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Old 04-14-2015, 07:58 PM   #81
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Dave and Jane,
Do or did you have a w/d set up on this road. I wonder if w/d will exacerbate bouncing and possible damage?
I use an Andersen hitch, but I don't see how it could make the trailer bounce worse.

-Dave
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Old 04-14-2015, 08:27 PM   #82
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What I have learned is that because the ride is still quite tolerable in the tow vehicle, does not mean that everything in the trailer is not bouncing around. Slow down even more than you think is necessary, and then some.
This sounds like good advice. I was basing my driving speed on conditions inside the tow vehicle, not the trailer. I assume the trailer's suspension is not as good as the tow (Nissan Xterra, in our case), but how do you know what is going on back there? It looked OK in the mirror.

With moderate washboards you usually can find a speed that smooths out the ride, but is this also true for the trailer?

-Dave
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Old 04-14-2015, 08:36 PM   #83
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Seriously, my guess would be that it was an extra screw dropped by a worker during assembly and stuck in a corner somewhere (thus escaping the clean-up at the end of construction) until it was shaken loose on the exceptionally rough road.
We occasionally found a pieces of construction debris when we the trailer was new (often short pieces of electrical insulation from wire stripping). However, this screw appears to have been used. There was residual white material under the screw head, possibly caulking.

-Dave
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Old 04-14-2015, 10:22 PM   #84
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More commonly known as a shake down cruise ....
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Old 04-14-2015, 11:25 PM   #85
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- I assumed the fridge door latch would be engineered well enough to stay closed in spite of the reports by others on this list, but the door on our Dometic 4.3 fridge literally broke off, scattering fridge contents all over the floor and shattering a door shelf cover. Although damaged, the door hinge socket was still serviceable and I was able to remove the hinge bracket and re-install the door, and I used a bungee to make sure it stayed closed for the rest of the trip. Now that we are home, I will use epoxy to rebuild the damaged socket and, although it won't be pretty, I'll try gluing the shelf part.
-Dave
Had very similar experiences, never broke the door shelf though. I was able to fix the bent hinge, epoxy the damaged bottom socket, reinstall the door, etc. but I had already had it bungeed similar to what you are doing. The damage still occurred.

I keep the fridge door empty or at least very light now when travelling. I also try to take all of the heavier items out of the fridge and put them in a cooler or box while travelling.

I still use the bungee but have found that there is a low residue duct tape on the market. It goes on and holds strong but will peel off easily leaving no residue behind at all. I am careful where I put it, plastic or metal parts only. I run a strip along the side of the door and the top of the door just before we head out. It has worked really well giving that additional security to keep the door from swinging open. If you are careful, and need to open the fridge while still enroute, the tape can be reused.
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Old 04-14-2015, 11:45 PM   #86
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Sounds like gaffer tape. Peel it off slowly ( don't rip it off ) or you can do damage.
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Old 04-15-2015, 08:29 AM   #87
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We do this on every trip, rough roads or not. Peace of mind after having the fridge door breakoff once on a washboard road. And we travel with any refrigerated stuff in a cooler on the floor under the table.
Attached Thumbnails
Fridge strap.jpg   Fridge strap anchor detail.jpg   Bath Door strap.jpg   Bath door strap buckle.jpg  
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Old 04-15-2015, 06:06 PM   #88
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Sounds like gaffer tape. Peel it off slowly ( don't rip it off ) or you can do damage.
I've used gaffers tape before, could be something similar but Duck brand is marketing it as "No Residue Duck Tape". I picked up a roll at Walmart and will be keeping one the trailer tool kit from now on. Regardless of the product, peel slowly is very sound advice....
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Old 04-15-2015, 07:36 PM   #89
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I keep the fridge door empty or at least very light now when travelling. I also try to take all of the heavier items out of the fridge and put them in a cooler or box while travelling.
I've mentioned this idea before and took some grief from the non-cooler crowd, but I think you're very smart. These trailers look like an earthquake going down a rough road. The entire interior plastic of the frig, while it can be repaired (with JB Weld and the like), will always look repaired. Imagine cans/bottles or half-gallons of milk in the frig under tow. Hopping around and slamming against that fragile plastic.

I'll keep my cooler and protect the interior of my frig too. YMMV
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Old 04-15-2015, 07:41 PM   #90
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We have had our latch malfunction twice, necessitating repair, and done real good the second time. This is the only time we have had the door come open, and we make no special allowances when loaded for travelling.

We travel a lot of unpaved roads too, maybe just got lucky.

That strap of Fran and Dave's on the fridge looks nice. The hardware is even a colour that matches the cabinetry well. I might be inclined to do something like that. Not sure I would put one on the bath door though, as it has never been an issue.

I would use the cooler, but it is full of beer.
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Old 04-16-2015, 08:40 AM   #91
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Originally Posted by FMLNM View Post
We do this on every trip, rough roads or not. Peace of mind after having the fridge door breakoff once on a washboard road. And we travel with any refrigerated stuff in a cooler on the floor under the table.
Hi Fran & Dave; can I ask where you found the cleats you used to attach your strap over the fridge door? Looks like an easy, effective fix. Thanks!
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Old 04-16-2015, 09:08 AM   #92
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Hi Fran & Dave; can I ask where you found the cleats you used to attach your strap over the fridge door? Looks like an easy, effective fix. Thanks!
We got the hardware (and also the straps and buckles) from:
Metal Footman Loops
We liked that we could choose a coordinating color for the hardware. If we were to do it again we would make one change: get a buckle arrangement that has the buckle on just one end and plain strap on the other. With our buckles, there is a buckle piece on each end and we have to unthread the strap from one buckle end in order to completely remove the strap from the cleats and put it away when we are camped. Minor inconvenience.
You can also make this setup by getting parts from local hardware, hobby and/or camping shop (belts/buckles). The 'footman loops' would be the hardest part to find.
See this one if color doesn't matter (and if a 48" strap is long enough - you have to go twice the fridge width- or length- plus some)):
http://www.amazon.com/Boat-Marine-He...down+strap+kit
And someone else on the forum had another strap kit from Amazon but I couldn't find it.
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Old 04-16-2015, 09:51 AM   #93
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Another solution provided by the fine folks on this Forum! Very much appreciated.
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Old 04-16-2015, 10:08 AM   #94
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Another solution provided by the fine folks on this Forum! Very much appreciated.
Indeed, the forum participants are a treasure trove of help and ideas to share. I should add that I got this idea from someone else's post on the forum and just tuned it to my liking. If I could find them I'd thank them!
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Old 04-16-2015, 03:49 PM   #95
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On our 19 we used cabinet handle door pulls and 1 1/2" webbing with Velcro sewed on the ends. The door pulls are mounted around the front and rear corners of the cabinetry and secures the frig, wardrobe, and bathroom door.
I just repacked the wheel bearings and replaced the grease seals and started wondering how these wash board roads affected the trailer wheel bearings.
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Old 04-16-2015, 04:24 PM   #96
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Originally Posted by Jubal View Post
On our 19 we used cabinet handle door pulls and 1 1/2" webbing with Velcro sewed on the ends. The door pulls are mounted around the front and rear corners of the cabinetry and secures the frig, wardrobe, and bathroom door.
I just repacked the wheel bearings and replaced the grease seals and started wondering how these wash board roads affected the trailer wheel bearings.
There you go...another idea!
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Old 04-16-2015, 04:38 PM   #97
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And, I just run a bungee from existing cabinet handle to another existing cabinet handle.
Attached Thumbnails
Fridge bungee.jpg  
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Old 04-16-2015, 06:50 PM   #98
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Just goes to show that there's a host of solutions to every single issue. Nothing better than to have choices!
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Old 04-16-2015, 07:05 PM   #99
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I got some webbing, grommets and Fastex buckles from my camping supplies and made a strap that is easy to remove and tuck out of sight when not traveling.

-Dave
Attached Thumbnails
Travel position.jpg   Camping position.jpg  
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Old 04-16-2015, 07:56 PM   #100
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Originally Posted by Dave&Jane View Post
I got some webbing, grommets and Fastex buckles from my camping supplies and made a strap that is easy to remove and tuck out of sight when not traveling.

-Dave
Nice! I like it!
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