking that the pin is fully seated (and
you can reach back and check it while driving, too) but I obviously missed
that time.  Of course nothing drastic happened -- the closing forces from
the tent quickly balance the opening forces so it opens 2-3 feet and stays
there -- but it certainly got my attention.  Might have gotten exciting if
there had been a sudden blast of crosswind just then...

david

--
David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"