Hard Rear Shell Closing

Thursday we picked up our new TM and after "adequate" demo, proceded to camp overnight at a KOA on the way home. Opened OK. Everthing worked well, good night sleep and began closing for the first time in the morning. All went well until we tried to close the top (aft) shell. It took both of us pulling down on the fromt of it to get it to snap into closure. Is that normal or were we doing something wrong? Thanks.

Did you put your foot in the stirrup and "bounce" on it?

One of my four spring loaded latches is a little sticky and sometimes doesn't catch. I have to manually jiggle it so it will spring close when it should.

I find that it is easier if I close the street side first and the curbside second. Not sure why.

Wayne

It sounds like your shell closed with more difficulty than during the demo, so I suspect something is poking up inside. Look around for anything that can hold it up. It is wise to poke your head inside during sliding in the bed and/or slideoout to watch the goings-on. You might see something to correct (like taking down the hanging cabinet ) or a roll of paper towels on the counter. I have had wall hangers prevent the front slide from going all the way in.

Is the trailer level? That will cause misalignment.

Bob

[Bill]

In addition to what has already been suggested, did you leave any bedding on the bed? There has been a lot of discussion on the effect this has on closing the aft shell (use the SEARCH tool). Some TMs seem to accept more bedding than others. I suspect that the difference lies in the adjustment of the main hook-latches. You could probably raise them 1/4" to ease the problem.

Bill

Hi,

We too have to work pretty hard to get the rear shell of our '04 2720SL to latch. One thing that helps is to leave the top of the door open while closing the rear shell. This allows you to exert more leverage on the rear shell since you can reach it through the door opening (make sense?). Once the rear shell is down and locked you can then latch the door top. We actually leave the door top open until we get both shells down and locked. I find that this puts less strain on the door latch (a pretty flimsy latch).

I know there has been discussion on the board about which side to lock first. When I spoke with a TM engineer at a recent RV show and he emphasized the importance of always starting on the curb side (passenger) of the rig. It should be the first latch released and the first latch locked. I'm not sure why it's so important, but I thought I'd pass it on. I also think the manual describes opening/closing in this order.

Happy camping!

Ted

I am so thankful to find this site. We purchased a previously owned TM last fall. We have used it 6 times this summer and have struggled every time with the back shell. Thank heavens we camp with another couple and they help us close it. It takes 4 adults to get it to lock. We have done everything that has been suggested here. We are not happy campers!!

[Frenchy]

You need to adjust your torsion bars. Do a search for "adjusting torsion bars". There have been several threads on this subject. They will tell you how to make it easier to close the shells.

Frenchy,

It might also be the latches. They can be adjusted some also. Our front shell was difficult to latch until I adjusted the latches for it. I would suggest trying that first before tackling the torsion bars.

Michael

[Denny_A]

Originally Posted by Robin Nicholson

I am so thankful to find this site. We purchased a previously owned TM last fall. We have used it 6 times this summer and have struggled every time with the back shell. Thank heavens we camp with another couple and they help us close it. It takes 4 adults to get it to lock. We have done everything that has been suggested here. We are not happy campers!!

......describe EXACTLY what specifically is difficult to lock AND how the difficulty is manifested. I.e., do two folx hang on the back of the shell whilst 2 others are pushing/pulling on a, or both, spring-loaded latch(es); or possibly tugging a, or both, over-center corner latch(es)?

Maybe one side of the shell doesn't close down enough whilst the other sets down just fine, so's ya has to hang on the high side to force it low enough to engage one or another type of latch.

If you can provide detail of the problem, someone (or some several ones) can probably figure out a solution.

Denny_A

I figured out an interesting way to close the back shell. I am tall but weigh 125 lbs. I find that I cannot bounce either side into the latches unless my husband is on the other side. He is not always available when I am tearing down. I found that if I close the front bed and climb up on to the hitch tongue and on to the front bed, I can push the back shell down quite easily. The front shell has never been a problem.
Cheri