Scamp Door Opens While Towing

[barryra]

Our Scamp is a 93 13 foot. Whenever we are Towing the Scamp the door is locked but always tends to open while moving.

I checked out the hinge hardware and it looks good to me. With there being any other issues that would cause this? Thank you very much.

[David B.]

Barry, there may be multiple things going on, that when all added together, are causing your open door problem. The simple fixes are to get the Scamp hinge rebuild kit which consists of new springs and brass balls for the hinges, if the hinge mounting bolts are tight and haven’t shifted from their aligned position. Next would be the spring for the handle may have become weak, and doesn’t hold the mechanism out far enough, or it might be dirty and just need some cleaning and fresh lubrication. Some on this site have taken the door handle off and “reclocked” it so the handle points down, and the effects of gravity pulling the handle down will be overcome, especially when hitting bumps. Look at the striker plate to see if it is tightly mounted, and make sure that the fiberglass under it hasn’t fractured. Checking for fractures in the frame under the door area would be my next check. Keep us posted on your dective process and what you find.
Dave & Paula

[Byron Kinnaman]

After about 10 years I had the same problem with my 13'. The solution replace the latch mechanism the on the door. There's a spring inside that gives out after a few years. I bought mine from Scamp.
FYI if you're going to buy something from Scamp it might be better call rather the order via the web.

Here's a link to the part I'm talking about.

[Paul O.]

My 2004 Scamp 5th wheel had the problem when I bought it in 2013. I concluded that the strike plate surface that the latch bolt engages, has a slight angle (the wrong way)and the vibration and flexing while on the road works against the spring in the lock.

I did not want to do anything complicated and ended up securing the door with a string (a parachute cord kind). I thought it would be a temporary solution, but it works so well, it has been "temporary" for four years. One end is epoxy bonded inside a hole drilled in the Scamp shell, the other gets tied to a cleat that is attached to the part of the mechanism that secures the door when in the fully open position (the one they call the door holdback).

Some people have replaced the whole door lock with one of those that have a dead bolt. That is reported to work quite well.

[swenny]

Just replace the latch. The spring inside is very weak or broken. The latch is very difficult to take apart to replace the spring (if you can even find one). My door was coming open also. Don't forget to lock door when in transit.
Scamp sells a latch for around $16. Pretty cheap repair.

[floyd]

Locking the latch will immobilize it, which should keep it behind the striker.
Problem is a lot of folks don't get the latch completely behind the striker to begin with.
The latch must be fully extended behind the striker and that often requires an extra push on the handle after the door is closed and before locking the latch. Try it, you can feel it click when it extends.

[Peter S. in Iowa]

Just had the very same problem in my 19 footer. I would bet dollars to donuts the inside portion of the door handle assembly is the problem. My was loose and "droopy" as a result of the spring inside being spent. Picked up the replacement part from Scamp ($16) a month ago. Have been out for 2 trips with the Scamp since and the door swinging open in transit is no longer a problem.
Super easy fix, just six screws. However, my old cotter pin lock didn't fit the hole in the replacement part, and they don't provide a pin with the new part. I simply drilled the hole bigger on the replacement part and then once it was installed, I had to drill a very shallow hole into the wood in the door for the pin to connect to for a solid "lock."
All told, the repair took 15 minutes.

[MK Evenson]

Someone, something, is trying to get out!

Mark

[Wayne Collins]

The outside handle and the inside handle, both move downward to open the door.
the bouncing on the road can cause them to release the latch.
Do you lock it when traveling? that helps.
You can also reverse the outside handle so it counterbalances the inside handle.
And, it foils would be intruders. They will pull down but find it "locked"

Of course, you need to be sure that the latch is fully engaging the strike plate.

[1500]

I had this very problem when I purchased mine. Had to use bungee cords to keep the door closed the 750 miles I drove it home.

Assuming it is the same problem, locking the door does not help. This is because while the outside handle does not move, the latch and inside handle still have a lot of play. In fact on mine there is enough that you can open the door from the inside even if the outside is locked. So even when the door is locked it is dependent on the small spring in the mechanism to keep the latch closed.

You can order a replacement, $16 plus $8-12 in shipping.

Or do what I did. Take the mechanism off, pry open one side of the box that contains the spring (there is already kind of an opening, you just need to make it wider to get the old spring out and the new one in). Buy a strong spring from Home Depot, put new spring in. Then hammer it closed. Works great, more than likely it will now last longer than the scamp replacement. And there is little risk involved. Even if you destroy it, you were going to replace it anyway.

Because of the age, you might need to do the matchstick trick to screw it in. Break matchstick the length of the hole the screws go into, fill it with these matchstick peaces then just screw in like normal.

Don't forget to seal the outside handle.

Edit: make sure the replacement spring can compresses enough to allow the door mechanism to fully open.

[DavidG]

All of these suggestions are good . My ''93 Scamp locks well and doesn't open, but I go far and fast and am often on bumpy roads or rough areas like Quartzsite or old Rt 66. Since my inside closet door would swing open on a rough road and damage the hinges, I strung a small (3/8th ?) inch bungee cord from the fire extinguisher bracket, looped it around the closet door pull, and as I exited the trailer would slip the loop on the end around the door handle. It gave some extra tension on both doors and made sure the entrance door would never swing open even if not locked properly. Different size white bungee cord is sold by the foot at many hardware stores.
Now I have a 'grab bar' to help stepping into the trailer ; it folds against the door and holds it firmly, then swivels out to grab onto. I put a seatbelt 'pad' on it to keep it from rubbing on the door. Available at Camping world or online. You can also use smaller diameter bungee cord across other cabinet doors to keep them closed. Good Luck and 'Happy Trails "
David in Sonora (right now) and Fresno (PM)

[TheWanderers]

We had this problem with our old Scamp. I noticed it the day I brought it back from the purchase appointment in Michigan and was driving back to Kentucky. My immediate solutions was to tie a line all the way around the camper above the belly band to allow me to complete the trip. This gave me ample time to devise a method to keep that crazy door closed and locked. However, first, I wanted to exhaust all other possibilities.

First, was the door fitting correctly within the frame? Second, were the hinges in good condition and holding the door in place? Third, had the camper body "settled" allowing the roof line to sag and the sides to bow out? Lastly, was the door latch functioning correctly?

Ultimately, I installed the locking hasp pictured. This device worked very well to keep the door closed with in transit as well as allow us to lock the camper when we were away from camp. Of course, anyone that was serious about getting into a fiberglass camper wasn't going to be deterred by this lock, but it was some small amount of protection.

Good luck

bill (not laura)

[Jimp]

Use a Dremel tool & grind the inside of the striker plate so the latch will make better contact.

[Eggcentric]

Same problem with our Boler, except that used L300 Bargeman locks go for up to $750,
We picked up a locking hasp the same as Bill, it works very well, also for night time security in Mx, Az and Ca, I put a bolt on the inside.
In our Sunrader I installed a dead bolt which fixed the problem more elegantly.