Bending the door holdback thing

[constan]

Originally Posted by Eddie Longest

This is the one I use. Some doors will hit the belly band and put he door in a bind. That is why I use the 6" one.
Self Closing Entry Door Holders - Stainless Steel T, 6 Inch - RV Designer E226 - Entry Door Hardware - Camping World
I bend the rod to align with the slot. Then bend the T to fit the slot. I also put a slight bend up where the rod touches the base so the rod stays off the fiberglass when not in use. I then attach to the trailer with butyl tape under the bracket. With the longer rod I can get a little more leverage and can tweak it by hand.
CW sells a 4" latch with a 45 deg. bend but that angle is wrong WO bending it again.
Eddie

thx! Maybe this will fit? (just change the rod)

Stainless Steel Entry Door Holder - 45 Degree - RV Designer E275 - Entry Door Hardware - Camping World

[mary and bob]

These type door holdbacks are also used on big truck and trailer cargo boxes that have swinging doors. A truck shop may have them. A few different lengths are available. If I needed to bend it I would heat it cherry red with my oxygen/acetylene torch and it would easily bend. Of course that would ruin any finish and cause it to rust unless painted. A piece of sheet metal as a heat shield would protect the fiberglass. A couple pipe wrenches correctly placed would probably work to do a cold bend, but I realize most people don't have the amount of tools that I do.

[Eddie Longest]

No, with the spring hold down it is bent in the wrong direction.
Eddie

[CampyTime]

Floyd what does it mean when you say yours was binding on the belly band? Do you mean the door wasn't held away from the belly band enough (inner aspect of door) and wouldn't allow you to use the door holder?

I wonder because I added the stainless steel boler hinge kit last summer and my inner door seems closer to belly band now, but it doesn't bind or seem too right a stay, if that's what you mean. No more hinge squeaks now!

Also, every time I try to follow a link I'm getting a weird warning message; VPI something something. Anybody else? Trying to follow Eddie's link for the SS hold back. No joy.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[CampyTime]

Too tight a stay. Sorry for typo.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[floyd]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Floyd what does it mean when you say yours was binding on the belly band? Do you mean the door wasn't held away from the belly band enough (inner aspect of door) and wouldn't allow you to use the door holder?

I wonder because I added the stainless steel boler hinge kit last summer and my inner door seems closer to belly band now, but it doesn't bind or seem too right a stay, if that's what you mean. No more hinge squeaks now!

Also, every time I try to follow a link I'm getting a weird warning message; VPI something something. Anybody else? Trying to follow Eddie's link for the SS hold back. No joy.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Fiberglass RV mobile app

I meant that when the door was opened far enough to reach the hold back, the hinge side edge of the door contacted the bellyband, binding it tight enough to bend the door a bit.
The problem was that the holdback was not placed close enough to the door opening. It had to be either moved, modified, or replaced with something different.
You saw my choice.<_<

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by floyd

I meant that when the door was opened far enough to reach the hold back, the hinge side edge of the door contacted the bellyband, binding it tight enough to bend the door a bit.

Not on your Scamp, Floyd?

[constan]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

These type door holdbacks are also used on big truck and trailer cargo boxes that have swinging doors. A truck shop may have them. A few different lengths are available. If I needed to bend it I would heat it cherry red with my oxygen/acetylene torch and it would easily bend. Of course that would ruin any finish and cause it to rust unless painted. A piece of sheet metal as a heat shield would protect the fiberglass. A couple pipe wrenches correctly placed would probably work to do a cold bend, but I realize most people don't have the amount of tools that I do.

thanks, yeah I don't have those tools (yet). I'm going to just drill out the rivets and take a hammer & vise to it.

[Jon in AZ]

Member Ian G. has documented a solution to the door binding issue. It involves relocating the hinges closer to the belly band. He recommends putting them at 1/3 and 2/3 of the door height. That allows the hinge side of the door to stand out from the belly band even when opened a full 180 degrees. That's for a Boler, so a pre-fire Scamp should be the same; don't know about a post-fire Scamp, which has a taller door.

The black door trim on my post-fire 2008 does contact the belly band when the hold-open is latched, but barely, and it doesn't bind or bend.

Just mentioning it for information only- not suggesting you need to move the hinges at this point. A longer latch should do the trick. You do have to be careful about letting the door get away from you in a wind and slam forward against the shell. Not good for the door or the shell!

[Darral T.]

Glenn...did we just see an admitted "boo boo" on the Floyd Scamp????

And here I was defending them saying that's "one thing they havent done".
_______ ________
Ole Floyd... still love'im!

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Not on your Scamp, Floyd?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Not on your Scamp, Floyd?

That's right, there are may be hundreds of small mods to bring my best choice to my standards!
I drive the best truck in the world as well, made even better with aftermarket mods.
Of course my house and shop have aftermarket mods.
My pants are improved with a belt of my own design.
My shoes... even my hat...

God did a perfect job on my kids, but I went and spent good money on orthodontics! (my wife insisted that I hire that out though)

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Darral T.

Glenn...did we just see an admitted "boo boo" on the Floyd Scamp????

And here I was defending them saying that's "one thing they havent done".
_______ ________
Ole Floyd... still love'im!

It weren't a "boo boo" it were a Yogi!
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, in practice there is!
Still...it ain't the heat its the humility, take it with a grin of salt!
All fiberglass trailers are perfect, no matter how flawed!
For travel, if you see a fork in the road, take it!!

[getaway1]

The arm in the photo looks long enough that you could use 2 smaller pipe wrenches to bend it enough to align it with the bracket on the trailer. Hold one wrench close to the door and bend the arm with the other one a little at a time until it latches easily. The arm shown in the photo looks to be stainless steel, if yours is die cast zinc could break if you try and bend it.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by getaway1

The arm in the photo looks long enough that you could use 2 smaller pipe wrenches to bend it enough to align it with the bracket on the trailer. Hold one wrench close to the door and bend the arm with the other one a little at a time until it latches easily. The arm shown in the photo looks to be stainless steel, if yours is die cast zinc could break if you try and bend it.

The one in my photo is anodized mild carbon steel, painted after the mod.
Two pair of Channellocks will work well to bend it.

[Donna D.]

If you want stainless steel and don't want to screw with bending it yourself, here's an option... whether it''ll work or not

RV Upgrade Store, SS Entry Door Holdbacks

[constan]

Originally Posted by getaway1

The arm in the photo looks long enough that you could use 2 smaller pipe wrenches to bend it enough to align it with the bracket on the trailer. Hold one wrench close to the door and bend the arm with the other one a little at a time until it latches easily. The arm shown in the photo looks to be stainless steel, if yours is die cast zinc could break if you try and bend it.

I did try to bend it with 2 wrenches AND a heat gun, and it was going very slow. I think the remove/bend or just replace it is the way to go. Thanks tho!

[constan]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

If you want stainless steel and don't want to screw with bending it yourself, here's an option... whether it''ll work or not

RV Upgrade Store, SS Entry Door Holdbacks

Awesome! Thank you!