Halves alignment

Texas Toober · 09-09-2018, 10:41 AM

When I open up my 2619 it seems like the two halves are not on the same plane which causes the door pieces to not seal parallel with each other and just throws the door to latch side all off.
I was thinking that I could jack up the hitch side half about 1/2-1” by loosening the bolts on the torsion bar arm to raise it up.
Has anyone had this problem and if so what was the best fix for it?
I’m attaching a pic of the bolts I was looking at.
Thanks in advance.

**commodor47** · 09-09-2018, 04:54 PM

Can you post a few photos of the door half misalignment? Otherwise it is somewhat difficult to recommend a possible fix. There is a method for adjusting the rectangular tube support arm you show in your thumbnail. But that may or may not correct your alignment issue.

Dick

BrucePerens · 09-09-2018, 05:34 PM

After a long session of climbing on the roof with all weight distributed to the walls (See "Raising The Roof"), I did manage to push this out of adjustment, and couldn't get the lower left door panel to mate with the clip on the upper shell. I got someone to stand in the doorway and lift the top of the door frame while I loosened the 4 bolts and gave the shell another quarter inch of height.

nwhouston · 09-09-2018, 06:37 PM

I would go slow on making these height adjustments with the vertical lever arms. They can be done, but be sure you need them! We have a 3124, and at our length the alignment challenges every time we set up are more than subtle. So I have actually stepped into that swamp, and just this past weekend was pulled out with the aid of the factory and a good friend.

Adjusting the white vertical arms is dicey and mis-adjusting can bring some serious issues. I spent about an hour on the phone with Jacob, the TM service manager, this past week on understanding these adjustments that are usually done as part of the "factory tuneup". Jacob gave me the proper adjustment dimensions: 39" for the back four, measured from the bottom of the 90 degree piece up in the pocket stop, to the bottom edge of the trailer (see the pic attached). For the front four the normal adjustment is 39 1/2". If yours are within a 1/4" of these numbers, I would not do anything. Accept the typical TM door challenges as just normal life in these rigs (that is also Jacob's advice to me). And there are other adjustments that others, and I, have made to get the door functional when set up.

I have fought these alignment issues for about two years and am just now coming to accept the reality that on any given camp-site's piece of ground assigned to me, I just have to patiently work the leveling jacks, gently, to find the place where the door works, the bathroom walls are close to square, and the cabinet doors are not popping open. You can contact me by PM if you want to discuss further.

Larry

**dab1950** · 09-09-2018, 06:45 PM

SATX,

My 2006 2720 had this problem with the top and bottom of the door pieces
not being parallel. There are a couple problems this caused. The most annoying
problem is the door wouldn't latch or lock using the dead bolt as it should
because of the misalignment. My solution at the time was to adjust the stabilizer
jacks to raise up the front(tongue end) of the trailer until the dead bolt would
align and slide in to the door jamb as it should. The original design of my 2006
TM, they had a simple nylon thumb that twisted on it's mounting screw to hold
the top and bottom doors in vertical alignment but this did nothing the
parallel alignment of the pieces in relation to one another.
My problem was fixed by the team at the Tennessee factory years ago when
I took it up for a tune up. They removed the old nylon thumb and replaced it
with a cam latch or twist lock similar to the following >
Twist latch/lock
I say similar because I can't seem to find the exact same latch. I have a PDF
of TM parts dated 2013 but the cam latch is not in there. Since your TM is
a 2010, I assume you have the old nylon thumb. The new cam latch, when
engaged pulls the top and bottom of the door halves together in near perfect
parallel alignment. Now the door latches with a simple push and the dead bolt
slides into the jamb every time without struggle.
See this previous thread for the same issue > cam latch and also post #22
See the pictures in this previous thread of the cam latch used to fix this problem.
I'm sure that's what you need. No need to bother lifting shells, etc.

Hope this helps.

Texas Toober · 09-10-2018, 08:51 AM

Thanks for the info and advice.
We were going to plan a river run this weekend in Seguin but with all this rain and no end in sight, it could be still at flood stage by the weekend.
I guess we will have to scratch that
My TM is at storage so I can’t really do anything during the week.
I’m going to take a line laser out there and level up the trailer to it.
After leveling it out I’m going to open it up and measure to the laser line just to seee what the difference is with it expanded before I start tinkering with any bolts.
It’s not really that much of an issue it’s more of an OCD thing, my wife is just fixated with that gap by the door.
I also have to address a possessed tail light on the TM but that will probably turn into a another thread.

**J_Norris** · 09-11-2018, 08:49 PM

I just made this adjustment to the shell lift arms this last weekend and I was greatly wishing for exactly the measurements you provided Larry. I resorted to guestimating from pictures of other Trailmanors.

The method of lifting the shells as done by visiting factory reps was described here and it worked well for me:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=19181

along with these general shell leveling principals including the pocket stops.
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=8160

Now, with Larry’s measurements, the picture for me is complete. I wonder how close to those numbers I got…

For door alignment we’re also planning to check on adjusting the triangle and bracket described by Bill in the third post down here:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=17249

Jodi

**dab1950** · 09-13-2018, 08:49 AM

By all means, check the triangle at the base of the front wall. But in the end,
you might still like to install the cam/sash/twist latch.
There's an updated parts list has been added to the reference documents >
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...517#post143517
In there, look for p/n 40174 Pop-Up Entrance Door Sash Latch Kit with a
picture.

Hope this helps.

**Bill** · 09-13-2018, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dab1950

By all means, check the triangle at the base of the front wall. But in the end, you might still like to install the cam/sash/twist latch.

This continues to make me nervous. The upper door is mounted on the upper shell, and the lower door is mounted on the lower shell (the box). If the walls of these shells are not parallel to each other, the door halves will swing apart or together as you open them. If the doors swing apart, and you use the sash latch to force them together, then you are forcing one wall or the other to move. I'm not sure the doors and their mountings are tough enough to take this kind of abuse for years.

Or I could be wrong ... After all, TM does it this way.

Bill

**Larryjb** · 09-13-2018, 12:22 PM

As important as aligning the halves is levelling the trailer. Side to side levelling is especially important for the door.

I also discovered that if I did not get side to side level close by levelling at the wheels ( parking the trailer so the low side wheel is on a board to level first) there is enough flexibility in the frame that levelling using the corner jacks is not good enough.

My door would actually come apart if I levelled side to side with the jacks only.