I'm assuming you have very few (if any) tools with you. Assuming that is true, the repair can be handled by most any mechanic. If you can find a mobile mechanic (most large campgrounds will know where to find one), it will save you collapsing the trailer and taking it to a shop. Or, with a few simple tools, you can probably handle it yourself, on-site.
I would guess that the bolts have stripped out of the aluminum frame member inside the shell wall, which means that your latch is too tight. You should considering loosening the latch (the part with the hook and black-plastic-covered handle) just a bit. You will need a wrench to fit the bolt heads, and a large screwdriver (flat, not Phillips) to jam each nut in place as you turn each bolt.
As for a fix, I would take one of the bolts (sheet metal screws, as Ed pointed out) to a hardware store, and buy new ones of the same length but one size larger in diameter. As long as the new ones have a pointy tip, you don't need the original self-drilling feature, but you will need a wrench to turn them. You may need to enlarge the four holes in the strap just a bit. A drill or a hand tool called a tapered reamer - or even a rat-tail file, if you are desperate - could do this. The reamer in the picture is what I have in mind, though I don't know where they would be commonly available. Harbor Freight has one for $3. Lowes and Home Depot are worth trying, though their web sites come up empty.
I'm not sure how to remove the piece of the one broken bolt without a drill and a screw extractor. However, TM used to build the trailers with a shorter 2-hole strap. They moved to the longer 4-hole strap because owners were experiencing occasional pull-out. This tells me that if you loosen up the latch, you should be able to get along with only 3 bolts through the strap, at least temporarily.
What model year is your TM?
Bill
|
Hybrid Mode
