Upcoming torsion bar replacement

[Larryjb]

Shipping was not outrageous. 82 inches is about 7 feet, so it would be trucked, but could probably be trucked on any regular delivery truck. I had mine sent to a parcel receiver in Blaine WA. I believe it took less than a week to deliver because it just arrived there. I'll probably pick it up next week when I go to fill up on gas.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

Shipping was not outrageous. 82 inches is about 7 feet, so it would be trucked, but could probably be trucked on any regular delivery truck. I had mine sent to a parcel receiver in Blaine WA.

That's great to hear - I'll look forward to your installation photos.comments, and follow suit.

[Larryjb]

Two torsion bars arrived today. Shipping was $80, but that was pretty much across the continent. I'm sure I could have saved shipping by having all the torsion bars I'd need shipped at once, but I can't afford to replace all the torsion bars at once, and the others weren't maxed out, as far as I know.

They were shipped in a cardboard tube, with padded cardboard on the ends. When I left the depot, the others waiting were very curious, so I told them I was joining a jousting tournament. I actually had at least one of them going for a moment! (Imagine the armor you'd need against those... oh my...)

I won't be getting to the bars for a couple of weeks, and then I'll be working out the procedure so I don't clutter the forum with useless information like jousting gear.

[BrucePerens]

I'm really interested in how much they help. My front bars are maxed out by my modification to restore the roof curvature, and I think I can make the right one larger, but the left one is already the maximum size. If they really lose a lot of strength, there's some hope for that one. I can make the rear bars larger, but I think the problem is more in the front.

[Larryjb]

Custom RV in CA showed me I could grind out the part of the frame holding the adjustment end of the torsion bar to get a few more turns of the adjustment bolt. I felt it was better to replace the bar because I don't know how the effects of metal fatigue would be. Would the torsion bar snap later? Permanently bend like an over stretched spring?

However, in your case this could be an option. You may still need to replace the bar, but you may get enough adjustment out of the bolt by that method.

How heavy is the awning? That is the reason a heavier bar is needed for the curb side. How heavy are the modifications you made?

[BrucePerens]

The modifications I made were about 65 lb. That's probably similar to the awning weight. I've thought about using the grinder method. I may yet do so.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

Custom RV in CA showed me I could grind out the part of the frame holding the adjustment end of the torsion bar to get a few more turns of the adjustment bolt.

Larry -

Could you clarify a bit just what you are grinding in this technique? The end of the torsion bar? The frame member itself where the fully-raised torsion bar stub butts against it? Something about the bracket?

Thanks

Bill

[BrucePerens]

It's the frame member where the cut off end of the bar sticks out. If you grind off some material, you can turn the bolt a few turns farther and twist the bar perhaps 10° more.

[Awolf123]

ups useally delivers them

[Larryjb]

I just heard back from Sonja. She put me in touch with Jacob who has been very helpful. Because Jacob is not listed as a contact on the web page, I'll respect his privacy and keep his e-mail private.

I will have to remove the roof from the lift arms, and install the lift arm onto the torsion bar, then I can flex it into the roof and install. This 20° forwards angle is intentional.

The end of the torsion bar must be ground down to match the opening in the lift arm. So, I should not just ram the new torsion bar into the lift arm.