Factory 'plumbing outlet protector cage'

[rickst29]

The South Dakota Factory is now selling a well-designed "plumbing protector cage", available as an upgrade part. At the time I write this, the price is about $140 plus shipping. Lower-48 shipping costs around $35 additional. The cage is a single piece of 1/8" thick aluminum, carefully bent and pre-drilled with 7 mounting holes. (7 really good screws are supplied with the kit, six of them are self-drilling.)

Recommended Installation Parts:

a torque wrench.
torque wrench "drive extenders" of various lengths, to reach all the way into the frame mounting holes.
11mm socket (or equivalent English size). All 7 bolts use the same socket.
a 1/4" x 1" stainless steel washer.
A 3/16 drill bit (titanium coated, to cut steel) for the horizontal pilot holes.
a 11/64 drill bit, for the vertical pilot hole.
a jack, to hold the cage in position (for drilling pilot holes and adding mounting screws).

Six one-inch mounting screws go in a horizontal direction, through 3 pre-drilled holes which are present on two vertical mounting bars at the inner front and back of the 2-sided cage. (See first photo). These self-drilling screws go into the frame, using 3/16 pilot holes which you must drill through the pre-drilled mounting holes of the mounting bars, into the tall "outside" segment of the rectangular TM frame behind the wheel well. (See photos).

A longer screw is used reach from the top-front mounting hole of the Cage, going through the TM floor and into framing trim behind the toilet. See photo for the exact recommended position - it should not go into the outermost vertical "side" of the TM base "box" - use the screw positions of the outer torsion bar mounting (closer to the rear) as a guideline for the proper distance from the outermost edge of the TM lower "box". (And see photo.)

As per the final photo, the factory "protection cage" doesn't reach long enough to completely enclose the gray-water tank pipe. But it does reach far enough back to block any possible debris thrown up, at the rear edge of the tire, from hitting that pipe.

[Larryjb]

I sure like this. Unfortunately for us Canadians, shipping would likely be over a hundred. So, either I wait until the border reopens so I can pick it up from a US address, or I have one made up here.

[rickst29]

Recommended Installation Parts:

a torque wrench.
torque wrench "drive extenders" of various lengths, to reach all the way into the frame mounting holes.
11mm socket (or equivalent English size). All 7 bolts use the same socket.
a 1/4" x 1" stainless steel washer.
A 3/16 drill bit (titanium coated, to cut steel) for the horizontal pilot holes.
a 11/64 drill bit, for the vertical pilot hole.
a jack, to hold the cage in position (for drilling pilot holes and adding mounting screws).

Using the jack, raise the plumbing protector into position against the TM frame. Be sure that the ends of the mounting arms, and the outside front mounting slot, are pretty firm against the TM floor. (The lower mounting holes must be above the corner joint of the TM frame.)

1. Using a high speed drill and the larger 3/16" drill bit, drill through the middle of the center mounting hole of the rear mounting arm. (If the drill slides away from the center, just keep going - it doesn't require exact alignment.) perfect alignment is not required.)

2. Then, using the 11mm socket and any necessary socket extenders, press one of the shorter 1" self-drilling bolts into your new mounting hole. Turn the torque wrench to drive it in firmly. (While avoiding excess torque which could damage the newly-cut threads of the framing bar.) Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the other 5 horizontal mounting screws.

3. Next, switch to the smaller 11/64 drill bit. Using the picture from post #1, and similar larger screws used by TM to mount the lift bar housing towards the back of the TM "box", create a pilot hole for the vertical screw. (It will be at a slight angle towards the front of the TM, and that is actually a good thing.) Push the screw through the 1" Stainless Steel washer, and drive the screw up with moderate force. Since this screw goes into thin layers of aluminum and some wood, use LESS force to twist it into final position.

You're done. The total time depends on the quality of your drill bits, for cutting pilot holes into TM framing steel. 30-45 minutes should be typical.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Looks great! Provided it tests well during a blowout, it would be better than the one I made out of 11 gauge galvanized steel (https://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10254), since it would be much lighter (and it’s also smaller).

I think this should be standard equipment. It should reduce the risk of blowout-induced damage of the grey water tank to zero.

Dave

[B_and_D]

Great news!

[Axeman]

After a recent blowout that caused fairly significant damage on the curbside of our TM, I purchased the factory plumbing guard to prevent against similar damage in the event we have a street side blowout. Unfortunately, when I went to install it, I discovered that it didn’t fit the plumbing configuration on our TM.

We made a trip to the TM factory earlier this week to have some warranty work and other repairs performed (including repairing the blowout damage). I took the plumbing guard along to see if they had any insight into a solution for getting it installed. Apparently, a few other folks have experienced the same problem I did and Trailmanor is now having the plumbing guards fabricated to larger dimensions. If I understand correctly, the plumbing assembly dimensions weren’t necessarily standardized until sometime earlier in 2020. I noticed that the plumbing assembly on our TM appeared to be a bit deeper and longer than the units that were being built in the factory. They actually had their fabricator build a guard to fit our TM and they installed it while we were there.

If you’re considering ordering a plumbing guard from TM, I would recommend measuring the dimensions of your plumbing assembly and talking it over with the parts folks at TM to make sure the guard will fit. I’m really pleased with it and think it should provide adequate protection in the event of a blowout. I hope I never get to test it!

By the way, the folks at Trailmanor were awesome. They went above and beyond to take care of any issues or concerns we were having with our trailer. They’re great people and it was good to meet them and get a tour of the factory. Our visit definitely solidified our level of satisfaction and confidence with the TM brand.

Thanks to rickst29 for the detailed instructions! I didn’t get to use them, but was well prepared in the event I needed to.

[Bill]

One quick question before I pop for one. When you experience a "maximum blowout" - meaning sudden and complete loss of air and tire tread - the TM body drops down several inches, and rides on the wheel rim. When it drops this far, is the bottom of the cage still above the pavement? Or does the bottom of the cage become a skid plate on the asphalt? It looks close. If the cage collapses, it may do more damage than the blowout itself.

Can anyone take a couple measurements, or a photo showing both the tire and cage? Be sure to mention the tire size on your TM.

Bill

[rickst29]

One quick question before I pop for one. When you experience a "maximum blowout" - meaning sudden and complete loss of air and tire tread - the TM body drops down several inches, and rides on the wheel rim. When it drops this far, is the bottom of the cage still above the pavement? Or does the bottom of the cage become a skid plate on the asphalt? It looks close. If the cage collapses, it may do more damage than the blowout itself.

Can anyone take a couple measurements, or a photo showing both the tire and cage? Be sure to mention the tire size on your TM.
Bill
On my older "3023 - like" 2619 (big axle and 15 inch rims, but no lift kit) - the bottom edge of the slightly-forward single axle wheel rim is much lower than the bottom of the plumbing protector. The plumbing protector plate is barely 1/2" below the lowest part of the frame for the main dump valve. And so, if the rim remains attached and intact, the TM should ride on the rim.

[Axeman]

I'll get a picture as soon as I have an opportunity and post it (our TM is not currently stored at home), but I agree with Rick. On our unit with 15" wheels, the plumbing protector plate is probably 1/4" below the main dump valve assembly. This is quite a bit above the bottom of the rim.

[ShrimpBurrito]

And, Bill, if you take a look at the picture of mine in the link above, you’ll see the bottom of my cage is also considerably higher than the rim, and those were 14” rims on there at the time.

Dave

[Bill]

Thanks to all of you for checking. Sometimes I have these weird scary thoughts ...

Bill

[Axeman]

For perspective, I’m posting a photo of the factory plumbing guard that was recently installed on our TM.