Door jamming

I own a 2001 3023 Trailmanor and love it all except the door. It seems to bind almost every time I set it up. I have leveled the trailer as suggested and it still doesn't work properly. What I note is that the lower half of the door can fit properly into the catch on the right side of the door entry and the bottom door will latch properly without any problem. Once I attach the upper half of the door to the bottom half it makes the door catch so at times I cannot even get the door open.

Anyone have a suggestion how to fix this problem. I did a search on doors in this database and didn't find any anwers so I thought it would make sense to ask you all. Thanks in advance.

gdwaldon

The frame of the TrailManor is quite flexible.  So flexible that if the stabilizers are used for levelers, increased stressed may be placed on the frame.  We (my wife and I) do not call them levelers but stabilizers.  Even though the manual suggests that you level your trailer using the four stabilizers (jacks), by so doing, you can raise the front and rear sections of the frame, thus causing the center of the frame to "droop" or sag.  Especially if the right front stabilizer is raised to a point too far, it can cause your door to open mysteriously by itself, even though it is locked.  I can see this same effect  on the top portion of the door where this section of the door might bind.

Just a suggestion you might try.  We only raise our stabilizers to the point where the trailer is stable.  We level it in other ways.

Hal

Thanks for your response. I will check it out this evening. However, I have not really used the stabilizers to level the trailer. I usually crank them down until they touch the ground and then just a quarter crank more is all I do. I do the leveling using blocks under the wheels for the left to right leveling and the front wheel for the front to back alignment. I will however take the stabilizers off completely this evening and see what affect it has. Thanks for your idea.

The whole leveling thing might be the cause.  When we have our unit parked in the driveway, I have found that it is very difficult to get it leveled because the driveway slopes a bit in one direction so that at least one corner seems to be off regardless of how carefully I use the leveling blocks and judicious use of the stabilizers.

Let us know what difference taking the stabilizers up has.

As mentioned the frame flexes and you may get a differing condition under each setup.

As descussed previously on this forum, it is important to first get basic "cross vehicle" leveling by using blocks under the tires.  And then to level front to rear with corner jacks, while being careful not to pick up too much of the trailer weight off the suspension.

By doing this the suspension supports the majority of the trailer weight at the frame's midpoint, and equally across the frame, so that frame flex and twist is minimized.

[BOB_STRONG]

gdwaldon,

You said that you use blocks under the tires to level it out. My 3326 King has dual axles so I have a board which is 2"x8"x4'. I place a block of wood under the front and this makes an incline to drive the trailer up on until it's level from left to right or right to left depending on the terrain.

When I even had my 2720, I still used the board as an incline ramp. Never had any problems with the door jamming.

Give it a try. It might give the unit a little more stability and less flexing of the frame. Sometimes I have to use a 2"x4" block only, but most of the time I use a 4"x 4" block under the front of the board to make the ramp.

Bob Strong

This is an interesting discussion. I use the stabilizers as levels without any problem. In fact the most wood I've ever had to add under a stabilizer is one piece of 2 x 4.

It's been rare that I've had to put wood under a wheel - Save my driveway.

I have noticed that if you are not careful when levelling, that you can pull the trailer wheels off the ground which is definately not a good thing.  That's when I scratch my head and say - OOP's something's not right here!  :-/ and then I start over.

Now, has anyone ever leveled their unit and then actually taken a level across say the kitchen floor? I haven't. Never particulary felt the need to.

Typically I get front to back level all set by raising or lowering the toungue. Then I look to see how far out the side to side level is, and then start the side to side leveling process in the opposite rear corner to bring the backside level, then I go to the opposite front corner from where I started the side level. It's kind of like putting the lug nuts on your car's tires... this proceedure has worked out for us. So am I doing it wrong ???

If I don't take care to level the trailer, I get funny reactions from my door. Like sticking.

Something else for you to check on is the door post at the hinge. Sometimes it does not get pushed back into it's clamp holder all the way. Had that happen once and it caused the problem you described.

Hope this helps!

[mjlaupp]

I level the TM from side to side using the stabilizers if there is no more than 1 or 2 inches difference. At home, I have to park where the ground has about a 4" difference side to side and 6" front to back. If I put the TM on only the stabilizers, the door does funny things and I get a lot of flex when I put my weight on the steps. I can not use boards or leveler packs to level the TM since I have to jacknife the trailer into its final position. I purchased a 'BAL Light Trailer Tire Leveler' and have had good results using it. Camper World item # 21017.
http://www.campingworld.com/browse/s...p;skunum=21017
It supports my 2720SL easily and does away with fit and flex problems. I do have to take some of the weight off of the wheel using the rear stabilizer before I can slide it under the tire. I level the TM front to back with the tongue jack, then side to side with the leveler and then lower the stabilizers. Then I open the TM. Stick on levels on the tongue and rear bumper make leveling a lot easier.

MJL

Mike:
That's interesting that you use those trailer tire levelers from Camping World. I've thought about them. If you can use em with the 2720, I should have no problem with using them on the 2619 ;D

These tire levels also will take the place of a chock when in use too!

So you are leveling the TM in the down position, eh? On mine, the levels are mounted in front, to the main compartment, under the front shell... Hmmm. Never thought about leveling it in the down position before.

Anyone else do this? ???

Texas - that's ok, we won't hold it against you. It's sometimes hard to effectively communicate in writing how we do certain mechanical tasks...

Gregg in Portland

Anbody know a Dan Hall in Colorado? He wrote a review of the BAL trailer tire level and referenced a 3023. He's definately one of us.

Check it out. http://www.campingworld.com/customer...mp;reviews=all

I'm going to buy one of these!! I'll let you know how it works after next weekend's trip.

Gregg