TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post - Need advice on whether to buy a used 1991

11-28-2002, 02:48 AM

Rick, what you need to do is look up in the pocket stops. These are the places the travel arms go up in the front and rear shells. See if what goes along the bottom is wood or aluminum. I'm not sure what year they started using aluminum, but if it is aluminum that runs along the bottom of the shells, you're A-OK. If it's wood, what you will want to do is remove a screw or two and see what it's condition looks like. If it's rusted, and missing threads, then most likely the wood will need to be replaced. These things have very little wood in the clam shells, just at the outter edges. For the most part they're simply made of a sheet of styrofoam sandwitched in between two sheets of aluminum. I had to replace all the wood in my front clam shell with aluminum, and even with all the bad wood in it, once it was set up, it NEVER leaked one drop of water! They do not have a conventional "frame" so to speak. The only wood and/or aluminum in them is where the wall meets the roof, and along the bottom, as well as rear edge, tho that wood doesn't matter. (I never bothered, nor had to replace that wood out....doesn't do much anyway). If it sets up just fine, I'd say it's good to go. When I opened mine up for the first time, the wood was so rotten, it opened up where there was 3 feet of sky between the front and rear sections! In other words, it'll be obvious if it's bad...lol. When you do set it up, there are 4 aluminum tubes with a hole in them that a pin from the shell goes into. Check to see if they line up pretty good once it's opened up. Once set up, the pins should be fairly close if not right on with where the holes in the aluminum tubes come up to meet them. You can see what I'm talking about by checking out my web page....it's pretty detailed, and there are pictures of the pins and the small aluminum tubes as well as everything else dealing with the structure on it. At any rate, it'll educate you pretty good before you go look at your 1991.   http://members.aol.com/br768 Hope this helps!

[glow=red,2,300]Happytrails.......[/glow]

11-28-2002, 02:48 AM	#5
Happytrails Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Need advice on whether to buy a used 1991 Rick, what you need to do is look up in the pocket stops. These are the places the travel arms go up in the front and rear shells. See if what goes along the bottom is wood or aluminum. I'm not sure what year they started using aluminum, but if it is aluminum that runs along the bottom of the shells, you're A-OK. If it's wood, what you will want to do is remove a screw or two and see what it's condition looks like. If it's rusted, and missing threads, then most likely the wood will need to be replaced. These things have very little wood in the clam shells, just at the outter edges. For the most part they're simply made of a sheet of styrofoam sandwitched in between two sheets of aluminum. I had to replace all the wood in my front clam shell with aluminum, and even with all the bad wood in it, once it was set up, it NEVER leaked one drop of water! They do not have a conventional "frame" so to speak. The only wood and/or aluminum in them is where the wall meets the roof, and along the bottom, as well as rear edge, tho that wood doesn't matter. (I never bothered, nor had to replace that wood out....doesn't do much anyway). If it sets up just fine, I'd say it's good to go. When I opened mine up for the first time, the wood was so rotten, it opened up where there was 3 feet of sky between the front and rear sections! In other words, it'll be obvious if it's bad...lol. When you do set it up, there are 4 aluminum tubes with a hole in them that a pin from the shell goes into. Check to see if they line up pretty good once it's opened up. Once set up, the pins should be fairly close if not right on with where the holes in the aluminum tubes come up to meet them. You can see what I'm talking about by checking out my web page....it's pretty detailed, and there are pictures of the pins and the small aluminum tubes as well as everything else dealing with the structure on it. At any rate, it'll educate you pretty good before you go look at your 1991.   http://members.aol.com/br768 Hope this helps! [glow=red,2,300]Happytrails.......[/glow]