TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Owners Community > General TrailManor Topics
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-30-2008, 02:45 PM   #1
mtnguy
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default VIN Plate Question

I recently posted a thread about finding my VIN plate in the middle of the road: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6802

My question here: Has this happened to anyone else on this forum?? Or could this be missing on other TMs, and that is just not something that owners routinely check?? (Is that the sound of 1000s of footprints running out to their units to check?? )

Seriously though, this is disconcerning to me. This 1 plate is probably the only way to prove that our units actually belong to us. What happens if it falls off and is lost....what then??

I am trying to figure how this happened. The previous connector seemed to be 5/32nd" hardened steel (discovered as I drilled it out) instead of a rivet. 1 side had sheared off, while the other had a slightly rusted "mushroom" at the end, as if the VIN plate had pulled away from it.

Some ideas:

I don't think galvanic corrosion would be the culprit, as the aluminum would corrode instead of the steel connector, plus I don't live in a salt water atmosphere.

Just plain ol' rust could have corroded the connector on the "mushroomed side", and the VIN plate hanging down there and jarring around could have snapped the other side.....but that is a long shot also. And if so, why hasn't this happened to a bunch more TMs??

The best scenerio was that 1 of my battery boxes could have repeatedly slide into the VIN plate, loosening the plate that maybe wasn't installed very well initially by the factory.

I am open to other theories.....and campground goblins don't count.

The fix: I drilled out the old connectors, and reconnected the plate with 3/16th" pop rivets. I also put a giant cable tie around the TM frame there, just in case the rivets pull out again so maybe the VIN plate won't hit the road this time. I also "chocked" the battery boxes in place better, so they won't slide around and hit the VIN plate.

Any ideas out there on how this could have happened would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Chap
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2008, 03:10 PM   #2
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

No idea how it could have happened. Were the holes in the plate enlarged? Perhaps someone drilled out the rivets on another TM, and put the VIN plate on yours. Quick, call the cops, Chap has a stolen TM!

On a more serious note, I seem to recall that the VIN also appears on the sticker that is located elsewhere - the same sticker that talks about tire size and pressure. I'm trying to remember where this sticker is located - is it on the street side near the middle of the unit, visible only when the unit is open?

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2008, 03:35 PM   #3
commodor47
Site Sponsor
 
commodor47's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Blandford, MA
Posts: 1,045
Default

Bill,

I have a sliver colored sticker on the street side of the front shell . . . located in the lower right hand corner (as you face the street side of the TM). The sticker is hard to read as any ink has long since faded. Looking at an angle reveals slight indentations of the original information which includes the VIN. Also checked the metal plate affixed to the inside of the A frame (to the right of the horizontal propane tanks). The plate is attached with what appears to be rusted fasteners. Too hard to get a closer look with the slide out . . . will give it a better look next time we refill a propane tank or hit the road.

Dick
__________________
Dick & Jeri in Western MA
2003 2720 SL
2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Limited 4x4 - V8
Albums
commodor47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2008, 03:48 PM   #4
kempert
Site Sponsor
 
kempert's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Homebase VA, nomad for 5 months a year
Posts: 306
Default

My '02 2720SL has a "Trailer Weight Information" sticker on the inside that has the VIN as the first info under the above heading. It's about one foot to the left of the hinge side of the door. There is also an outside one near the back end of the front shell (right above the reefer vent when open) but mine is completely unreadable.
__________________
Kemper

2008 2720SL - 7 cross-country trips so far + ventures into western Canada
2002 2720SL - 70,000+ miles before being retired to the farm
2015 Ford F150

"A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot and realize how blessed you are for what you have." -- Author Unknown
kempert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2008, 04:22 PM   #5
mtnguy
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill View Post
No idea how it could have happened. Were the holes in the plate enlarged? Perhaps someone drilled out the rivets on another TM, and put the VIN plate on yours. Quick, call the cops, Chap has a stolen TM!

Bill
Bill, don't you think that that wasn't about the 1st thing I thought of, too. But I checked the orginal bill of sale, the appliance data sheet, and the title, and everything matched up. And I bought from the people that bought it originally here locally. The hole from the "mushroomed" fastener was slightly enlarged.

Commodor47, that front shell ID on mine has faded completely off also. A pencil trace didn't provide any imprint. But I was glad to hear (but not for you, of course) that your VIN fasteners were rusted, since we have the same year TM. That is the most likely culprit.

Kempert, thanks for that info, but I couldn't find that sticker on my TM....maybe it was placed at a different location because of the different model numbers?? I will check further tomorrow in the daylite and when it warms back up here. But come to think of it, my TM does seem to stay warmer than the ambient temperature.......could Bill be right??
Chap
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2008, 04:22 PM   #6
commodor47
Site Sponsor
 
commodor47's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Blandford, MA
Posts: 1,045
Default

kempert,

Interestingly I have the same paper sticker . . . but it is affixed to the inside of the left hand sink cabinet door. I wonder if the weight information listed is accurate for our unit or just a general reference.

Dick
__________________
Dick & Jeri in Western MA
2003 2720 SL
2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Limited 4x4 - V8
Albums
commodor47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-30-2008, 04:41 PM   #7
mtnguy
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by commodor47 View Post
kempert,

Interestingly I have the same paper sticker . . . but it is affixed to the inside of the left hand sink cabinet door. I wonder if the weight information listed is accurate for our unit or just a general reference.

Dick
OK, I went back out and looked, and found that sticker on the right sink cabinet door.....just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to these placements. I just can't figure out why that VIN # doesn't match the outside 1 .....just kidding.

Chap
  Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:56 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.