Tool compartment problem

[Bill]

I was crawling around under my TM today, doing some chores to prepare for our annual migration to the southwest. As I rolled around, cursing the amazing ability of my neighbor's dog to convert dog food into lawn fertilizer, an unexpected problem popped into view.

In my TM, and I think in most, there is a tool compartment just forward of the rear bumper, under the diamond plate cover. This compartment is a handy place to carry heavy grubby things - like the wheel that fits on the tongue jack, the stabilizer crank, a bottle jack, the sewer hose elbow fitting, a can of Fix-A-Flat, and so forth.

In actuality, this "compartment" is just a piece of sheet metal, bent into a shallow box, and screwed to the underside of the TM. What I discovered was that along the front and sides of the compartment, nearly all of the supporting screws had pulled out or broken. Along the front edge of the box, there are 9 screws going up into the aluminum skin of the TM floor, and 8 of them had pulled out. Along the sides, there are four screws (two on each side) going into the frame members - and two of those had rusted through and broken. The whole box - and all the stuff in it - was dangling an inch or more below normal, supported by only three (out of 13) screws.

I can imagine that if I had set out for the west, and encountered a bump or a piece of rough road, the whole thing would have dropped onto the road. I would regret losing my stuff - but I would regret even more the cost (and potential lawsuit) of fixing the car of the guy behind me, who would suddenly be confronted with a bunch of bouncing metal "things" in the road.

My suggestions, I guess, are two fold.
1. Take a look underneath your TM and make sure your compartment hasn't come loose.
2. Don't carry too much weight in this compartment, especially on bouncy roads.

This afternoon, I propped up the box, drilled new holes and inserted new screws - more than the original 13. The box is tight again, and I think it will work. But you can be sure I will watch it.


Bill

Good catch Bill. Mine's ok, tho it's greatly dented in from underneath. I don't know what happened, but at some point before I purchaced it, it had hit something back there as it was/is dented in pretty bad, and I had to replace the plumbing coming out of the grey water tank all the way to the dump valve before I could use my unit. (Wasn't a particualarly hard job).

[glow=red,2,300]Happytrails.........[/glow]

Mine is dented in on the curb side, I believe as a result of a blown tire before we pruchased the unit. All the screws seem to be intact. Some day I'll pound out the dent.

As an aside, check the screws that attach the compartment lid holddown latches to the sewer hose bumper. They are quite long and extend quite a ways into the bumper. They will really do a number if you try to insert a long hose into the bumper. I have re-mounted my latches to the frame members & can now insert my 20 foot hose without any problems.

Dan

[Bill]

Follow up:

I wasn't going to tell this story, but my wife says I need to practice humility. So here it is.

In the previous chapter, we found that the tool compartment was hanging by a thread, most of the supporting screws pulled out or broken. Our hero (that's me) decided to prop it up and insert a number of new screws. The original screw holes were stripped out, of course, so new ones were needed. Lying on my back under the TM, I began to drill a series of new holes across the width of the box, inserting a new screw in each one. About half way across, there was an area about 15 inches wide in which the factory hadn't inserted any screws. "Wow! The weak spot!" I said.

I drilled the first new hole and ran in a screw. "That'll help! I assured myself." Drilled the second hole - and as I withdrew the drill, a stream of water followed it. "What on earth?" I mumbled, as the water cascaded down on my hands, my arms, my tools, my clothes. "I drained the water system after our last trip!"

I crawled out, and checked the location of the gray water tank, the plumbing runs to the bathroom - anything that might contain water. Nothing seemed to be near the still-spouting leak. Befuddled, I opened the camper to see if there was something I wasn't thinking of. Nope, nothing. I slid back under the camper to seek more clues. As I rummaged around, a drop splashed into my mouth, and tasted familiar. And my skin began to burn. Finally, the picture clarified. "Whoa! Battery acid!" I had run my drill up through the floor and through the bottom of the battery, which was now discharging its contents right beside my head!

I grabbed my tools and ran inside. Threw the tools in the laundry sink and filled it with water. Stripped off my clothes and threw them in the washing machine and started it. Startling my wife, I ran upstairs naked (you don't want any more details here) and jumped into the shower. Ahhhhh, the burns begin to ease. Everything is under control! Went back outside, pulled the battery out of the compartment, and flooded everything with the hose to dilute the acid.

About this time, my wife noticed that I seemed agitated. "Everything OK?" I described the horror in breathless terms - the cascade of acid, the burns, the clothes falling apart, the metal corroding before my eyes ...

My wife has witnessed my projects for 35 years, and has developed a certain aplomb. Her only comment? "Does this mean we have to buy a new battery?"

I'm going to bed now.

Bill

Bill:

Congrads on becoming a life-time member of the "This Is the House That Jack Built" club. I can say that because I'm a regional chapter president. Could have been a lot worse, and glad the most damage was to your pride, not to mention the 1 less celled battery.

If it's any consolation, at least your DW did not use my DW's favorite and oft repeated comment -- "Dam* Fool!!"

Ed

Lol, "Wow, the weak spot" Don't worry about it Bill, if we were all perfect, we'd all own TM's.........upss........we do....bad reference.......chuckle........nah Bill, it's ok, we all make mistakes, the good news is it didn't put your eye out! (Seriously though Bill, I'm glad something really bad didn't happen to you!) As I stated in another post, things can *always* be worse...........Glad to hear you're ok......Dents in pride can be worked out over time.........I seem to remember another dent, something about the flaps, and forgetting to turn off the furnace....... : See, you're not alone...........

Happytrails