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Old 11-15-2018, 06:55 AM   #1
jenkins913
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Default Broken and lost bolts holding bar for front shell latch

Please advise about how we can repair this hundreds of miles from home. We are in NC near Fort Bragg. The metal plate that holds the bar to which the front shell gets latched usually has four bolts. We are down to two. One is gone and another is broken off with part of the bolt in the hole. I'll post a photo here as soon as I can figure out how to do that. This needed repair feels beyond our resources here. Not sure how/where to get service.
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Old 11-15-2018, 07:35 AM   #2
rtcassel
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Default Ratchet tie down strap

If you cannot fix it while on your trip, you can buy a ratchet tie down strap at Walmart that is long enough to go around the shell and hold it down.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cargo-Zon...Down/164232024
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Old 11-15-2018, 07:47 AM   #3
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Default Photo of broken latch bar

Here is a photo of the problem
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Old 11-15-2018, 07:51 AM   #4
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Default Broken latch

Thank you Tim. We were considering that. Good to have the idea validated
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Old 11-15-2018, 08:12 AM   #5
eddugo
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Pretty hard to help without seeing it. You may want to try reinstalling the plate if you have a drill/driver with you. Those are not bolts - they are Self Drilling sheet metal screws. You may be able to reinstall, replace the lost one if the hole is not stripped out and put a new one in place of the broken by screwing it in on an angle next to the old one. You will find those screws at good hardware stores. Lowes and HD hardware is sometimes inferior quality. Good luck and let us know how you make out.
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Old 11-15-2018, 08:24 AM   #6
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I'm assuming you have very few (if any) tools with you. Assuming that is true, the repair can be handled by most any mechanic. If you can find a mobile mechanic (most large campgrounds will know where to find one), it will save you collapsing the trailer and taking it to a shop. Or, with a few simple tools, you can probably handle it yourself, on-site.

I would guess that the bolts have stripped out of the aluminum frame member inside the shell wall, which means that your latch is too tight. You should considering loosening the latch (the part with the hook and black-plastic-covered handle) just a bit. You will need a wrench to fit the bolt heads, and a large screwdriver (flat, not Phillips) to jam each nut in place as you turn each bolt.

As for a fix, I would take one of the bolts (sheet metal screws, as Ed pointed out) to a hardware store, and buy new ones of the same length but one size larger in diameter. As long as the new ones have a pointy tip, you don't need the original self-drilling feature, but you will need a wrench to turn them. You may need to enlarge the four holes in the strap just a bit. A drill or a hand tool called a tapered reamer - or even a rat-tail file, if you are desperate - could do this. The reamer in the picture is what I have in mind, though I don't know where they would be commonly available. Harbor Freight has one for $3. Lowes and Home Depot are worth trying, though their web sites come up empty.

I'm not sure how to remove the piece of the one broken bolt without a drill and a screw extractor. However, TM used to build the trailers with a shorter 2-hole strap. They moved to the longer 4-hole strap because owners were experiencing occasional pull-out. This tells me that if you loosen up the latch, you should be able to get along with only 3 bolts through the strap, at least temporarily.

What model year is your TM?

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Old 11-15-2018, 10:47 AM   #7
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If any of the broken screw is sticking out, then vice grips may remove it
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Old 11-15-2018, 02:27 PM   #8
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Watch out with the strap, depending on where you put it it's really easy for it to move until it contacts the tire, shortly after that there will be no strap.

You can find a metal bar of the proper diameter and thickness and a greater-than-needed length at almost any hardware store. Given that, anyone with a cut-off saw, a drill press and a hand drill can fabricate a new bar with holes in places that haven't been damaged on your shell. So, yes, a mechanic can do this. And a field repair might be done with a hand drill, some oil, and a hacksaw, but be careful to clamp the metal down so it doesn't go spinning while you are dilling it. Even duct tape and a piece of wood might work for that.
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Old 11-15-2018, 02:58 PM   #9
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My husband found bolts, err sheet metal screws, that match the prexisting ones. He wishes he had thought of the suggestion to get ones with a bit bigger diameter. One didn't fit very tight. We got a rachet strap around the whole thing. We are back on the road and checking it frequently. So far it seems okay. We have changed our itinerary so we can fix this for good asap. Your comments have been a huge help in giving us an understanding about what the screws are digging into and my husband is feeling more confident that he could fix this himself if he had the right tools.
Our TM is a 2014 2417 with "slide out" dinette. We know now
That was the year that TM shut down for a while.
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Old 11-15-2018, 03:01 PM   #10
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The screw that broke has no part sticking out of the hole. My husband knows the tool it will require to remove it but of course we don't have that with us. He's pretty handy with this sort of thing.
Thank you very much. You all are awesome!!!
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