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07-21-2012, 11:27 AM
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#1
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Rivet Master
2005 39' Land Yacht 390 XL 396
Common Sense
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,319
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Those D___ Sliding Glass Closet Doors!
We have a '10 31' Classic with the sliding glass closet doors, and they are constantly messed up! I've had the little rollers at the top come off (put them back on with Locktite), I've had the aluminum piece the little rollers bolt to bend (I bent them back), and I've had the latches break (replaced those and velcroed the door closed for traveling.
All these thing have helped, but only in a small way. I keep having to readjust or repair them frequently, and I'm getting very tired of it.
Anyone have any ideas or things you've done that has helped dramatically?
Regards,
SteveH, who is just about fedup with the sliding glass closet doors!
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07-21-2012, 11:45 AM
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#2
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,702
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Steve,
I hate sliders.
I have had sliders in various houses back when all I could afford was cheap rentals, and they always were bad. I have a sliding screen door at our house and although it is decent quality, sometimes it is a pain to re-adjust after it comes off the track.
I'm sure there are well made sliders, but I don't think Airstream bought those.
That's the bummer.
So, what to do? Maybe you can find a high quality kit to replace all the hardware on the doors. More drastic would be to turn the glass doors into hinged doors—hinges are a pretty well established technology.
I think there will be frustrations before you get this solved, but something has to be better than the cheap OEM parts.
Gene
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07-21-2012, 12:36 PM
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#3
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Contributing Member
2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Austin (Hays County)
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,164
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The glass panels are surprisingly heavy and I hated all of the mirrors. My closet doors were heavy and they would come unlatched on rough roads. I removed all of the glass. There is a thin sheet of plywood behind the glass. I bought some bamboo blinds on sale and glued the blind material to the plywood. The result was much lighter, looked much better, and the doors stayed latched. I probably took 10# of glass out of each door and replaced it with 6 oz. of bamboo blind.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2018 Interstate GT, "Sabre-Dog V"
WBCCI #9632
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07-21-2012, 02:00 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
Port Orchard
, Washington
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,463
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I replaced the screws in the top roller brackets with as large a diameter screw as I could fit in there. They haven't come loose again.
I was having trouble with the latches breaking until I replaced them with the ones in this thread.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f38/...oor-80739.html
I believe the latches breaking and the resulting sliding fore and back of the doors at every stop and go is what was trashing the roller brackets.
Ken
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07-21-2012, 02:20 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
Port Orchard
, Washington
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,463
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pahaska
The glass panels are surprisingly heavy and I hated all of the mirrors. My closet doors were heavy and they would come unlatched on rough roads. I removed all of the glass. There is a thin sheet of plywood behind the glass. I bought some bamboo blinds on sale and glued the blind material to the plywood. The result was much lighter, looked much better, and the doors stayed latched. I probably took 10# of glass out of each door and replaced it with 6 oz. of bamboo blind.
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Thanks for the idea John,
I don't care for the mirrors either, but I think my wife may. I will have to test the waters.
Ken
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07-21-2012, 02:36 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
2005 39' Land Yacht 390 XL 396
Common Sense
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,319
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I've been working on mine since I posted this today, and ours are different. First, the mirror is all that's in the frame, no plywood backing. And, we actually like the mirrors.....different strokes.
I've made some aluminum angle reinforcing "plates", and riveted them onto the vertical aluminum door frame where the roller wheels are bolted. Don't know if it will help, but my idea is to make that piece stronger, more resistant to bending, and so keeping the wheels straighter. Surprizingly, it has also made the latches line up better. Time on the road will determine if it has helped.
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07-21-2012, 04:36 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
Port Orchard
, Washington
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,463
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveH
I've been working on mine since I posted this today, and ours are different. .................................
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Steve,
I am guessing mine are exactly like yours, since they are the same model and year. Unfortunately ours is a couple miles away, and I'm too lazy to make a special trip. At least this saves me from hearing Susan say, "Keep your filthy paws off those mirrors"
Ken
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09-10-2012, 05:45 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
2005 39' Land Yacht 390 XL 396
Common Sense
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,319
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Update
Got back a week ago from a trip of about 3,500 miles, and the work that I discribed in post #6 above has helped, a lot. It hasn't solved the problem totally, but it's a lot better.
We did have the inside slider come off the track a couple of times, but the frames did not bend as they have in the past. The doors worked better, the one only came of the track a couple of times which is a big improvement from the past, and after I put it back on track, it worked good.
Not a total solution, but a big improvement.
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04-19-2013, 03:22 PM
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#9
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Rivet Master
2012 31' Classic
Golden Valley
, Arizona
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 569
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We just got our 2012 31' 'new' in January. On each of the 3 trips we have done in it since then, we have had to put the wardrobe doors back on their tracks almost every stop. It broke one latch and has caused some damage with gouging and scratching. Very annoying.
Our service dealer does not get too many 31's with the large wardrobe doors and have not seen this issue. They will contact Airstream about it. However, I 'may' have found a fix.
The one thing that I noticed in our situation that the little plastic 'ears' (photo 1) which should stop the door from bouncing out of the track seem a bit short. It is really easy to take the door off the track manually so it follows that it is easy to bounce out. I was thinking of a way to make the ears longer.
I could not think of a way so what is another method. Maybe the wheels? I purchased a new set of rollers (photo 2) but they were the same size. I also purchased another set (photo 3). These have a larger diameter and would serve the purpose of raising the entire door a bit which should put the ears closer to the top. I tried it out.
When I went to put the door back in it was MUCH more difficult to put in than before. I think that is a good thing. The only drawback I see is that the ears now drag slightly on the top of the bracket and is audible when you open and close them. We will be taking a trip in less than a week to the California Streamers get-together so I will report back on the results.
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04-19-2013, 03:30 PM
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#10
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Rivet Master
2005 39' Land Yacht 390 XL 396
Common Sense
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,319
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Quote:
Originally Posted by casarodante
We just got our 2012 31' 'new' in January. On each of the 3 trips we have done in it since then, we have had to put the wardrobe doors back on their tracks almost every stop. It broke one latch and has caused some damage with gouging and scratching. Very annoying.
Our service dealer does not get too many 31's with the large wardrobe doors and have not seen this issue. They will contact Airstream about it. However, I 'may' have found a fix.
The one thing that I noticed in our situation that the little plastic 'ears' (photo 1) which should stop the door from bouncing out of the track seem a bit short. It is really easy to take the door off the track manually so it follows that it is easy to bounce out. I was thinking of a way to make the ears longer.
I could not think of a way so what is another method. Maybe the wheels? I purchased a new set of rollers (photo 2) but they were the same size. I also purchased another set (photo 3). These have a larger diameter and would serve the purpose of raising the entire door a bit which should put the ears closer to the top. I tried it out.
When I went to put the door back in it was MUCH more difficult to put in than before. I think that is a good thing. The only drawback I see is that the ears now drag slightly on the top of the bracket and is audible when you open and close them. We will be taking a trip in less than a week to the California Streamers get-together so I will report back on the results.
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Please let us know after your trip how it works out. Ours are still giving us troubles.
__________________
Regards,
Steve
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04-19-2013, 03:45 PM
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#11
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Rivet Master
2011 34' Classic
Westchester Cty.NY
, / Miami FL
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,122
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i'm interested too. mine have become dislodged a few times now and the last time one door was in the aisle. it seems they flex too much for the side catches to hold.
__________________
Ricky
2012 F150 Super Crew 5-1/2' bed Ecoboost 4x4 3.73 elec. lock diff. Propride hitch
give life. kidney & pancreas transplant 9/9/06
Ingrid-my unofficial '"World's Oldest Streamer" 1909-2008 R.I.P.
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04-19-2013, 05:20 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master
2005 30' Classic
Burlington
, Ontario
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,743
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You really would think AS would test these things out a little more before releasing them to production!
We don't have sliding mirrored doors, but we do have hollow fore and aft wood panel sliding doors across the aisle that close off our bathroom. So far they have been ok.
We have however had slight problems with many bevelled mirrors that AS have installed in overhead cabinet doors, shirt cupboards etc. on our model of trailer.
The mirrors are held in place in the oak doors with tiny aluminum clips and on every trip, the movement of the mirrors would bend the clips back so much that gaps of up to about 1/4" between the glass and the oak frame of the door would develop on every trip.
I had bent the clips back in place so many times that they were starting to break due to fatigue of the metal.
This winter, I replaced all teh flimsy clips with more substantial ones that I made from cutting a piece of aluminum threshold strips into small pieces.
I installed them carefully as I didn't want to clamp the mirrors too tightly for fear they might break on the road.
We did a trip of about 3000 miles in March and the new mirror clips all seem to have worked fine, no cracked mirrors thankfully, yet the new clips held the mirrors in place as they should!
Hope this info might be of use to anyone else that has encountered the same thing.
Brian.
__________________
Brian & Connie Mitchell
2005 Classic 30'
Hensley Arrow / Centramatics
2008 GMC Sierra SLT 2500HD,4x4,Crew Cab, Diesel, Leer cap.
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04-28-2013, 08:12 PM
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#13
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Rivet Master
2005 39' Land Yacht 390 XL 396
Common Sense
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,319
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OK, I may have fixed my problem.
The closet doors are really not sliders, but rollers. The problem I was having was the door wheels at the top would bounce out of the track on less then perfect road surfaces.
I learned there are two different sized roller wheels, 3/4", and 7/8" at Lowes. My doors had 3/4", and the door could very easily be lifted so the wheels would come off of their tracks even though there is a plastic type spring that was designed to prevent them from doing that.
I changed the wheels to the 7/8", this weekend we went to a rally about 150 miles from home, and the sliding, or rolling closet doors did not come off their tracks on the trip to, or on the trip from the rally. I believe the larger diameter wheels are enough larger to make the plastic springs work as designed.
This is definitely a big improvement because with the 3/4" wheels, at least one door was off the track every time we went anywhere with the trailer, no matter the distance.
__________________
Regards,
Steve
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04-28-2013, 08:46 PM
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#14
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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Glad there is a thread on this. My 1990 Silver Streak obtained in December has a pair of sliding mirrored wardrobe doors that must weigh 40# apiece. While there is a travel lock, one of the doors has been off-track for some time. Moving it is a pain. Pleased to see some ideas and good conjecture about what might work. As the bath wall in this center bath configured TT swings forward (outwward) to close off the hallway and make for a dressing/bathing suite -- the mirrors are nice -- the doors are a real penalty in weight when not operating in best fashion.
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04-29-2013, 08:04 AM
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#15
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,702
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Steve, you figured it out. Good for you.
Gene
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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04-29-2013, 09:32 AM
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#16
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Rivet Master
2012 31' Classic
Golden Valley
, Arizona
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 569
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Back from our trip (350) miles on one of the nastiest roads (CA-99) and the bigger rollers did not jump off their tracks.
I guess it is a success.
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06-07-2013, 02:29 PM
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#17
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Capt W
2013 31' Classic
Jefferson
, Massachusetts
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveH
OK, I may have fixed my problem.
The closet doors are really not sliders, but rollers. The problem I was having was the door wheels at the top would bounce out of the track on less then perfect road surfaces.
I learned there are two different sized roller wheels, 3/4", and 7/8" at Lowes. My doors had 3/4", and the door could very easily be lifted so the wheels would come off of their tracks even though there is a plastic type spring that was designed to prevent them from doing that.
I changed the wheels to the 7/8", this weekend we went to a rally about 150 miles from home, and the sliding, or rolling closet doors did not come off their tracks on the trip to, or on the trip from the rally. I believe the larger diameter wheels are enough larger to make the plastic springs work as designed.
This is definitely a big improvement because with the 3/4" wheels, at least one door was off the track every time we went anywhere with the trailer, no matter the distance.
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Have you taken your trailer out again since your last trip? Are you still happy with your modification, i.e. do the doors stay on the track?
We have a 2013 31' Classic and the doors come off every time we travel. Since it is still under warranty, I would like my dealer to fix the problem.
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06-07-2013, 02:57 PM
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#18
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Rivet Master
2005 39' Land Yacht 390 XL 396
Common Sense
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,319
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrochdvm
Have you taken your trailer out again since your last trip? Are you still happy with your modification, i.e. do the doors stay on the track?
We have a 2013 31' Classic and the doors come off every time we travel. Since it is still under warranty, I would like my dealer to fix the problem.
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Yes, we have taken a trip to a club rally, about 175 miles all total, but on some Texas Farm to Market roads (noted for not being too smooth), and all was well. The doors did not come off track.
__________________
Regards,
Steve
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07-12-2013, 05:13 AM
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#19
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Rivet Master
2005 39' Land Yacht 390 XL 396
Common Sense
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,319
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Just an update on this problem....recently got back from a much longer trip, about 4000 miles, and now again at every stop I have to re-hang the inner sliding door.
Our trip took us thru Jackson Center, where we took the factory tour (We very much enjoyed it, and recommend you do it when you get the chance), but I also asked about how to deal with this problem. In return I got a blank stare.
__________________
Regards,
Steve
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07-14-2013, 03:14 PM
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#20
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Rivet Master
2012 31' Classic
Golden Valley
, Arizona
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 569
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Ours have been very stable now after two trips. One of the latches on the bottom rail still pops out.
I did get in contact with Airstream (via email) and told them of the fix. They appreciated the response and an opportunity to improve things. We will see.
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