Broken TM 2518

[kozfam4]

We recently purchased a used '97 TM2518 about a month ago and finally went out this weekend for our first real trip out of the yard. We setup in the driveway for a few weeks to get used to everything before we took it out into public.

While I was doing our walk-around before we pulled out, I noticed something majorly wrong. The rear half of the front-driver side torsion spring mount pulled away from the camper when we closed it up. It appeared that the three lag bolts pulled right out and twisted the mount in half. This resulted in not lifting help of the front passenger side of the camper.

The campsite was paid for and the whole family had been looking forward to this weekend for a while. So we decided to try opening the camper with manual strength. It opens, but it now takes three adults to lift the front half, so we decided to proceed with our trip.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? I've got pictures, but I'm waiting for them to post on WebShots. As soon as they are there, I'll share them with everyone.

I'm going to try to get a hold of the factory and a local dealer tomorrow to see what can be done. We're scheduled to go out again next weekend and our big family vacation is in July.

[kozfam4]

Here's some pictures of what happened. I felt nothing unusual when I closed it up a few hours before I noticed it.

http://community.webshots.com/album/357215284sayhOn

[BobRederick]

The photos look like some bolts came out of your frame allowing the torque rods to "untorque". Could that be the case?

Bob

[Seleya]

I had the bolts attaching the torsion bar to the shell come free while travelling in VT a few years ago. We crawled home since the shell was bouncing and twisting as we drove. The shell remains somewhat bent on that side but the dealer was able to reattach the piece without much hassle.

It looks like your bolts came loose on the other end of the torsion bar. :(

Good luck with the repairs.

Vicky :o

[kozfam4]

Yeah, it pulled the three lagbolts right out when it happened. I decided to be courtious to my fellow motorist and remove them before I went on the road (especially since my wife and kids would be in the vehicle right behind the camper. I took the photos when we got back from our trip.

Everything was fine before I shut it that day. I didn't notice any loose bolts or any bent metal. The top closed as normal.

That top is heavy. It now takes one adult on the side of the broken mount and two on the opposite side to lift the shell. Once it is up, its fine.

I've got an email into the factory along with the link to the pictures. Hopefully they will be able to help. I had a lot of people courious about the TM when we were camping, but they were a little concerned when they seen the brute force needed to get it open.

[kozfam4]

I talked to Ed Lytle down and the factory and they said that they could easily repair our problem. It will be somewhere between $300-$400. I don't feel that's bad.

My problem is trying to get the camper down to the factory. Its about 240 miles away and the only time I can do it would be on a Sunday. So now I'm trying to work out a secure way to leave it and pick it back up the next week.

[Larry_Loo]

The owner and staff of the TM Factory have been so accommodating to TM owners that I would think they might have a solution for you. I'd phone and ask them to recommend the location of a secure area where you could leave your trailer on a Sunday.

[kozfam4]

That was what I was trying to work out with Ed at the factory. I'm still waiting to hear back from them.

My wife and I are now talking about maybe going down on Sunday and the two of us camp overnight and drop it off as soon as they open on Monday. Then we'd take a half day on Friday to go back down and get it. We'd take the kids with us and camp at Norris Lake Friday night. We have to be back for a wedding on the 18th, or we would just make a full weekend of it.

[genesc]

I talked to Ed Lytle down and the factory and they said that they could easily repair our problem. It will be somewhere between $300-$400. I don't feel that's bad.


What happened to the lifetime warrenty on the lift system?

genesc

[Seleya]

I had to pay for my repair also. IMO it came loose in part because the little black pad the front is supposed to come down tight on wasn't secured to the tongue properly and twisted out from underneath it while travelling, giving the shell a bit of bounce which worked the screws loose. :(
I was told the warranty only applies to the lift system not lifting.

Vicky, who seems to have a TM which was built on a Monday :rolleyes:

[kozfam4]

My TM looks to have been backed into something by a previous owner (I'm owner #3). It was decently repaired, but I think this might have led to the failure. My front half didn't sit level, so I'm hoping that they'll adjust it when it is all put back together. The factory thought it could have also been water damage from a previous leak or something that caused the failure.

So we're going to tow her down to the factory next weekend. Its over four hours each way for a three hour repair. I'm not looking forward to the trip since this will be the first time of towing it myself. I'm taking US25 down since I don't want to deal with towing it up across the Jelico Mountains.

[Seleya]

Well, look on the bright side, you are close enough to the factory to get this taken care of properly. My dealer (MCD) has done a really good job with my problems overall and we fixed a bunch ourselves, but if I lived close enough to drop it off, there are a bunch of other things I would have had looked at. LOL :rolleyes:

I think the wheels need a good balancing since the last trip rattled the oven loose. It's only secured by four screws which project into the counter by less than a half inch, the majority of that being the tapered end. I'm going to run it down to the tire dealer and see if wheel balance is the problem since the trailer sat for a while while awaiting a solution for an electrical problem.

Good luck with your repairs! Take the factory tour if you get a chance while you're down there, I understand it's pretty cool! :)

Vicky

[Queeniereads]

We had all of our wheels balanced and seem to have solved the problem with the stove, also. They were WAY OUT and needed lots of weighting. We also put a blanket on top of the stove as we ride. We hit many pot holes in ME this weekend and ...no problem. We are also satisfied customers of MCD. Hoorya for great dealers! Queeniereads aka Judi