Shell Latch Mod / Entry Door Alignment / Slideout
We finished a 2800 mi RT from WI to FL and back. Stopped in Lake City for some TLC on the home run segment. Sights along the way; Benton, IL Travl Park, Bay Springs, MS (daughter's back yard), Blue Angels RV Park, Pensacola FL (on Perdido Bay), Volunteer RV Park (9 mi S of Lake City, Tn), Hillsboro, IN and finally, home!
Shell Latch Mod: If you recall (a few months back) I had probs with the forward shell bracket pulling loose. Discovered 9 drilled holes, 4 of which had merged into infinity symbols. My fix was to drill out the merged holes and use Rivet Nuts. That worked for a while. But after 1500 miles the threads started stripping due to the jostling effects of Wisconsin, Mississippi and Alabama interstates. After drilling out and replacing 2 Rivet Nuts, I decided to see what TM could do.
The factory has a mod which I recommend for anyone who is having problems (Larry Loo - listen up). The mod includes a strip of metal (strap) which is about 2 1/2 times as long as the latch bracket is wide. The latch bracket is in contact with the shell and the strap overlaps the bracket. No screws are used in the bracket itself. The strap is secured on each end with 2 lag-type sheet-metal screws. The mod seems to correct the weakness of the current design. Donny Pilke moded both of my forward shell brackets in about 1 hour.
I am sure that anyone wishing to modify their current setup can order the straps; from TM for a pittance, or just as easily make their own. The straps from TM are pre-drilled for proper screw positioning.
Entry Door: My lower door has ALWAYS gapped from the upper door when being opened. I did not know this gapping was an abberation. Donny recognized the problem when installing the latch mod. The cure for such misalignment resides in the traingular wood piece which is attached to the floor and the vertical portion of the body at the door hinge. He adjusted the screws(?) which secured the wood triangle to the floor. I was not able to discover the exact adjustment he made, but the lower and upper doors now swing through identical arcs and disengagement is no longer a problem. Maybe I'm the only one who's ever had this problem, but...........
Slideout: When the slideout is open, stepping on the center of the floor segment causes a good deal of flex. When questioned about this, in terms of rate of failure, Donny said, it's never happened - as far as he's aware.
I showed him what I'd done to cure (diminish) the flexing. Outside, along the centerline, on the floor, just behind the white flex seal, I installed a support. I cut out a 2.5inch x 2inch segment of carpet. Attached a 2.5inch x 2inch x 1inch block of wood + lucite (sandwich, lucite on top) to the deck with a couple of screws. When the slideout is pulled out, the block is positioned just behind the forward most part of the floor, and 1/4inch below it. When stepping on the floor it flexes 1/4inch and is supported. Prior to the mod the floor would flex up to 1 1/4inch, giving the impression of impending failure.
Now that I have nearly 10,000 miles on my TM, my conclusion is that --- It works for me!
Factory support is awesome. I also had a face-to-face with Jimmy Davis. My mental image of him was (first time ever) almost exactly that of the actual 3D JD! A truly nice man.
Denny_A
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Threaded Mode
