MIssy -
I see you haven't gotten an answer yet, so let me toss something into the thread. Larry, let us know if I am mis-interpreting your post.
The photo below is from one of Larry's albums. In the middle of the photo, you see one of the torsion bars rising up from the bottom of the photo toward the middle. The bar bends to the right in the photo, then the end pokes through the "cage" and out the other side. (The "cage" is actually a short section of square steel tube.) On both sides of the cage, there is a big flat washer, then a shiny stainless steel screw clamp. The washer and clamp keep the end of the torsion bar properly placed in the cage, keeping it from slipping too far into or out of the cage. (The big hexagonal bolt head is the tension adjusting bolt. Don't worry about it for now.)
I think Larry's post says that on his TM, the stainless steel clamp had slipped off the end of one of the bars, and the bar slipped back halfway out of the cage. This is a big problem, since it allows the bar to twist out of line. It gets to be a real problem if the bar slips all the way out of the cage, as it can then slam around uncontrolled.
It is possible that this same thing has happened on your TM, causing the rear shell to get crooked enough that it won't close properly. To see if that is the case, all you have to do is get down on your knees and look under the TM, at all the cages. There are 8 of them, four in front and four in the back. Incidentally, from under the camper, the torsion bars (8 of them) look like long metal rods, approx 1/2 inch diameter, running across the entire width of the trailer. They are painted black, and probably kind of rusty. One end of each is bent, inserted into and through a cage, and washered and clamped on both sides of the cage. Check all 8 - if the stainless clamp is missing on any of them, it will be obvious.
Finally, if all 8 bars are properly clamped in their cages, I doubt that mis-adjustment of the big hexagonal bolt would be enough to cause the problem you are seeing. The shell might be difficult to lift (or lower) but it wouldn't be out of position.
Let us know what you find.
Bill
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