Pantry - Door coming open

gwsullivan · 05-21-2002, 09:09 AM

Caution to anyone owning a newer Safari with a slide-out pantry. I have a 2001 25' and the pantry came open on a recent trip. The slides were totally destroyed (ball bearings everywhere) and the pantry ended up leaning against the rear queen bed. Needless to say, food was everywhere also. I called a local Airstream dealer and they suggested a "travel latch" be installed on the pantry door. They sent me one but in reality it was a "bunk latch" and wasn't very usefull. I considered installing a second door latch opposite the existing one thinking this would prevent the door from moving back/forward and permitting the latch to slip past the keeper. I would have to modify the wood inside the pantry for this option so I decided to drill a hole from the closet into the pantry door and insert a nail. With the closet door closed and locked the nail cannot slide out. Problem solved!

83Excella · 05-21-2002, 01:07 PM

Have you looked into what may have caused this?

John

gwsullivan · 05-21-2002, 01:27 PM

John, there is enough space between the pantry door and the frame for the door to move toward the rear allowing the catch to slip past the keeper. I think the conditions had to be just right (trailer rocking left and back) for this to happen. I also think Airstream should install a second latch on the opposite side of the door. This $10 item would prevent future disasters such as I had.

**jcanavera** · 05-21-2002, 10:24 PM

Jerry,

From what I am reading you do have the same pantry as I do. Mine is on the street side of the trailer on the right of a cabinet that is to the right of the refrigerator. The Safari has a push button handle that when pushed in locks the drawer/door. Pushed a second time it pops out and the button acts as a pull.

I have twin beds in the rear and a drawer cabinet between the two. On our first big trip out the drawer slid out and fell to the floor bending the rails. Thankfully I was stopping at Jackson Center anyway so I picked up replacement rails. The problem on my end was the bed cover had slightly been pulled into the drawer sides, unnoticed by me. I had the button pushed in and locked but the latch did not engage the strike plate.

My thoughts on your end is more or less either the latch/lock assembly or striker plate which is not adjusted correctly. You might want to see if you can slide either assembly to better engage. You are still under warranty so you should be able to get this problem corrected.....assuming you have a dealer within reasonable drive. The problem could also be that the lock assembly is defective and not extending properly when in the locked position.

Since every drawer and door assembly uses the same lock assembly, I bought a spare when at Jackson Center. I figured if a lock broke while out on the road, duct tape would be the only solution in keeping things closed. The spare lock gives me peace of mind and a quick fix without the mess of tape. You can just purchase the lock/latch component, without buying all the other hardware like the push/pull button and striker plate.

Regards,

Jack

gwsullivan · 09-06-2002, 12:42 PM

Jack, I was inside a 27' Safari recently and the pantry is much smaller than the one in my 25'. Mine is on the curb side just to the rear of the sink and it is about 5 feet high. It has four shelves so the weight is potentially twice that of your pantry.

James Schmidt · 09-06-2002, 01:06 PM

I had the same problem with my 93 29ft Excello! The first time it destroyed the latch but I was able to put the slides back in and replace the latch. The second time I just found the pantry out and the latch destroyed. I replaced the latch again and now I keep everything in place by using a small expandable curtain rod with rubber end caps. Since it is spring loaded I just set it once and install and remove it as we travel. It works for me and I have had no more problems.
James