Elkmont 24 warning

[cochise]

THIS IS A WARNING TO ALL ELKMONT OWNERS!
While emptying my Elkmont yesterday before bringing it up for more warranty repair, I lifted the bed to fetch a few items we keep there. As the bed cleared the frame it sits on, the bed platform shot forward with a ""crunching sound" and hit my knee. I was stunned and hurt. But way more shocked when I realized that the crunching sound I had heard, was actually the whole head board tearing away from the front of the trailer. The whole bed platform had moved about 14” forward into the trailer.

As I let the bed down, it stayed about 12-14" away from the front end of the trailer. The top of the head board was torn away from what I could now see was a very flimsy frame made up of two lengths of 1” x 3” furring strip connected by 3 or 4 pieces of ¾” x ¾” molding stapled, not glued nor screwed to the furring strips. On the outside this framing was again held between the two small hanging closets, on two short pieces of molding about 4-5” long at the top and bottom of the flimsy piece of plywood that houses the speakers, again only stapled together, NO glue NO screws.

Given the fact that no braces had been installed in the rear end of the trailer, nor had the bottom/floor of the trailer been attached to the rear, (the very reason the trailer was going in for “warranty” repair) now leads me to believe that the Elkmonts, at least mine is totally UNSAFE.

At this point we are taking steps to alert the NHTSA with all our supporting documents and pictures. There has been too many things wrong with my Elkmont, and this incident combined with the flimsy construction explains why shelves were collapsing in the cabinet at the rear of the trailer: THERE WAS NO STABILITY IN THE STRUCTURE. The trailer appears to have been build on a steel frame (and here also not a very strong frame because of the many “cut-outs in the chassis members to lighten the trailer) using nothing but “alu-foil” and Styrofoam, with little or no bracing. This would also explain why kitchen drawers often times were halfway open after a trip. The whole trailer was unstable and sides, roof and floor could move independently of each other. This may than also be why so many have had leaks in their trailers.

SO BEWARE AND DO INSPECT YOUR ELKMONT 24 CAREFULLY!!!

I just received an email from Ed at TrailManor:

“Sorry for the issue with the bed headboard. I have a new reinforced headboard being sent to Brad at Freedom RV today. I also talked to your wife this morning and explained that I will work with both of you with all the concerns you have with your camper.

I will be out of the office until November 2, 2002. You should have the camper back by then and we can discuss more on this then.

I do appreciate your patience on this and I will do what ever I can to correct it..”