2018-2020 Scamp Hinge Failures

[Jon in AZ]

Caution to owners of 2018-2020 Scamp trailers with the black entry door hinges: check your hinges often! The linked FB group post details a recent incident in which the entire door fell off a 2018 Scamp 19 while towing, and it wasn’t discovered until a stop miles down the road. This is the second report in the group of a door that completely detached while towing. The first was caught right away and recovered with minor damage.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6506...8951570731761/

Early units with the black door hardware had cast aluminum hinges that were prone to crack with repeated opening and closing of the door, in some cases after just a few months of use. Eventually Scamp switched to a stamped steel hinge, which seemed to stop the failures. Later units may already have the steel hinges, and Scamp was supplying steel replacements for failed aluminum hinges. Now that it’s well out of warranty, I don’t know what support they’re providing. It should be a recall issue.

There are a number of old reports here, but I thought this might be a good time to put it back in the spotlight for new owners of used Scamps that may not be aware of the issue.

In my opinion it was a flawed design from the beginning. That type of hinge requires precise vertical alignment of the hinge pins to avoid stresses on the hinge body and attachment points, something that’s almost impossible to achieve with the curved door. Changing from aluminum to steel stopped the high failure rate but does not solve the alignment problem.

[Raz]

Good post. Even on trailers designed for pinned hinges, there can be problems. The hinges on my Trillium were not properly aligned at the factory and had to be reinstalled. In my case the screws were literally being pulled out of the fiberglass. Putting pin hinges on a curved surface as Scamp did invites failure. If the hinges dont fail, the fiberglass will.

[Jon in AZ]

Spring has finally sprung in many parts of the country, and regardless of what style entry door hinges you have, regular inspection and maintenance are required to keep them swinging. Check that attachment bolts are tight, look for any signs of stress damage around the fiberglass mounting points, check for wear/looseness in the pin/ball mechanism, and lubricate. It's a good time to squirt a little graphite into the door lock, too.

If you find out you have the failure-prone black cast aluminum Scamp hinges, consider ordering the steel replacements. If you notice they're already failing (top one usually goes first), take a photo, send it to Scamp, and ask that they comp the replacements. Don't know if that'll work, but it's worth a try. In the end, they're not expensive, and it could save your vacation.