Erde 122 hard-top cover fitting instructions

Here is a guide to fitting a hard-top cover to an Erde 122 trailer.

First you will need to reinforce the front body panel of your trailer. Take one of the reinforcement plates supplied with the cover, this will need to be slotted under the lip at the top of the front panel.

There should be pre drilled holes at each side of the top edge of this panel, they may be covered by plastic studs that should be removed. Remove all plastic studs even though you will only be using the outer most holes.

Erde hard-cover reinforcement plate
Slot this plate under the lip as shown below:
Fitting Erde hard-cover reinforcement plate
And then like this:
Erde hard-top reinforcement plate in position
Now the reinforcement plate is in position the hinge plate is laid on top of it.
Erde hard-top hinge plate
Use the large dome headed bolt to secure both parts of the hinge. Repeat for the second hinge.
Erde hard-top hinge

Next, fit two latches to the rear corner posts of the trailer to keep the hard-top securely closed. These are fitted to the outer edges of the rear corner posts using two screws each.

Erde hard-top latch

Erde’s hard-top covers have a gas ram or damper to keep the cover open while the trailer is being loaded. This mounts onto a large bolt through either one of the trailers side panels. Just remove the plastic stud from the body panel and insert the bolt on the side you wish to mount it.

Erde hard-top gas ram anchor

The other end of the gas ram fixes to the hard-top cover. To correctly attach it to the cover you must prepare a bolt as show below:

Erde gas ram bolt combo

On the inside of the cover you will see threaded holes on both sides of the frame, this is because the gas ram can be mounted on either side. Bolt the gas ram to the cover on the same side that you fitted the bolt through the body panel.

Erde hard-top with gas ram

Now you are ready to mount the cover on its hinges. To do this, pick the cover up upside down and keep it horizontal while you hook the hinges together. This requires two people as you can easily bend or damage the hinges attempting this alone.

Hook the hard-top hinge together

When the hinges are hooked together the cover must be lifted all the way over vertical, and then lowered into its normal position. Be careful not to bend the hinges while doing this as it can cause the hard cover to fit poorly.

Hard-top on hinges

Finally, connect the gas ram to the bolt you prepared earlier on the inside of the trailer. A plastic thumb nut is supplied for this to make it easy to fit/remove.

Thumb tighten the plastic cap

After fitting the gas ram, check that the hardtop is fitted correctly and can open and close without problems. Use the latches that have been fitted to the rear corner posts to securely clamp the cover shut.

Erde 122 with hard top
For a wide selection of Erde accessories, including hard-top covers please visit our website:
TowingandTrailers.com