Cracked door frame

77caravaner · 10-09-2002, 09:52 PM

I have a complete seperatition on the bottom of the door frame in the right hand corner , it's been welded once and has came apart again ,I am thinking that I can get a " L " brackett on the outside or inside , somehow I have to get it back togeather , any suggestions would be helpfull .
Dave

**john hd** · 10-10-2002, 06:11 AM

looks like you need to find someone with a tig welder. was it welded in place or did you remove the frame from the shell? bracing it from the outside is a good idea.

john

smily · 10-10-2002, 07:36 AM

Definitely needs grinding down for cleanup and a good tig welding.
This should not cost much at all. I would think less than 50 dollars which is about the same effort you will put into a bracket attached to the frame that will probably leave you wishing that you would have paid the 50 bucks..

But, I am certain that ANdy will jump in and tell you that somethin is causing this seperation such as wheel balance, sagging or maybe even slamming the door due to inproper fit.

Any way the point is, there is something else going on and it will happen again.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Good luck!

Smily

74Argosy24MH · 10-10-2002, 07:55 AM

A little analysis is in order before you go any further. This should not be a highly stessed part. Why is it breaking? If it is not from a bad original weld and bad repair, this is one of the cases where I might agree with Andy on vibration. If it has broken twice you need to find out why before repairing it again.

The old weld needs to be ground out first. I am not sure that was done last time from the picture. If it was, it does not look like there was real good penetration, the weld seems to be pretty thick. The crack is running next to the weld, new crack or did the weld miss the crack?

I would start by grinding the old weld out. A good weld should not have any voids, and it should be nearly impossible to see where the weld and metal join. From the picture I would say (either-or-and) the old weld wasn't ground out-the repair weld missed the crack-not that great of a weld.

John

Inland RV Center, In · 10-10-2002, 11:02 AM

Entrance door jambs don't crack by themselves. Never heard of one cracking, unless, the trailer was being towed. With that in mind, lack of proper running gear balance is the culprit. In this case twice should be two too many. But unless the balancing is done, that crack will happen again and again. Adding "L" brackets to it is a waste of time and money, as it will break as well. I would also bet that the hinges on the entrance door are not in good shape either. More clues to the cause of the problem would be missing or loose rivets inside as well as outside. Check the striker bolt on the entrance door lock. If it has a groove cut in it, that's another clue of vibration. If you do find that groove, replace the striker bolt. If not, someday you will not be able to get out of the trailer, except through a window. Check the striker plate and the small brass shim that's on the inside of the striker pocket. You will probably find it worn as well.
And finally, check the axles. If the rubber rods have deteriorated, bottoming out will occur when traveling. That will punish the frame, shell, furniture, as well as the door jamb.
To learn how to check out your axles, go to our web site, inlandrv.com Click on articles and then click on "Dura-torque axles."

Andy
inlandrv.com
airstreamparts.com

74Argosy24MH · 10-11-2002, 07:43 AM

After you get it welded I would screw it to the floor. This is going to be a weak area, it has already been welded twice. It should be shimmed so it has a solid support when you tighten it down.

John