Quote:
Originally Posted by bdeals
What do you mean by unitized bunk end?also the fabric the covers the hinge is fabric in some pictures I see it is black rubber is this something that forest river changed? Why? also underneath the hinges that close the bed end I have heard some have rubber pads. Mine does not. Which is standard? Just thinking if it is standard to have them and without them my latches may not be putting adequate pressure on the door and seal. Insight ? Advice?
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Unitized bunk ends described the 2012-current bunk ends where the tent is attached to the bunk door.
The hinge "gap filler" looks different to you because FR has changed what and where the seal has been several times in the evolution of the bunk ends. Where you "see" fabric, it obscures the actual seal and acts as a filler so you don't loose things in the gap. In the original design, the seal was right there, and the seal material has been black, grey (2 shades) and white from the factory!
You mean the latches that close the bunk end. The original design did have pads. They are using polymer one now and should not have them. I believe a member here found out why - you'll have breakage of either the latch, or more likely, the door frame!
One thing not widely understood is that a proper weather seal is not tightly compressed. It should be compressed just enough to provide positive contact all the way around - i.e., enough to make it conform. A seal too tight leaks as bad as a seal to loose.
In my years of camping with our 21ss and with many other hybrid owners, you could almost always attribute the big leakers to units where the out of plane in the wall (i.e., bowing) and out of plane of the bunk door had the greatest mismatch. I fixed many leakers by simply removing the factory strut (reinforcement that's screwed to the inside of the door at the top/furthest edge on the bunk door), changing the curvature of the door at that lip mechanically, and then screwing on a new strut made from steel channel affording a larger section modulus to keep the re-curved shape. Others with a better gutter/deflector.