Bumper just broke going down the freeway!

amijab · 06-22-2019, 04:07 PM

Has anyone had their bumper storage brake going down
The freeway before? Somehow are bumper broke and everything inside went flying down the freeway. Sad day. Not even sure where to get if fixed and how much this will be.
Anyone else had this amazing experience before?

**Bill** · 06-22-2019, 07:39 PM

If I understand the pictures correctly, what is broken is not the bumper, but just the sheet metal pan hanging beneath the bumper, extending fully side-to-side, and forward about a foot under the rear storage compartment. This pan is not intended to carry heavy stuff. It is made of rather light sheet metal, and is attached to the underside of the frame with about a dozen sheet metal screws, each going into a hole drilled in a frame member. The screws are rather small, there are not very many of them, and worst of all, they rust because they are exposed to all the crud on the road. All of this means that the pan is not very sturdy, and becomes less so with age. Again, it is intended to carry only lightweight stuff. Mine carried sewer hoses (two lengths) and the crank for the in the wide center part. In the left bay, the coiled up power cord. And on the right, a set of jumper cables, a long ratchet strap, and a box of latex gloves. As I say, lightweight stuff.

If you have been carrying heavy stuff, or exposed the pan to a lot of road salt, this is what caused the pan attachment to fail. The good news is that you still have the pan - you don't have to replace it. What you should do is extract all the screws that are rusted or broken or whose holes are questionable. Take one of the best screws to a hardware store, and buy a couple dozen just like it. Get yourself a corded electric drill and a high quality drill bit of the size appropriate to the screws - remember you will be screwing into steel. Prop the pan up into place on a bunch of cardboard boxes or whatever. Drill a bunch of holes though the pan and the frame above it, and screw the pan back into place. Rather than using a hand-driven screwdriver, a screwdriver bit for your drill will help a lot.

Suggestion - don't try to reuse the existing screws. They are too buggered up to trust. And don't try to reuse the old holes in the pan and the frame unless they are really clean. You can put the new holes near the existing ones, and I would suggest that you add a new hole midway between each pair of existing ones. Stainless screws would be a good idea.

Yes, I have done this. No, I didn't enjoy it. You will be lying on your back, working upward, with rust and dirt falling in your face (wear goggles). It will take two or three hours, but will cost only a couple bucks for the new screws. When you are done, and still remembering how much you disliked doing it, clear the heavy stuff out of the pan.

Bill

eddugo · 06-24-2019, 02:53 AM

I am wondering, looking at the pic of the left side, if the rear of the trailer dragged on the road coming out of a gas station or driveway? The plastic is scraped and the sheet metal looks torn. maybe it hooked something like a storm sewer??

tentcamper · 06-24-2019, 12:11 PM

Im think its the pan to from what I see. Just this year I was looking under my camper and found that about 70% of my screws holding the pan and 2 end sections had falling out or pulled free. I installed new screws and added about 8 new additional ones figuring the the aluminum holes had failed and I need new and additional holes for the screws.

Im with Bill dont put a lot of weight in the bumper. Maybe a total of 30-40 lbs in the 3 sections

eddugo · 06-24-2019, 03:16 PM

I'm wondering if aluminum "pop rivets" would be a better way to hold up the pan??

**wrenchami** · 06-24-2019, 04:52 PM

I was thinking of some preventative attention to the bumper pan after reading this thread. I like the idea of pop rivets. Steel rivets might be a better choice than aluminum because it avoids the dissimilar metals issue.

tentcamper · 06-24-2019, 06:17 PM

Most of the pan is screwed into the underside of the camper, which is aluminum. I think it's 5-6 screws in the bottom of the camper an 2-3 in the frame on each side of the pan. Those 2-3 also hold the end of the bumper covers.

smithdarrell345 · 08-13-2024, 06:40 PM

How much the bumper going for

**Kidkraz** · 08-13-2024, 08:16 PM

What model/year of TM do you have. Can you clarify what exactly is needed, or post a picture of the broken part/items. These parts are listed on page 21 of the 2013 parts book.

15020 Bumper Pan Rear
15021 Bumper Pan Front DS
15022 Bumper Pan Front ODS
15023 Bumper Lid (75080)

Wavery · 08-14-2024, 08:09 AM

I used to have a 2004 2720SL (years ago). I noticed that a bunch of those screws were missing in that pan. I drilled out the original holes with a 3/16" drill and I replaced all of the screws with 3/16" aluminum pop rivets 5/8" long.

I have a rule that I use on any trailer that I've ever owned. When a sheet metal screw falls out, I always replace it with a pop-rivet instead of a screw (where possible) unless the screw goes into wood, like cabinetry. If the screw goes into wood, I use 1 size up larger screw and use a backing block where possible.

All trailers (not just TrailManors) are subject to a lot of vibration and jarring, especially from the axle to the rear bumper. This is especially true with single axle trailers.

It also looks like you will definitely need to replace your power cord. I found it best to install an inlet where the old plastic access hole is (remove and discard) and use a new detachable cord (listed below). It's so much easier to use and you can store the cord so much easier. Just cut your old power cord off, leaving about 2' sticking out of the hole. Strip the wires on the remaining cord and install the new power inlet (listed below). Then push the old cord and new inlet in the hole and screw the inlet down.

https://www.amazon.com/Kohree-Extens...1zcF9hdGY&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...VMVLAN5UJ&th=1