Ramp door jammed

[lrmike]

We experienced a somewhat worrying problem with the FunHauler when we were in FL over the holidays. At one point when set up I could not get the ramp door to open even with quite a lot of force pushing from the inside. I finally pulled up the rear jacks (not sure if this really helped or not) and was able to shove it open from inside, but then no matter what I could not get it to fully close - the upper right corner was bound up very tight. After we pulled to the next location the door had closed tight and opened closed OK, but does still rub in that corner. The interior trim is also 'popped away' in that area.

On this trip we did not take the Golf Cart along, opting instead to keep the garage room open for our kids to use and storage so I only opened the ramp door a couple of times the entire trip.

I am wondering if anyone else has had issues similar or is this typical of the side load door? I would hope not! The sites we were on everywhere we camped were very level and no odd angles for the trailer to sit on.

I've scheduled a trip to the dealer Feb 5th for this and a few other issues (nothing too big) but hoping for some insight from here too.

Thanks for all the support! This is one of the BEST resources I've ever had. (and that comes from someone who has been involved in car clubs and activities for a long time.)

 

[truknutt]

At one point when set up I could not get the ramp door to open even with quite a lot of force pushing from the inside. I finally pulled up the rear jacks (not sure if this really helped or not) and was able to shove it open from inside, but then no matter what I could not get it to fully close - the upper right corner was bound up very tight. After we pulled to the next location the door had closed tight and opened closed OK, but does still rub in that corner. The interior trim is also 'popped away' in that area.

MIke,

It sure sounds like the frame was "racked" somewhat if you were able to open and close after you retracted the jacks. Not sure what style of jacks you have but if they are individual style it's very easy to end up with a slight twist. I had that problem with my last toyhauler; had the ramp down to unload the bikes and crap and then leveled it out and set it up for living. That first evening we went to close the door and she was twisted. All of this on a poured concrete pad that I assumed was level but turned out to be pitched side to side; front to back apparently for water runoff.
The combination of the pad and me running one of the rear jacks up a little to hard put my rearend in a twist so to speak and in more ways than one! I started carrying a 3 and 5 foot level for the garage to make sure the Beast was right. Live and learn!

I can't find a photo of your FunHauler with the ramp up but our Cyclone has 7 hinges across the back. If yours is set up similiarly, I can't see all the hinges suddenly out of adjustment.

 

[PUG]

twisted

I have had my 3750 for ongoing two seasons now and used the rear door several times loading and unloading and flat and unlevel spots with no trouble at all. have your dealer fix it asap

 

[lrmike]

truknutt - the 3300RC has a side load garage, not the usual rear loading ramp door. I do believe the door frame was (is) racked over, but because of the side door I am a bit more concerned than if it were a rear door. Yes, there are a series of hinges along the bottom, I don't recall how many but I think 5 or 6 and there are no witness marks to indicate any of these have moved.

Floorplan: http://www.heartlandrvs.com/models.html?model_id=44&id=4&name=Sundance&type=Mid+Profile+Fifth+Wheels
Picture: http://www.heartlandrvs.com/product.html?id=4&name=Sundance 5th Wheels&section=gallery&cid=4

Yes, pug, the ramp is high on my list for the service department next week

 

[lrmike]

Pictures

Some pictures to help clarify. After looking at the position of the rear jack I can see how it may have contributed to the movement in the door frame but I've never had this issue before.

 

[lrmike]

Resolution!!

Well i talked the dealer today and they found the issue with the door. The top rail of the frame is not square to the opening so the front portion, where it stuck, is actually lower than the rest giving little (or no) room for body flex. I had to cut it hard to get it into the spot where is stuck, so this makes sense to me.