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Bay Doors

I have a 1993 U280 Special Edition that apparently was not well taken care of by some of the former owners. We like the coach but there are some "issues" that we need to deal with. One of the issues that I intend to address myself is the bay doors on the coach. Most of the bay doors are warped but one is warped so that it does not close properly. If we latch it on both sides there is a lot of pressure on the top hinge. I just don't have the funds to replace the bay doors. I have a tentative solution but before I start fiddling with it I thought I'd check and see if anyone on the forum had experienced this problem. I have taken a couple of photos to give you an idea of the issue. My plan is to rough up the inside surface of the door then epoxy a 70 inch length of square aluminum tubing to the bottom and the top of the door. I have taken out the warp with an oak board and two C clamps. Not sure the square tubing is going to work yet. Anyone have any better ideas?
1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #1 –
The only help I might suggest is to lean your leg against the door very near the lock.  I have put some pressure on my doors as I twist the lock handle, locking or unlocking.
Dave Cobb
Buckhorn Lake Resort The Club, #6202, Kerrville TX
check the map.  I do rent it out when I am traveling!
2001, U320, 36' #5887, in Kerrville, FT Club #17006, (7/23 to present)
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Summit, white
EX: 98 U295, 36' #5219, (mid door), (4/13-10/23)
EX: 93 U225, 36' (4/11 to 4/13)

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #2 –
I would say that that bit of "warp" is very common on a lot of coaches and as Dve said just use your knee to have it lock onto the pin. When I was at Xtreme in March Rance called it the "Foretravel Shuffle". I have fiddled with a few of mine trying to "fix" it but gave up and press with my knee. That issue IMHO is a very minor one.
John h
Coachless, now use aircraft. 2003 Ford Travelair TC280 class C. Super shape. Just for 1 yr .
1994 Ford E350 ClassC,total renovation inside and out. Now sold.
2000 U295  36' Cummins 350 c/w Banks Stinger, Resonator upgrade,Solar, LED lites.Residential fridge with slide out pantry. Build 5674. Sold
ex 92 GV 022C ored Cummins. Sold
ex 95 GV240 cat 3116. Sold
2017 Mini cooper s & 2016 land Rover LR2 HSE  LUX.
jhaygarth@aol.com    SKP #130098
treat everyone as you would like to be.

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #3 –
I can't help with the warp, but I can tell you I removed the bottom connection of the left strut on both the pass and driver sides of the big bay. There is an enormous amount of pressure applied to the top hinge by both struts. When I want the door to stay upright, I just push the strut on the mount on the bottom. When closed, the struts just hang loose. I left the right struts alone.

1994 U280.
1994 U280, Build 4490
Deming, NM.

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Twig –
... There is an enormous amount of pressure applied to the top hinge by both struts. When I want the door to stay upright, I just push the strut on the mount on the bottom. ...
We have mostly "bus style" doors on the bays. The bay with water heater has a hinge and two struts. The door broke where the forward strut attaches. That is where a lot of pressure is concentrated, and the strength there is low because of the metal insert covering the water heater. We had the door fixed at Xtreme and left the forward strut off. I use one off the extendible windows washing wands to hold the door open.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #5 –
Billy Jack at FOT called the shin assist the "Foretravel bump". :))

see ya
ken
The selected media item is not currently available.ken & dori hathaway & Big Agnes
🍺1992 U300 GrandVilla WTBI #4150 FOT FBP 2011
✨6V-92TA DDEC Parlor Coach 350HP Series 92
🏁2011 Nissan XTerra Pro-4X

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Roland –
I have a 1993 U280 Special Edition that apparently was not well taken care of by some of the former owners. We like the coach but there are some "issues" that we need to deal with. One of the issues that I intend to address myself is the bay doors on the coach. Most of the bay doors are warped but one is warped so that it does not close properly. If we latch it on both sides there is a lot of pressure on the top hinge. I just don't have the funds to replace the bay doors. I have a tentative solution but before I start fiddling with it I thought I'd check and see if anyone on the forum had experienced this problem. I have taken a couple of photos to give you an idea of the issue. My plan is to rough up the inside surface of the door then epoxy a 70 inch length of square aluminum tubing to the bottom and the top of the door. I have taken out the warp with an oak board and two C clamps. Not sure the square tubing is going to work yet. Anyone have any better ideas?

Roland, I'm not sure if you door is like a 93, U300 I saw at Camp Foretravel with warped doors so this may not apply, but if your door is the same, the doors outer skin was warped but the inner skin was not. That being the case, I would suggest gluing the square tube brace to the inside skin may not help long term. You may need to cut out the inner skin and attach the brace to the outer skin from the inside.

At least give it some thought.
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Roland –
My plan is to rough up the inside surface of the door then epoxy a 70 inch length of square aluminum tubing to the bottom and the top of the door. I have taken out the warp with an oak board and two C clamps. Not sure the square tubing is going to work yet. Anyone have any better ideas?

                  I would think if you have "de-warped" it with an oak board then your idea may just work. It might help to see if theres a way to install a few mechanical fasteners as well.
Dean & Deirdre

2012 Arctic Fox 22GQ
Was 2003 U270

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #8 –
The photo does not depict how much that door door is warped. I cannot latch both sides doing the Foretravel bump. The only way I could make the latches work properly would be to shim the latch on the door. I have already done that on one of my bay doors. I apologize for the bad photo, my excuse is that it was pouring rain while I took the shot. Most of the other doors have some warp to them but I can still latch both sides. I thought that if the fix works on this door and I did the same on all the other doors it would prevent further warping and release the pressure on the hinges. I had thought of using fasteners, but I don't want anything showing on the outside of the door if I can help it, however that is still an option if the epoxy does not hold. When I implement the "fix" I will take before and after photos with a straight edge on the bay door.
1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #9 –
Roland,
As Kent mentioned, what you bond to the inside surface of the door might just cause the foam to delaminate from the outer skin on the ends.  I would look at cutting out a section (along the bottom but away from the sealing surface) of the inner skin and bonding in a stiffener directly to the inner surface of the outer fiberglass.  I would contact a local plastics supplier to see what they might have to use as a stiffener.  I know they make fiberglass structural shapes and excellent structural adhesives made specifically for them.  I've used something like this on a boat and it was amazingly strong, light and the adhesive was like a epoxy but smelled different and was extremely strong.  Someone else had given me the materials so I don't have the source.
I did a quick websearch and this is what I think I've used before: GLASTIC - GLASGUARD 1130 - Order Online
If you can talk to a plastics supplier they would know exactly what you might want to use.
John Fitzgerald
1991 U300 (SAI) Side Aisle Island Bed 40'
Detroit 6V92 with Allison Retarder
Meridian (Boise), Idaho

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #10 –
Guess I am going to rethink my "stiffener" application. Bonding to the inside of the outer fiberglass sounds like a better approach. That's what this forum is all about, getting ideas from lots of folks with knowledge and experience.
1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Roland –
Guess I am going to rethink my "stiffener" application. Bonding to the inside of the outer fiberglass sounds like a better approach. That's what this forum is all about, getting ideas from lots of folks with knowledge and experience.

It really shouldn't be much more difficult but it should be much more effective long term. Remember, cuts in the door liner need to be made inside of the contact point for the rubber gasket.
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Bay Doors

Reply #12 –
Kent

My plan is to crawl in the compartment and mark the gasket contact points.....now as long as my better half doesn't close the door on the opposite side........
1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers