Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Susan on May 11, 2013, 03:15:19 pm

Title: Locked inside...
Post by: Susan on May 11, 2013, 03:15:19 pm
This morning I couldn't open my door to get outside. I have a 91 Grandvilla. I had to climb out the window. It would open from the outside, but the silver "flippy" handle on the inside would not open the door. Once I had the door open,

I took off the plate that the inside handle is attached to and "sort of" see how it works. Does anyone have any ideas?

Has anyone replaced the handle on their Foretravel?

Thanks! Susan

ps It was a little scary. I would never get my dog through that window. :/
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Kent Speers on May 11, 2013, 04:24:21 pm
Susan, I got a new handle set from Foretravel parts last year but yours may be repairable. You said you removed the plate. Can you see where a internal part is broken or a clip has pulled loose? The flippy handle is held with a clip that can pull loose. If so you can get that clip at a well equipped Ace or True Value hardware store. Good Luck!!!
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Susan on May 16, 2013, 03:40:26 pm
Kent, Thank you for this response.... It's taken me a few days to get back to this project, during which I just have opened the door from the inside with a screwdriver to push the lever to open.

Anyway I have attached photos of both the door view without the handle or plate. And photos of the inside of the door plate. I can't see any broken off parts. I was wondering if you could take a look at the photos and see if you see something I don't.

Again, thanks a lot.

Susan
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Steve and Anna Lindemann on May 16, 2013, 07:17:25 pm
What a great way to exercise. Climbing out of the window is a great exercise. I had to do that with our door once at a truck stop. Would you know it, a State Trooper saw me half way in and half way out. Guess which way he thought I was going? Luckily, my wife climbed out and verified that she was with me, that the rig was mine, and there was nothing worth stealing inside. :D
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Susan on May 16, 2013, 08:40:25 pm
Steven & Anna,  You made my day! I love it. Climbing out of the window is a great exercise! I'm so glad I am still so nimble!

Kent, I called Foretravel and they helped me trouble shoot a bit. I found all the screws and put her back together and she....drumroll.... worked! she..... opened from the inside. (I put up a ladder outside that window, just in case I locked myself inside again.) But I think all is well. Thank you for encouraging me to see the possibility that it may be repairable. One of the screws on the plate was absent. I went to Home Depot this afternoon and found a replacement - and perhaps the absence of that one, was what precipitated the whole fiasco.

Susan,

still learning "Foretravel as a second language."
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Carol Savournin on May 16, 2013, 09:40:54 pm
There are many of us that know from sad experience that there is really no graceful way to enter or exit a Foretravel, except by using the actual door that was created for that purpose.  Many of us could have sold tickets to our entrance/exit events!!  glad you had a happy outcome!!
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Dave M (RIP) on May 16, 2013, 09:46:17 pm
Why I never lock the slide window at driver seat, had my skinny DW jump thru and unlock the door when the door lock assembly messed up  ;D
If I had to escape, it would be an event as Carol says.  :o
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: PatC on May 17, 2013, 09:22:11 am
Mine locked me out, but that has been fixed.  Was caused by my mod,  which I still have, but it has been mod'ed  again and now works properly.

And Dave, I don't think anyone is skinny enough to squeeze through the side window by my driver seat.  I can barely get my swelled head through it!  We had to use the bedroom window.  It was the only one I could get open from the outside.
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Steve and Anna Lindemann on May 17, 2013, 09:29:36 am
When I was locked outside my coach, I had two service techs from a local company get me in with the following method. They put a ladder next to my living room window and slid in a credit card under the flip up latch. As the tapped on the window with one hand, they push an upward pressure in the flip up lever with the credit card. As the tapped, the card moved up easily and unlocked the window. I tried this again myself at another time and was successful.

Since that time, I drilled a small hole at the bottom of the slide for the window. Now I can insert a small pin, keeping the window from sliding.
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Susan on May 20, 2013, 04:50:04 pm
I haven't thought about being locked out.... I guess I need to think about which window I am going to not lock from now on.... as in which one will cause the least injury.
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Bill Chaplin on May 21, 2013, 08:03:52 am
Does not our "Road Service" provide a lock-out service ? I am sure mine does. Had to use it once!
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Dub on May 21, 2013, 02:19:45 pm
I got locked out a couple years ago and had to take a ladder and go thru the dinnet window... All this 1 month after spinal fusion.... The only other alternative was no alternative as the only neighbor I had was to large to even climb the ladder much less get thru the window... Tell ya what... the windows are high on the old 280's come to find out.
Title: Re: Locked inside...
Post by: Kent Speers on May 21, 2013, 04:27:44 pm
Does not our "Road Service" provide a lock-out service ? I am sure mine does. Had to use it once!

Bill, I hear ya on the Lockout Service but does  Coachnet have Lock In Serivce??