Screws holding sides to frame broken

jcalkins · 04-23-2021, 09:38 AM

I have a 2019 Avalanche 376RD. I noticed that the floor and wall in my living room has a gap where I can see into one of the long narrow bays. After further investigating we found that in all four narrow back side bays, all of the screws that attach the walls to the frame have sheered off. Fourteen in all!! Is this a common problem? Any recommendations on repairing the problem? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

**JRTJH** · 04-23-2021, 11:49 AM

This is the first time I've heard of that many of the sidewall/outrigger bolts breaking. I've seen an occasional 1 (that's ONE) break, but not 14 in a row... Are you the first owner of the trailer??? If so, any idea about remembering a particularly rough road or hitting a "terribly deep pothole" ??? If you're not the previous owner, the trailer may have been involved in an accident when it was hitched to the vehicle but didn't receive a "direct hit"...

That's quite a bit of damage to have occurred "just from towing".

jcalkins · 04-23-2021, 12:36 PM

Yes, we are the 1st owners. These just screws that keep this together, not bolts. The only time we went through rough roads was about 2 years ago going through Dallas. I contacted our dealer but they are booked solid until June! Anyone have any ideas of how to repair?

wiredgeorge · 04-23-2021, 12:48 PM

Don't see screws in that location having a lot of strain on them. You say 14? Seven on each side? Probably not possible to determine the size of the screws used but could the heads have sheared from contact with the frame? Did the broken screws thread into square channel? You mention bolts not being used... is there a way to hold a nut after a bolt goes through? Can you take pictures from under where the damage occurred?

jcalkins · 04-23-2021, 01:20 PM

Yes, but the screws sheared between the square contact frame and the wall. Because the remaining pieces of screws are located between the square contact frame and the wall, there is no way to put a nut on them.

wiredgeorge · 04-23-2021, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcalkins

Yes, but the screws sheared between the square contact frame and the wall. Because the remaining pieces of screws are located between the square contact frame and the wall, there is no way to put a nut on them.

Do you have a sense of what caused them to shear? Could they have contacted the frame? What did the heads of these screws look like (if you have one that wasn't sheared)? Do you supposed they were the standard square driver-head type? Could a different type screw fastener be used; perhaps with a shallower pan head that is perhaps wider?

jcalkins · 04-23-2021, 01:33 PM

These 3 partial screws were still hanging from the contact beam.

wiredgeorge · 04-23-2021, 03:10 PM

Didn't expect shearing to happen down towards the point. Any thought as to what caused them to shear? Those screws don't look all that beefy but the heads don't protrude so I guess perhaps you will need similar but I think stouter screws.

jcalkins · 04-23-2021, 03:21 PM

I'm usually extremely cautious when I am pulling my rig. The only real bumpy ride was going through Dallas two years ago. Do you suggest drilling other holes and putting in stronger screws?

wiredgeorge · 04-23-2021, 03:27 PM

Not sure if you camper is still under any sort of warranty but if it was, you might want to make the dealer/Keystone responsible for the repair in the event the problem recurred in the future. I have an 18 year old Cougar and just fix everything myself and if it happened on my camper I would try and figure out WHY and if I could make a plan to fix it myself and if I couldn't figure out why, I would fix it using stout screws with a shallow head, self tapping and much larger diameter. I wouldn't use the same holes unless there is no broken ends but would use the same hole with the larger screws. I am sure somebody with more qualifications on RV repair will jump in and provide their tips! Good luck. BTW: I don't drive through the DFW area if I can help it but can't see how a rough road would shear screws unless the screws were undersized for the stress they are under.

**sourdough** · 04-23-2021, 05:20 PM

In 2019 didn't Keystone have the 3 yr. structural warranty. That's pretty close and maybe they might bite on it. If nothing else I would ask the SM at your dealer (if you have a good relationship) what his thoughts were.

**chuckster57** · 04-23-2021, 06:45 PM

Danny’s on the right track, but I would send pics directly to Keystone to get the ball rolling.

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