Protecting the Plumbing

Actually, Ed at Happy Trails RV Center in Phillipsburg fixed the plumbing already.

I bought the parts in Oklahoma City planning to save some money by repairing it myself and dove on the next day toward St. Louis. We pulled into a KOA when the kids were bushes and upon seeing my TM, the park manager told me that there was a TM dealer next door - Happy Trails. The manager squeezed me into the day's schedule and... It looks like new.

Being from California, we were shocked that they were willing to use the piping I'd picked up in OC, and even more shocked when the billed by the half hour. The bill barely topped $100!!!

Anyway, if you're ever in Missouri and need anything TM related, I highly recommend Happy Trails.

Jason

Jason,

That's good information. Are they around St. Louis? We're routinely through there on our way out west.

While we've yet to experience a blowout on the TM, I'm looking to prevent what happened to you. I don't worry about losing control of the rig when a tire goes, but I sure do worry about that plumbing! I would imagine that, depending upon the extent of the damage, not just any RV shop would be willing/able to fix it, and it has the potential to be expensive.

Thanks,

Bob

Has anyone tried the foam yet?

Originally Posted by B_and_D

Here's a picture of the one we made:

http://trailmanorowners.com/forum/album.php?albumid=42

Luckily I haven't had the chance to try it out!

Just looking at it and the spray foam I put into the area around the pipe where I thought mice could get in, I wonder if it would help to spray foam all around the plumbing inside the cage (I'd have to put a backing on it to hold it in). We used spray foam when we put in the wheelwell retrofit and even though we've had two blowouts, the foam really protected the cabinets. It wouldn't look very nice, but if it would help...it might be worth a try. Maybe we could put a sheetmetal liner around the front, or something?

I basiclly made the same thing you did but I made mine from an old microwave oven cover and reinforced it with a flat piece of metal from a chain link fence stay on the long edges. I attached mine in the same place you did but for more support I cut a piece of 1/8 in alum and screwed it to the floor bottom in the rear. I have lots of time on my hands. LOL If anyone is interested I can post some pix.

Larry

Not sure how to put pix on but here are direct links to some.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...IMG_1199-1.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...IMG_1200-2.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1201.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1203.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1206.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1207.jpg

I'm going to remount it tomorrow since I know it fits I took it back off to paint.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Larry - I'd like to see some pics if you get a chance.

Thanks,
Dave

[B_and_D]

Maybe I should go back out and scrounge those two microwave ovens I saw lying on the side of the road on the way home...LOL!

Please post pics when you get done. Looks very interesting. Maybe we should paint our sheetmetal cage black so it doesn't rust.

What looks nice about those metal pieces is that there is already a nice coat of paint on them and a reinforced edge.

I knew I had seen something I thought would work. You can get an idea of it here:
http://www.tjtrailers.com/store/pakt...id-wheels.html

It involves adding skid plates long enough to protect the pipes and then adding these little wheelies. I think the skid bars are pretty common but I don't know if they have to be welded to the frame or whether they can be drilled and bolted on. A clamp system would be nice so you don't compromise the frame. I'm surprised that TM doesn't put these on as a matter of course with models that have only two wheels since it would be a lot easier to put these on at the factory.

Phil

In a previous thread I documented that when towing the TM across a dry creek bed my TM 2720 scraped the ground at the rear with the factor hitch receiver. At no time was the plumbing at risk of contacting the ground. Those wheels would have buried themselves in the dirt a lot deeper than my hitch receiver did. They might be helpful with certain driveways, but that is not a problem that I have encountered in 5 years of towing the TM.

This was an even surface that just sloped down, crossed the creek and then sloped back up the other side. It was not a bunch of bolder. This was all pretty smooth dirt and gravel. Sorta like a big dip in the road.

My interest in protecting the plumbing is if the tire in front of it shreds. The blow out we had last year was on the other side and did not shred. But who knows what will happen with the next blowout.

OK I installed the finished product this morning. It came out very good & I am happy with the results. I'm about 95% sure if I have a blow out on the plumbing side no damage will be incurred except maybe the wheel cover.
I used well nuts to attach the rear side to the bottom of the TM. Everyone that has tried to attach something on the skin knows it is very thin and sheetmetal screws just don't hold. On the left side I used self tapping screws right into the beam. I have included pix of the hardware, installation & a drawing of the dimensions of mine. What I did was use some thin flashing material about 6 inches wide to make a pattern and transfered it to the stuff I used.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1209.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...IMG_1211-1.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1212.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...IMG_1213-1.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1214.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1216.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1217.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...t/IMG_1219.jpg


Oh I just noticed I put the wrong size on the first dimension, it should say 5 inches not 3.

[B_and_D]

Looks like a nice job...that should definitely help. Thanks for posting the pictures.