TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

05-10-2002, 04:48 PM

My wife and I returned yesterday from a 5 day trip. This morning when we opened up our TM, we discovered that the upper shell's latch pin bracket on the curb side came off at that same moment. One of the bracket's 5/16" machine screws apparently had dropped off on to the highway somewhere. The other was dangling from the loose bracket.

Last year the latch pin bracket on the other side of the upper shell came off while returning home from a two week trip. I welded up a bracket similar to the one Jeober suggested and screwed it into two new holes. So far, the bracket is still attached, but, I expect it to come off in the future - for reasons I'll explain in the next paragraph.

The main problem with the TM factory's method of attaching these brackets is that the underside edges of the shells appear to be 1/16" to 3/32" thick aluminum. This thin aluminum sheet does not provide adequate holding power for either sheet metal screws or machine screws. As you might expect, the latch pin brackets are under considerable tension when the shells are closed. Since each bracket is attached by two screws inserted into thin aluminum, it is only a matter of time when the brackets come off. That time usually occurs when the trailer is bouncing around on the highway during a trip.

Even if DenTed were to have a new bracket welded up and attached with screws into new holes that straddled the old holes, the bracket is likely to come loose later - because the screws are inserted into thin aluminum sheet. A better method of attachment would be to insert rivet nuts into the underside of a shell and then fasten a bracket with machine screws. Rivet nuts are "pulled up" just like pop rivets. Unlike pop rivets, however, rivet nuts are internally threaded. They come in sizes ranging from 6-32 through 5/8"-16, in both aluminum and galvanized steel. Since the threaded barrel of a rivet nut may be 1/4" or longer, it will provide a lot of holding strength for a machine screw that's inserted into it.

Now that my second bracket has come loose, I plan to order some heavy duty ones from the TM factory - and attach them all with rivet nuts. ;D

05-10-2002, 04:48 PM	#17
Larry_Loo Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Shell latch "bracket" problem My wife and I returned yesterday from a 5 day trip. This morning when we opened up our TM, we discovered that the upper shell's latch pin bracket on the curb side came off at that same moment. One of the bracket's 5/16" machine screws apparently had dropped off on to the highway somewhere. The other was dangling from the loose bracket. Last year the latch pin bracket on the other side of the upper shell came off while returning home from a two week trip. I welded up a bracket similar to the one Jeober suggested and screwed it into two new holes. So far, the bracket is still attached, but, I expect it to come off in the future - for reasons I'll explain in the next paragraph. The main problem with the TM factory's method of attaching these brackets is that the underside edges of the shells appear to be 1/16" to 3/32" thick aluminum. This thin aluminum sheet does not provide adequate holding power for either sheet metal screws or machine screws. As you might expect, the latch pin brackets are under considerable tension when the shells are closed. Since each bracket is attached by two screws inserted into thin aluminum, it is only a matter of time when the brackets come off. That time usually occurs when the trailer is bouncing around on the highway during a trip. Even if DenTed were to have a new bracket welded up and attached with screws into new holes that straddled the old holes, the bracket is likely to come loose later - because the screws are inserted into thin aluminum sheet. A better method of attachment would be to insert rivet nuts into the underside of a shell and then fasten a bracket with machine screws. Rivet nuts are "pulled up" just like pop rivets. Unlike pop rivets, however, rivet nuts are internally threaded. They come in sizes ranging from 6-32 through 5/8"-16, in both aluminum and galvanized steel. Since the threaded barrel of a rivet nut may be 1/4" or longer, it will provide a lot of holding strength for a machine screw that's inserted into it. Now that my second bracket has come loose, I plan to order some heavy duty ones from the TM factory - and attach them all with rivet nuts. ;D