Door Latch Adjustment?

[Randy]

Does anyone know if the cabin door latches can be adjusted? Seems to be harder to fully close and we feel like we need to lock them at night or else we easily kick them open. Locking them (which required getting the latch all the way in the up position) seems to be more difficult too.

Thanks!

Randy

 

[Les Izmore]

I would echo Bear's thoughts on this. Somehow Alea's door latch can open if someone were to breath on it, while mine isn't too much the worse for wear. If we happen by CICO this year, we'll likely get new latches, as our dog has figured out that the way to get out of the camper is to put a paw on Alea's latch...

 

[Randy]

Installed new locks, but still having problems with the ultra door latches. One of my doors flew open on the way home yesterday, I locked it before we left and pulled on it to be sure it was shut tight. One of my little pillows flew out but went back and retrieved it. Out of ideas, there doesn't seem to be any way to adjust the mechanism. Open to suggestions!

Randy

 

[fernlane]

use a hammer.

actually, I'm not kidding. We've had the wind blow our doors shut a number of times hard enough to apparently bend the strike plate in just enough to make the door not latch closed securely. We were in a traffic jam last July on I75 in WV and a lady in the other lane had to point out that our door was open. Happened again before we got the campground.

Just take that hammer and, from the inside of the trailer, give that plate a whack. Before you do, check out how far the latch engages on the plate. I also like to check the other door for comparison. I can't see how much I'm bending the plate but this always works.

I *really* wish our door latches would give way like normal doors so the strike plate didn't get bent when the door slams.

Robert Dickson
550 #645
175 nights, 43k miles

 

[Randy]

Robert,

I have had doors slam shut (60 MPH windstorm in Joshua Tree) so maybe the strike plate is the problem. Thanks you, I'll give that a try!,

Randy

 

[GhostOrchid]

Have had a similar experience with a wind-driven slam bending the striker plate to the point that door was unable to fully latch/lock. At Cary's suggestion, I took the striker plate off and bent it back into position using a bench vise. You can whack it with a mallet from the inside while still attached, but doing it that way puts a strain on the screws.

Our driver's side door latches when slammed; the passenger side door doesn't. Tolerances must be pretty close.

 

[Randy]

Thanks for that advice! I will do just that.

Gratefully,

Randy

Have had a similar experience with a wind-driven slam bending the striker plate to the point that door was unable to fully latch/lock. At Cary's suggestion, I took the striker plate off and bent it back into position using a bench vise. You can whack it with a mallet from the inside while still attached, but doing it that way puts a strain on the screws.

Our driver's side door latches when slammed; the passenger side door doesn't. Tolerances must be pretty close.

e

 

[Randy]

I think I may have solved my door latch problems without resorting to bending the strike plate. As you can see in the picture, the "mounting" plate appears to have slid back from it's original position. I simply loosened the two screws and forced the plate as far forward as possible with the head of a screwdriver and re-tightened. The doors now seem to close much easier and tighter.

Wish I would have noticed this before buying replacement handles, but now I have an extra set if these ever wear out. Thanks for all of the suggestions, hope this helps someone else.

Randy

 

[EricC]

I am a new owner and while I hail Camp-Inn for significant quality standards, I was challenged by the doors as well. Upon close examination I discovered that the screws which secure the latch along the inside where the door lock engages had stripped the base and lost their integrity. Given the thin nature of the teardrop material it was easy to envision how the integrity of the screws was undermined (stripped in wall of unit). I found Camp-Inn personnel helpful but despite efforts bit the bullet and took my vehicle into the local Blue Dog RV service after researching with my local mechanic here in Idaho. After discussion of various options the technician he secured the latch by drilling or plating through to the outside in three places . Cosmetically it looks fine but most importantly my doors are sound. FYI the pattern on the door in the photo is where I resorted to taping the doors while returning home from Glacier.