How do we keep the door from opening when driving? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-24-2021, 02:57 PM   #1
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Name: Bruce
Trailer: Burro
Ohio
Posts: 16
Question How do we keep the door from opening when driving?

Hi. The Burro we recently bought has a replacement door that has come open several times while driving, so we try to avoid bumpy roads.
There was a hook and eye interior lock, but the eye came out.
The weatherstripping puts some pressure on the door.
The Bargman lock has fractured. (I'm told the lock is made from pot metal and would be hard to weld.)
The strike was held by 2 rivets. One came out recently, so I replaced one rivet with a screw and post.
Advice on how to keep the door shut when traveling please? Here are photos of the door and lock including the strike that holds the latch when the door is closed.







https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...lbums2425.html
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Old 05-24-2021, 03:22 PM   #2
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Name: You can't call me Al
Trailer: SOLD: 1977 Scamp 13'
Massachusetts
Posts: 824
I put one of these on and added a small lock.

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Pac...891312&sr=8-11
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Old 05-24-2021, 06:44 PM   #3
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
I definitely would not use a hasp even as last resort
Way to easy for someone to lock you in
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Old 05-25-2021, 12:28 AM   #4
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Name: rj
Trailer: Owner of a 16' fixer Scamp and fixed up 13'
Colorado
Posts: 70
The last owner of the Scamp I have, had a ring on the door at the bottom, then a carabiner on a fairly thick strap attached to the frame underneath. Not saying it is a permanent solution as I rehung my door on new hardware, but for the time being it worked.
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Old 05-25-2021, 05:49 AM   #5
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Name: Alexander
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1300
New Hampshire
Posts: 1,140
Based on the pictures, it appears your Bargman lock's Bolt is severely worn. The part of the bolt that engages with the striker is too short to properly latch. You can try to find a rebuild kit on E-bay (very rare and expensive), you can put an ad up here for a non-functioning Bargman for parts (also rare) or you can do what at least one member here has done. Remove the bolt assembly, take it to a welder, add metal back to the bolt and then properly shape it. Otherwise you will have to do what you are talking about.
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Old 05-25-2021, 10:57 AM   #6
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Name: Jann
Trailer: Casita
Colorado
Posts: 1,307
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanKilian View Post
I put one of these on and added a small lock.

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Pac...891312&sr=8-11
I agree.
I would not put a hasp or anything on the door that could be locked or hooked from the outside. We had a rope that went from the side of the camper around the door knob to keep ours closed and someone hooked it while we were sleeping. Took us quite a while to get out. Had there been a fire we would've died. If you do something like that make it removable when you are inside and always remove it. Something like a bungee cord across with eyelets on both sides or anything like that.
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Old 05-25-2021, 11:43 AM   #7
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Name: You can't call me Al
Trailer: SOLD: 1977 Scamp 13'
Massachusetts
Posts: 824
When we're in the campsite we lock the lock onto the door so it can't get locked from the outside.

Seems safe enough to me unless I'm missing something.
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Old 05-25-2021, 12:07 PM   #8
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Name: George
Trailer: Trillium
Ontario
Posts: 215
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I had to install a new Bargmann lock since my T4500 did not have one when I bought it. I think sometimes this issue is related to other problems like the frame flexing or the F/G body flexing when going over rough roads. Sometimes you can replace the rivets with stainless flat head screws & nuts. We sometimes expect these fiberglass shells to perform miracles, when they were never designed for the ages and construction modifications that we subject them to.
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Old 05-25-2021, 12:24 PM   #9
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Trailer: 2002 19 ft Scamp 19 ft 5th Wheel
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I purchased 2 of these and put the lock portion 1 on the camper body to lock the door and the other on the door to lock the hasp when the door is unlocked. this prevents someone from locking us in.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07GDL9W...&ref=aa_rscomp
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Old 05-25-2021, 12:28 PM   #10
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Name: You can't call me Al
Trailer: SOLD: 1977 Scamp 13'
Massachusetts
Posts: 824
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darwin Maring View Post
I purchased 2 of these and put the lock portion 1 on the camper body to lock the door and the other on the door to lock the hasp when the door is unlocked. this prevents someone from locking us in.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07GDL9W...&ref=aa_rscomp
Oh, that's BRILLIANT!
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Old 05-25-2021, 12:32 PM   #11
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Name: Frederick
Trailer: 1974 Perris Valley Pacer
California
Posts: 126
Bruce I had a similar issue with the door on my Pacer. I attached a bungee on the inside during one trip to keep it closed. It came down to a combination of how the latch meets the striker plate and the overall alignment of the door with the coach body. First I removed the door and hinges and replaced worn components every step of the way until the door fit well in the jam. Depending on your door jam type, you probably want to replace all the sealing rubber around the door at this point. Once your seal is tight, assess the striker plate and latch relation. It’s a lot of work but Everything has to be in alignment to work properly. Think of it as a bonding experience. [emoji3] You can do it!
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Old 05-25-2021, 03:55 PM   #12
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
Posts: 825
I'm an avid boondocker so travel on rough dirt roads is par for the course. I can't count how many times I've seen a trailer going down the road with the door swinging. Massive inside dust problem if open door isn't seen promptly.
The latch enters the striker plate to keep the door closed. Rough roads, shaking etc. can cause the door frame to flex, hinges drop etc. so the latch escapes the striker plate and the door opens.
If the door, hinges and/or frame need repair, this is the solution.
I don't know if this option will work for your unit but I've installed a dead bolt to make my unit more secure. It is opened from the outside with a key and from the inside with a knob. I returned to my unit to find the door bent up like a horse shoe and the door frame completely ripped from the trailer BUT THE DOOR WAS STILL LOCKED.
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Old 05-29-2021, 12:10 PM   #13
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Name: Ron
Trailer: Burro 17'
California
Posts: 19
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Burro door lock solution

I installed a regular deadbolt on my Burro and keyed it the same as my house key (convenient). The deadbolt is a single side key lock so unlocking from inside is a twist of the knob. I mounted just above the old lock.
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Old 05-29-2021, 12:29 PM   #14
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Trailer: 1980 Trillium 4500
Kalifornia High Desert
Posts: 90
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I would not put anything like a hasp on the door of body as it would break out from all the flex in the body and frame when traveling and especially on bumpy back roads. I put standard Quickset house dead bolt on our first Trillium 1300 and I couldn't be happier with the way it turnout. As a matter of fact, when we got our Trillium 4500 I did the same thing. You have to be a bit of a handyman and have basic tools, drill and bits, hacksaw, screwdriver, The better your tool selection the easier the job is but it makes your FG trailer much more secure in that part of the modification. If someone wants in or to seal your door all they have to do is drive out the hinge pins and away they go.

I will get some photos and post them here tonight.
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Old 05-29-2021, 12:45 PM   #15
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Trailer: 1980 Trillium 4500
Kalifornia High Desert
Posts: 90
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FG trailer lock.

I would not put anything like a hasp on the door of body as it would break out from all the flex in the body and frame when traveling and especially on bumpy back roads. I put standard Quickset house dead bolt on our first Trillium 1300 and I couldn't be happier with the way it turnout. As a matter of fact, when we got our Trillium 4500 I did the same thing. You have to be a bit of a handyman and have basic tools, drill and bits, hacksaw, screwdriver, The better your tool selection the easier the job is but it makes your FG trailer much more secure in that part of the modification. If someone wants in or to seal your door all they have to do is drive out the hinge pins and away they go.

I will get some photos and post them here tonight. If your home has Quickset locks, you can buy at Home Depot, and have them key the one for your FG the same and not have to carry another key.

We used our Trilliums on desert dirt road, back roads in Canada, and everything in between. The original Bergman lock is worn but it still works well when stopped and don't need to lock the door. We never lock the bergman lock, just the dead bolt. We have had and used this Trillium for 15 years and Still enjoy ever time we take it out. Total miles on it is more than 60,000 and still going strong.

You can PM me if you have any question.

Straykat
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Old 05-29-2021, 08:32 PM   #16
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Name: Frederick
Trailer: 1974 Perris Valley Pacer
California
Posts: 126
[QUOTE=ROBERT ONEILL;815721]I would not put anything like a hasp on the door of body as it would break out from all the flex in the body and frame when traveling and especially on bumpy back roads. I put standard Quickset house dead bolt on our first Trillium 1300 and I couldn't be happier with the way it turnout. As a matter of fact, when we got our Trillium 4500 I did the same thing. You have to be a bit of a handyman and have basic tools, drill and bits, hacksaw, screwdriver, The better your tool selection the easier the job is but it makes your FG trailer much more secure in that part of the modification. If someone wants in or to seal your door all they have to do is drive out the hinge pins and away they go.

I totally agree. Fiberglass like most materials will flex but potentially way more than most materials. Gotta love those thin but strong walls! Don’t tell anybody but my trailer has bolted hinges on the outside too. Does anyone have a source for locking bolts of sort that would alleviate this issue? Where did I see a bolt that would lock? The only thing I can think of is a hardened rivet...
I haven’t had the pleasure of driving the Pacer off pavement but I imagine the door jam would flex and bend until the glued in striker plate shifted or the little latch popped off. Then again, a strong little latch with a wide striker plate that could move some might keep it closed. It’s not a science more like work in progress. Ultimately I imagine a solid little door frame would do the trick but if the frame is flexing all the time on a rutted road, eventually a rivet will pull through, right? I like things with a head on it, beer/wine, books and my wife. I replaced most of the rivets on the Pacer with stainless screws. If they’re good quality, they shouldn’t rust. 😆😁
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Old 05-30-2021, 06:48 AM   #17
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Name: ken
Trailer: Scamp 19ft
Nova Scotia
Posts: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by alan H View Post
I definitely would not use a hasp even as last resort
Way to easy for someone to lock you in
we have a hasp lock on our 87 Scamp19 (at least until we can replace and update the door handle/lock). We too were concerned about being locked in so we went with a hasp with an integral lock that can be locked in both the open and closed position. That way, we can lock it open when we are inside and we cannot be locked in. Back up, as always is the escape hatches if all else fails.

https://www.amazon.ca/Prime-Line-Pro...%2C338&sr=8-17
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