Quote:
Originally Posted by nmaiers
As always, lots of information on this forum. I have not adjusted my torsion bars and I do have to pull a bit to get the shells up. I suspect my 11 year old WOULD NOT be able to lift. So they need adjusting- I've been reluctant because I dont have a level spot to park it here at home; I'd need to do it at a compsite. And frankly I'm nervous about attempting it.
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This duplicates information from many posts within the "frame" section, but I will tailor it to you - we both have 2619 models, and they're roughly the same age. On my 2619, (roughly the same age as yours), the bars for the front edge of the front shell lost considerable power over all my years of use, and they are now adjusted ALL-THE-WAY-IN for maximum lifting power at the very front. The
rear bars of the front shell, in contrast, are now adjusted for slightly
less power than they originally had from the factory.
If you can pull it out on the driveway or street and use the leveling jacks to bring the un-lifted TM "pretty close" to level in both directions (front to back, side-to side), then you can do the torsion adjustments first. (And maybe, along with those adjustments, do your clip-and-clamp adjustments as well, after the front shell torsion bars are well-matched with proper amounts of torque adjustment.)
You need a $9-12 hitch ball wrench, available from most any WalMart or RV parts place. The smaller of the two twelve-point socket ends fits the TM adjustment bolts. If lifting the front shell has been your biggest issue, as it has been with my trailer, tighten those two bolts in the front-most corners: Turn the bolt heads "up" and closer to the TM floor, with fewer threads below the threaded socket. Because they have never been adjusted before, they will be really hard to turn - you will probably need to tape a longer piece of pipe to the wrench, to get enough leverage.
Do all turning with with the front shell UP and clamped. Then push it towards "lowered position", but you don't need to clamp it between making adjustments. Turn no more than 1/4 of the way around each time, before raising and lowering the front shell twice to let the bars "work in" to the new positioning.
Note the resting position of the REAR END of the front shell in lowered position, it should be roughly 5" above the still-clamped rear shell (give or take an inch). That rear end should be also even from side to side. Adjust the rear bars for the front shell if it's to high, or wasn't left with enough rise still remaining when it came to rest.
In adjusting *rear* bars of the *front* shell, be careful that you are adjusting the screws for the BIGGER bars (front shell), and not the screws for the thinner bars (the smaller rear shell). Also be careful to note that the screws affect the lift on the opposite side from the screws.
Your final adjustments will be no more than 1/16 of the way around ( just one-quarter of a quarter circle). The resting "down " position of the front edge (of the front shell) should not be more than 1" above the two black rubber "bounce protectors", in resting lowered position. If it is actually touching the protectors, that's OK - but if it hits them hard and stays down hard, with to much difficulty to lift - then you need either more power on the front bars or less power on the rear bars (of the front shell).
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When it's looking pretty good, I would then drop to "rested and lowered" position a final time. Then try to adjust your existing hook (on the lift arm) to be approximately level and at the correct height to catch the upper shells' clamp.
I'd buy all new lockwashers, bolts, and nuts for this joint. (Not SS, it's too weak. But not stronger than Grade-5, because higher strength rusts faster). There seems to have been a lot of exposure and scratching/sliding on the lift arm end, maybe hit it with rustoleum primer and white before doing any reassembly?