In the "reference area" of this forum, there is a pdf copy of the owners' manual which also has some lists of things to always carry on each trip. One of the items mentions is "Emergency shell hold-down strap (in case of latch breaking)".
Have there been incidents of this happening? The previous owner of my 3023 had a large ratchet strap over the rear shell which he said he had there "out of an abundance of caution". It seemed like excessive caution to me since, but now I begin to wonder. Have the shells EVER popped up while the trailer is in motion?

I can't imagine doing that - between the corner latches and the main latches, I just can't see that happening, particularly the rear shell (which won't pop up unless the front shell pops up).

I think the suggestion to carry something like that is so that if the latches break, you have a way of closing down and keeping things together until you can get it repaired.

I've traveled now around 25,000 miles with the TM - and never had an issue with shells popping open. I've also seen numerous other TMs on the highway, but never with the back shell strapped down.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by EAKlebe

In the "reference area" of this forum, there is a pdf copy of the owners' manual which also has some lists of things to always carry on each trip. One of the items mentions is "Emergency shell hold-down strap (in case of latch breaking)".
Have there been incidents of this happening? The previous owner of my 3023 had a large ratchet strap over the rear shell which he said he had there "out of an abundance of caution". It seemed like excessive caution to me since, but now I begin to wonder. Have the shells EVER popped up while the trailer is in motion?

The shells are held down by latches on each side of the front and rear shell, fore and aft. That's a total of 8 latches.

Each latch is a mechanical device that has a certain amount of stress and shock loading as you travel down the highway. It is reasonable to assume that any one of these latches could fail at any time (as any other mechanical device could).

Having said all that, my trailer is 12-years-old and to my knowledge the latches are the originals. I have never seen anything posted on this site about lathes breaking (that's not to say there haven't been any).

I had the exact same concern and have considered carrying a spare latch. Although, there is a left, right upper and lower roof latch and they are all different. That would mean carrying 4 latches. The better idea would be an emergency strap because the incidents are so uncommon as to not be worth the expense of spare latches.

If a latch were to fail while you were on the road, I doubt you would even notice it until you stopped somewhere. It's not like the roof could suddenly open or anything. Therefore, an emergency strap seems like a reasonable precaution.

Sounds like the previous owner may have been a tad "Obsessive compulsive" .

Originally Posted by harveyrv

The shells are held down by latches on each side of the front and rear shell, fore and aft. That's a total of 8 latches.

Each latch is a mechanical device that has a certain amount of stress and shock loading as you travel down the highway. It is reasonable to assume that any one of these latches could fail at any time (as any other mechanical device could).

Having said all that, my trailer is 12-years-old and to my knowledge the latches are the originals. I have never seen anything posted on this site about lathes breaking (that's not to say there haven't been any).

I had the exact same concern and have considered carrying a spare latch. Although, there is a left, right upper and lower roof latch and they are all different. That would mean carrying 4 latches. The better idea would be an emergency strap because the incidents are so uncommon as to not be worth the expense of spare latches.

If a latch were to fail while you were on the road, I doubt you would even notice it until you stopped somewhere. It's not like the roof could suddenly open or anything. Therefore, an emergency strap seems like a reasonable precaution.

Sounds like the previous owner may have been a tad "Obsessive compulsive" .

That's what I thought also. Since the front goes over the back shell, the only way anything bad could happen seems to me to be if one were backing up at a highly unlikely speed.

In order to preclude any possibility of this unfortunate outcome, I remove all 8 torsion bar bolts prior to towing and then reinstall them once I stop. Doesn't everybody do this? I admit it is kind of a pain at gas stations and roadside eateries but you can't be too safe

Originally Posted by M&M Hokie

In order to preclude any possibility of this unfortunate outcome, I remove all 8 torsion bar bolts prior to towing and then reinstall them once I stop. Doesn't everybody do this? I admit it is kind of a pain at gas stations and roadside eateries but you can't be too safe

Seriously?

I have had a corner latch disengage enroute, and I found it flapping around at my next stop. I now use keyed alike Master locks on the four corners, keeps the latches engaged, and prevents someone screwing around with them when I am away from the trailer. Only takes a second to lock it up. I use the Masters with the black plastic cover on them, the metals ones will leave scratch marks from moving around.

[BrucePerens]

Originally Posted by M&M Hokie

In order to preclude any possibility of this unfortunate outcome, I remove all 8 torsion bar bolts prior to towing and then reinstall them once I stop. Doesn't everybody do this? I admit it is kind of a pain at gas stations and roadside eateries but you can't be too safe

Not while the shells are down, you don't :-) There's quite a lot of energy stored in there.

Is it even safe to remove these bolts while the shells are up and locked? I would like to work on the rectangular bars, one of which has one of the holes for the latch broken out. The latch that you step in the stirrup to engage, not the corner latch.

[wbmiller3]

I am pretty sure this was a joke about overreacting to a perceived danger of little actual moment.

It was also posted 5 years ago.

[commodor47]

Actually one of those latches can fail . . . and it did happen to us on our way back from AZ, 3 years ago. The curb side, front shell latch center pin weld broke. The shell did not fly into the air as there are several other tie down points, as noted by Wayne. The front shell moved up 4 or 5 inches when the latch let go. I am sure that corner of the front shell was doing some bouncing as we drove down the highway. On the positive side - there was no damage to the unit. I was able to use a bungee cord to secure the latch until our return home, which fortunately was only a days ride. Our local TM dealer had a replacement latch and sent it right out. I still have the old latch. It was easy to drill out the rest of the center pin and substitute a bolt and washer, nut arrangement to render the latch functional . . . for emergency use.

This thread has more useful information

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ght=hold+latch

Dick

My "89 TM 23 broke a latch pin last summer and the back shell began to flop around. I did not know it but my son and his family were following us and he phoned me or I would not have discovered it until we reached the campground. He had some rope in his car and we tied it down with that but rope stretches and it allowed a lot more movement than I would have liked. I think a strap is a great idea. Have to add a couple to the bumper tool box.