Excellent point Joy!
I had forgotten that there is more effort required in 'locking
forward' the last movement of that crossbar.
        I was focused only on the lifting aspect, forgetting for a
moment that a lot of canopies are a tad bit too tight. The effort
required to lock the support in place is awkward at best if one is
vertically challenged, and even worse with a tight canvas.
It is nice to be taller. Hmmmm!  Back to the drawing board.
Thanks for pointing that out.

                                        David Etter (6' and shrinking)  ;-)
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>With a combination of emails from David and Mike, I now visualize how this
>thing works.  However, an (offline) email from David suggests that it is
>better for getting the lift started on the poptop, and then you should
>finish lifting it without the assist.
>
>
>
>Which defeats the purpose! I can start lifting fine, it just involves
>pushing straight up on the bar, which is easy.  It's the last foot of lift
>that I can't do, because I'm reaching straight up, with elbows and knees
>both straight, and I don't have the strength or leverage to push the bar
>forward from that position with the additional 70-odd pounds of weight on
>top.
>
>
>
>With the amount of weight Kim has (something like 200 lbs), I wouldn't be
>able to do the straight up dead lift either, but I don't have that weight on
>my poptop.
>
>
>
>I think this may be a height issue.  If I were a foot taller I might have
>the leverage to finish the lift without an assist.
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>Joy