Side wall separation

[Wan2bMountainman]

It’s always something… At first I thought the corner was sagging, so I put a level across everything on the bottom but it was straight. It’s something I think has been going on for a while, but now it is very noticeable and difficult to latch the wall to the roof when raised. Any ideas what might be going on? I also thought the lifter shock might have been placed wrong so I disconnected it with no change. It’s only this corner the other side is fine. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Brandoni]

When the wall is raised into position . . . How is the hinge??


It controls the height and straightness of the lower wall extending to the peak, and ultimately the position of the latches to lock into place.


Another place to look is the corner where the latching is difficult. Yupp the bottom is on the frame and level/'same height'. But is the top of the two walls, crosswise and sides, also level - no gaps between the connecting sides (at the corners)??


Check that the entire peak is touching all the way across the join of the front and back walls. If a side has shifted then the roof won't lift correctly and the peak will have a gap on one side or the other.


A separation/spacing (between wall sides) at the top of the lower wall box will affect will change how the roof lifts and latches into place correctly.



Hoping the fix becomes evident and the repair simple.


Cheers!!

 

[Wan2bMountainman]

Thanks for the your reply! The hinge screws on that side have started to strip out/back out, and the hinge itself has started to ripple. I was just going to reinforce it, but thought I need to figure out why it had that much stress pulling it apart. If I pry the upper part of the front corner down where the hinge is straight the latches line up perfectly.

The peak lines up perfectly with both corners snapping into place.

I think I need to put it on a flat surface and measure the height from the ground to the corner of the bottom on both sides. It may be such a gradual bend on the frame that I cant see it with a 4ft level.

The first 2 pictures are from the side that is separating the 3 is the side with no problems.

 

[Brandoni]

My hinges have a few strip-outs as well. Likely when these are being assembled the they're using power tools set to fast . . . : (
I've drilled a new hole in the hinge plate a few leafs over and then used the finest drill bit to lead the screw in and get a good grip in the wood material that's underneath.
Screw goes in until hinge is pulled down to the wood surface, then a little bit more. Snug!!
That's been recent so don't know how the long term repair will be.
Also, every screw used (in the trailers fabrication) needs to be tightened up with a hand screw driver. I sure every screw in my trailer has been a turn or two loose . . . ; )
Good luck and continue improving your AFrame . . .