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Old 05-16-2018, 10:52 PM   #1
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Bouncing front storage box

We have a classic 21 and have noticed lately that the front storage box seems to bounce around a lot. Today driving in strong winds it bounced around the entire drive. Does anyone else have this problem? Do we need to be careful how we load it? Maybe intentionally put heavy items in the bottom? We probably only had about 20 or 30 lbs of stuff in it.

With no wind and on smooth road it does better.
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Old 05-16-2018, 11:07 PM   #2
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You should check to see that the four bolts holding it down to the frame are tight.
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Old 05-16-2018, 11:09 PM   #3
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Kevin said he checked the bolts so don't think that was it. But I will ask him to check again and actually try to tighten them rather than just look at them.
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Old 05-16-2018, 11:20 PM   #4
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Quote:
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Kevin said he checked the bolts so don't think that was it. But I will ask him to check again and actually try to tighten them rather than just look at them.
make sure that the fiberglass on the box bottom isn't cracked around hte bolts, too!
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Old 05-16-2018, 11:31 PM   #5
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IS it the entire box or "just" the lid?
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Old 05-17-2018, 03:18 PM   #6
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mine on my 17 never bounced
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Old 05-17-2018, 03:34 PM   #7
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IS it the entire box or "just" the lid?
Good question! We think it's the entire box but maybe it's just the lid? Will watch closely when taking it back to storage today. One bolt was a bit loose and so maybe that was the problem too.
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Old 05-17-2018, 05:04 PM   #8
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It also depends on the construction of the box bottom. I've never seen inside a factory one but ideally there is a wood bottom to add rigidity. Even so, fender washers under the bolt heads will stiffen it up and keep it from moving so much.

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Old 05-17-2018, 08:14 PM   #9
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Several folks have had issues with the box on the 21 - not with "bouncing" (it can't bounce because it's bolted to the frame) but with forward and backward flexing, and smacking up against the front of the trailer as it's buffeted by the wind.

It's larger than the box on the 17 or 19 but constructed the same, which means it's got a little more flex than the smaller boxes do. An easy fix is a pool noodle between the box and the trailer, or some other piece of thick foam you can wedge in there.
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Old 05-17-2018, 09:52 PM   #10
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Our box in our 19’ has a weight limit warning inside the lid. I had noticed it before, but the irony of it didn’t register with me till I saw it again yesterday. Warning label says the weight limit of the box is 100 pounds. Interestingly, my twin 6v batteries, which reside in the box, weigh a combined 134 pounds. Go figure.
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Old 05-17-2018, 10:13 PM   #11
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Several folks have had issues with the box on the 21 - not with "bouncing" (it can't bounce because it's bolted to the frame) but with forward and backward flexing, and smacking up against the front of the trailer as it's buffeted by the wind.

It's larger than the box on the 17 or 19 but constructed the same, which means it's got a little more flex than the smaller boxes do. An easy fix is a pool noodle between the box and the trailer, or some other piece of thick foam you can wedge in there.

Pool noodles are so useful. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Old 05-17-2018, 10:42 PM   #12
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Warning label says the weight limit of the box is 100 pounds. Interestingly, my twin 6v batteries, which reside in the box, weigh a combined 134 pounds. Go figure.
Yes, but the weight limit does not include the batteries in this case, because the box is built with a platform for the batteries glassed in. I asked about that sometime around the time we picked up our trailer.

It's no biggie because we'd be hard pressed to fit 100 lbs of gear in the two sides of the box anyway. I'm thinking all the gear we store there, including the patio matt, levelers, X-Chocks, power cords, hoses, torque wrench, breaker bar, Andersen socket, etc, probably weigh no more than 50-60 lbs.
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Old 05-17-2018, 10:45 PM   #13
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Jill, you might find this old thread interesting:

Vibration When Towing Our New Escape 21
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Old 05-17-2018, 10:54 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany View Post
Our box in our 19’ has a weight limit warning inside the lid. I had noticed it before, but the irony of it didn’t register with me till I saw it again yesterday. Warning label says the weight limit of the box is 100 pounds. Interestingly, my twin 6v batteries, which reside in the box, weigh a combined 134 pounds. Go figure.
Think your on to something ! Pat
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Old 05-17-2018, 11:17 PM   #15
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Yes, but the weight limit does not include the batteries in this case, because the box is built with a platform for the batteries glassed in. I asked about that sometime around the time we picked up our trailer
I assumed that was the case, but still thought it was kinda funny! And after taking my batteries out for the winter and putting them back in the box this spring, I am NOT going to forget how heavy those suckers are. Might be the last time I do that
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Old 05-18-2018, 11:03 PM   #16
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Jill, you might find this old thread interesting:

Vibration When Towing Our New Escape 21


Definitely some other ideas to look into. Thanks for finding this!
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Old 05-19-2018, 07:34 PM   #17
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As in the link from Mary F., our 21' Classic front box lid vibrated. Probably just tightening the hasps would have fixed that; however I used foam rubber weather-stripping tape on the lid, where it contacts the box, then adjusted the hasps to compress it slightly. That stopped the vibration.

I'm amused by the 100 lb weight limit for the box, everytime we camp and I store the hitch with weight-distribution bars in the box, greatly exceeding the limit. But when the trailer is moving, the box contents are well below 100 lbs, which is when the weight limit should apply.
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