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Larryjb
04-30-2017, 04:48 PM
When I was looking for a TM, I was very curious about some of the technical aspects of TM construction. Sorry, these are not going to be picturesque!

One of the big questions, what years had metal framing? This varies, and cannot be pinned down to a specific year. However, you can check without removing any screws. Just peek underneath and inside one of the pocket stops. These are located where the lift arm attaches to the upper shell. There are 8 of these in total.
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[EDIT - check Post #8 below for more info and another picture]

Not all wood can be eliminated. One place is for the bag seal, and this wood needs replacing once in awhile. It's hard to see as my camera was fighting with the bright sky and dark pocket. Much of the wood is rotted in this image and will need replacing. It shouldn't be very difficult. When the bag seal is removed, chip or blow out the remaining rotted wood, clean with dilute bleach, rinse well (you don't want bleach remaining on metal, it can erode metal). Then replace with 1x1 treated wood. Other's may have their own suggestions for this repair, but whatever solution, it won't be very bad. Nothing like what Maria went through!
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Trying to figure out where those wasps were coming from?
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Here is a good shot of the torsion bar. Tightening the bolt pushes on the short length of the "L", increasing tension on the torsion bar.
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Here you can see how the shell is attached to the lift bar. There is a thicker aluminum plate which is attached to the aluminum frame inside. The outer skin is damaged on mine, exposing the inner plate. The tear here will not affect the function of the lifting mechanism, but there may be sharp edges so a stainless fender washer may be a good idea here.
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wbmiller3
05-04-2017, 08:53 PM
Good info even for veterans! I've never looked up into my trailer's pocket stops, but I am going to now!

Bill
05-05-2017, 07:43 AM
Really nice work, Larry! Glad to see it.

Bill

Larryjb
05-05-2017, 09:51 AM
There will be more to come as I tinker!

Larryjb
06-25-2017, 03:13 PM
I noticed the seat above the furnace seemed loose. When I raised the cushion, I saw that one of the structural supports had come free from the staples:
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Drilled, countersunk, and screws:
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To answer an earlier, but now irrelevant question I had before, it would be quite easy to move the furnace if you wanted to convert a sofa model into a dinette model. The most technical parts would be rerouting the gas and electrical lines.

momto4girls
04-28-2018, 02:52 PM
I just looked up inside my pocket stops. (We are currently set up and camping.) I’m not seeing exactly what your picture shows, but I’m also not seeing ANY wood. There is a horizontal piece of hollowed out metal that I can see and feel that runs along the bottom of the upper rear shell. As in parallel to the ground. It looks like 1x1 square metal tubing. If I stick my little fingers back in the hole, I can feel the styrofoam. I have a 2002 model. The previous owner told me it was all metal frame, but I doubted him because of the year. What do you think?

Larryjb
04-28-2018, 06:49 PM
You also have an Al- framed TM. You will still find wood behind the shell seals (see my posts on this: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19001 )

Larryjb
08-05-2018, 12:17 PM
I have edited one of my pictures to show more clearly where you can find the aluminum framing if you are purchasing an older (1999-2002) Trailmanor. Older than 1999 was probably wood framed, although I think I have heard about one or two that were aluminum framed. I believe most built after 2002 were aluminum framed, but I could be wrong. I'm not aware of anyone on this site observing wood framed Trailmanors after 2004 or 2005.

Even if you have an aluminum framed Trailmanor, there is still some wood used for the bag seals, vent openings, and a few other places. These pieces are relatively easy to replace if you are handy. It took me a few days to replace one of the bag seal wood strips, but I do work slowly.

In the picture below:
The circled area on the left is the end of an aluminum bar used around the perimeter of the wall. Other than the pocket stops, there is no other aluminum framing inside the wall.
The circled area on the right is the framing inside the pocket stop. This may be aluminum, wood, or aluminum with wood behind it.

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tentcamper
08-05-2018, 01:36 PM
When I was at the factory years ago. They told me 2003 was the year that the aluminum frame was added across the full product line for the full year. Some 2002's have the frame also. It sounded like they broke in the frames sometime during the 2002 production run.

Larryjb
08-05-2018, 03:48 PM
....It sounded like they broke in the frames sometime during the 2002 production run.

My 2001 2720 and a few others have reported having an aluminum frame in 2001. I feel kind of lucky!

jipfoley
09-16-2018, 04:17 AM
We're preparing our '01 2720 for resale. My hubby shopped and bought this for us in '10 but I've been the primary user and caretaker. But I don't know all teh lingo for parts. The photo says to look in the "pocket" to determine if wood or aluminum. Could someone be more specific for me? Where is that? Between the shell and the bottom? Thanks.

Larryjb
09-16-2018, 08:48 AM
If you look into the pocket that the lift arm fits into, you will see something that looks like the image in post #8. In post #8 I've circled the aluminum frame in red. My picture was taken with the shell down, but you would be able to see the aluminum frame with the shell raised as well.

Hope this helps.

gonzo628
09-16-2018, 12:44 PM
We're preparing our '01 2720 for resale. My hubby shopped and bought this for us in '10 but I've been the primary user and caretaker. But I don't know all teh lingo for parts. The photo says to look in the "pocket" to determine if wood or aluminum. Could someone be more specific for me? Where is that? Between the shell and the bottom? Thanks.

The pocket is where the bent (right angle) end of the lift arm goes when shells are raised. Collapsed, your lift arms (the right rectangular posts) are horizontal. If you follow them to the end where they bend (right angle) up to the shell, you will see (if you look under the edge of the shell) a recess where that angle fits into the shell wall. This is the "pocket". Hope this helps.

Bill
09-16-2018, 04:06 PM
But I don't know all teh lingo for parts. The photo says to look in the "pocket" to determine if wood or aluminum. Could someone be more specific for me? Where is that? Between the shell and the bottom? Thanks.You'll never find it without a picture, so check the one below. On the left side, the flat white plastic piece in the circle is called the "pocket stop cover". Sounds like the pocket would be under or behind this cover, right? And it is. Get down on your knees and look straight up behind the cover. In the right side of the picture, the red arrow points to a dark area, which is an empty slot called the pocket. The pocket stop lives up inside this pocket, and Larry can take it from here.

Bill