New member, New Owner with shell issues

[cpiznee]

Hi! I've been searching around this forum and found allot of info. I thought it would be best if I joined. So I paid the $12 and so far its worth it. I have just bought a 2001 2619. I paid $4500 for it. I'm in the military and thought this would be a cheap way for my family to go on vacations. I took it out this past weekend and noticed a couple issues. Hope you experts can help me out.


1. The front shell comes forward too far. It goes past the pin holders and takes allot effort for me to push it back. It's not bad if I get someone to help. Torsion bars maybe?(see pic)

2. When the back shell is down and the front is up, the front "driver side" will bulge out. Even when the back is up the seal on that side seem tighter than the "passenger side". (pic)

3. The door's pin closest to the front will not go into its clip. The door does not line up correctly with the door frame. I can't close the door all the way. I suspect this has to do with the bulge. (pic)

4. There are dents and rub marks on the inside of the back shell, "driver side". I'm pretty sure that shouldn't be there. (pic)

5. The bed sled tracks are very "chewed" up. My beds do not slide out like it seems to in the youtube videos. I gotta struggle with them. (pic)

6. This is an electrical issue but my fridge(on AC), the water tank/battery gauge(next to the sink) and radio do not work, meanwhile everything else does. It worked when I bought it last thursday. I checked all the breakers and fuses, seem good. Is there something else I should be checking?

7. Lastly did I get ripped off??

I'm happy to be part of the Trailmanor community. I think it's pretty cool. Hopefully you guys can help me out.

Thanks again!!

[Padgett]

a) Is a bit of "you get what you pay for". Anything under about ten large is going to have some issues.
b) A 2001 is going to have the mostly wood frame this can lead to some alignment & opening/closing issues particularly in southern, high humidity areas.
c) the swing out modules have hidden adjustable stops on them, sounds like your are either missing or misadjusted. (several threads on how to adjust).
d) too much pressure to close is easier than too much to open. If you need to adjust the tortion bars there are four for each end. I use a wrench for hitch balls. Unless you really know what you are doing, adjust all four at the same time and a 1/4 turn each then try.
e) is the battery dead ?

[Bill]

Starting with #7, no you did not get ripped off. Picture #11 shows that you have a nice-looking clean unit. Age may demand a few adjustments, but I think you are OK.

What I look for first is whether you can draw a straight line along the lower edge of the front shell, and continue it straight through the lower edge of the rear shell. In your picture number 11, the line is arrow-straight. That eliminates a lot of potential problems.

Your comments 1 through 4 suggest that your front shell is a bit out of alignment. You didn't say where you live, but a good dealer (not all are good) can adjust this for you. Unless you are quite "handy", I'm not sure I would start out by trying to tweak it yourself, though if you choose to, you can't really hurt anything.

If the shell opens too far, look for posts on "Pocket Stop". By adjusting the pocket stops, you can set the open position, but don't expect perfection. Yours doesn't look like it opens very much too far and I'm surprised that it is hard to push it back to the proper location. Mine opens about that far, and I just push it until the latch bar will engage. No big deal. But as I say, a dealer can bring it closer. It is also not uncommon for the shells on an older unit to lean to the side a bit as you open. Just push them into place, or have a dealer tweak it for you.

Same answer for the door pin. You have to remember that the TM's moving parts are not the same as the fixed parts on a stick-built home. By necessity, everything on a TM is a bit more flexible. And if the shell leans to one side, the pin may not line up without some manual pressure.

Your picture of the bed slide (#9) looks OK to me. The one picture that disturbs me is #10. I have no idea what that big ragged split is. Can you give us another picture, taken from a bit farther back, so we can see what we are looking at? Does the bed feel strange when you open it? Does it come to a crisp stop at the end of the travel?

Finally, re your paragraph number 6. The refrig on AC requires AC power (obviously), but it also may require a small amount of DC power to operate the controller. This DC comes from the same fuse as the radio in some models - it changed from year to year - which is the same circuit as the monitor panel and the refrig fan. I can only suggest checking the DC fuses again. Meanwhile, does the refrig work on gas? Remember, it can take several hours for the refrig to cool down, unlike you home refrigerator. Be patient.

Do you have - and do you know how to use - a voltmeter or test light? We can go from there.

Bill

[hillbillyhotel]

just another op, is pic 10 is not split , but missing the track for the bed roller?
as Bill said and I agree, good looking unit, and all need a little push and tug from time to time, never adj my bump stops either , just slow down, always need to push into place, everyone I have had has been like that , for what it's worth

[Padgett]

10 looks like one of the two channels under the bed slide that the bed arm is supposed to slide in except the plastic strips on both sides is chewed up. Is just a 1/8" x1" plastic strip about 4 feet long on each side and the arm post runs in the middle. If the channel is not straight the arm will hang up.

Don't forget that alignment depends on the camper being set up level first.

[cpiznee]

Everyone, thanks for all the great advice and direction!

Padgett- I live in AZ and right now its pretty dry. There is an RV dealer sticker from New Mexico on it. I'm hoping that the TM stayed down here in the desert and the wood never got a chance to warp. -I do not have a battery installed... yet. The previous owner took it out when he sold it to me. That probably explains why it worked when he showed it.

Bill- Do you live in Scottsdale, AZ? Could you recommend a good dealer? According to trailmanor.com, I live 3.5+ hours from the nearest dealer in AZ. How do you recommend I tweak it? -That split you see is the track under the bed. Its just bear wood with a plastic trim. I feel there should be something in there. Possibly an aluminum strip? Eventually the bolt at the end of the arm will dig deep grooves in the wood. Can you post a picture of what its supposed to look like? My bed sled has dents and scrapes from where the arm popped out ran across the sled. Its the same for the back and front bed. I can post more pics if you like. -The fridge works on gas. I think Padgett hit the nail on the head when he asked about my battery. I'll get one installed and see what happens.

Hilbillyhotel- Is your bed tracks plain wood. Are mine missing something? I'm not sure how the arms are suppose to stay in the grooves.

Thanks again for all the great info. I'm going to attempt to find how to adjust the torsion bars and pocket stops. Hopefully with pics!

[Padgett]

Just a suggestion but I expect that battery box is on the tongue with a 2619. I'd look for the biggest battery that would fit, maybe even a grp 29 or 31 deep cycle. You do not want a plain automobile battery.

How big is the box ?

[commodor47]

The bed arms slide along the notched opening on the two plastic strips referenced by Padgett. I've attached two thumbnails, one showing the position of the arm when the bed is extended and the other is a closeup of the washer arrangement. You are correct in noting there isn't much clearance between the bolt head and the wood base of the bed. That should not be a problem as long as the number and arrangement of the washers is correctly installed.

Dick

[cpiznee]

It is on the tongue. The previous owner had 2 marine deep cycle batteries there. He left the boxes and straps. It looks as if he had them hooked up in series. I have a marine deep cycle battery I can put in there to test the fridge and radio.