The gap on the door on my 2014 Pennine Pathfinder has slowly been growing and as per the attached picture it is now so big I have to use a barrel lock to keep it closed. Does anyone know how I can fix this?
ooooooooooooo dear! so first of all i pressume its been doing this for some time? and each time you have used the camper you have levelled it correctly? so when was the last time you checked all the inside walls for damp? because its more than likely that is the cause of this, which if your user name is really a true reflection then you have a big problem! lol, it will involve stripping out and removing and re building. at least with a folding camper you can get it inside a garage and do the work over winter.
Without doing a full inspection to see what part is at fault it's impossible to advise exactly how to repair it. Just one photo is not enough to determine what may be wrong which could be a hinge problem, the door itself could be at fault or could even possibly be a structure problem.
Not familiar with or especially knowledgeable with your outfit, but as far as I'm aware, the lower 'rigid' section is much the same construction as caravans. You appear to have significant structural movement to allow such a large gap to open up! I'd be checking/have checked by a professional, the state of the chassis, looking for corrosion or damage, and/or the floor/walls looking for rot in the structure (usuallly wood) which may cause sagging and/or collapse.
One photo hardly tells the whole story, but that huge gap is I'm sorry to say likely to be something quite serious rather than a trivial 'wear on hinges' type problem. When caravaners experience large movements of the body and consequential changes in fit of doors, cabinets etc., inevitably it gets traced to rot in the body structure allowing wholesale movement of the body on the chassis.
Worth getting checked sooner rather than later as it can only get worse and more expensive to fix. As to fixing, you need to identify the source of the problem first, the photo only shows the consequences, not the underlying problem.
Thanks everyone. The gap has actually been there from the day we bought it but it has been getting worse. There is no sign of damp and I can't see any obvious corrosion.
The trailer was last serviced 3 years ago. I've booked it in for after our holiday in Brittany. Fingers crossed it will last until then.
Oh. And my username is indeed an accurate reflection of my general attitude.
The chassis is most certainly bent on this camper. The same thing happened on my previous 2002 Pathfinder. The weak spot on them is where the near side rear chassis is bolted to the axle, they bend adjasent to the fixing bolts.
I worked in engineering, and was able fix it relatively easily by removing the fixing bolts and bolting in a length of angle iron to strenthen it up.
My later model Pathfinder has a strenthening rail along the near side to prevent this from happening.
Quote: Originally posted by dimbles on 12/7/2022
The chassis is most certainly bent on this camper. The same thing happened on my previous 2002 Pathfinder. The weak spot on them is where the near side rear chassis is bolted to the axle, they bend adjasent to the fixing bolts.
I worked in engineering, and was able fix it relatively easily by removing the fixing bolts and bolting in a length of angle iron to strenthen it up.
My later model Pathfinder has a strenthening rail along the near side to prevent this from happening. Post last edited on 12/07/2022 07:35:18
Yes, my thinking as well.
Going by the pic, it seems that the gap is wider at the top of the door.
I'd be having a look underneath at the chassis, sooner rather than later.
------------- I came into this world with nothing and I've still got most of it left.
This has happened on our pennine pathfinder 2005 camper, there is a gap at the top when the camper is pitched and the beds extended out . Yet when its folded up there is no gap.I cant see any damage to the frame.
Quote: Originally posted by Johnboy004809 on 13/7/2022
This has happened on our pennine pathfinder 2005 camper, there is a gap at the top when the camper is pitched and the beds extended out . Yet when its folded up there is no gap.I cant see any damage to the frame.
If you get underneath your camper when the beds are extended out and look at the near side rear chassis rail next to where its bolted to the axle you will be able to see where its sagging. The gap closes when folded because there is less cantilever causing it to bend. As I have already said its a relatively easy fix for a competant person with a drill press and a peice of angle iron.
Hi dimbles, know it’s been a while but just while I was adjusting the brakes and had the camper open I managed to get sone better pics of the near side chassis. The door fault is still the same, hasn’t got worse but the chassis does look straight but wandered if you’d have a better eye
I've got a similar problem, door parting. My door opens the other way to the pictures above. Would anyone know if the weak spot is also on the nearside chassis as Dimbles has mentioned or is the entire unit mirrored?
Because it's only a small gap, I can't really tell if it closes when packed. - View of frame bend (yes I was using a jack to see if it lifted the corner but it lifted the entire unit!)
When I get home from holiday I’m going to dosed about sorting the gas struts see if that closes the door gap as my chassis dosnt seem bent to be causing it but the strut is
Hi guys we have a Pennine Pathfinder Quartz 6 (2012 I think) and are also encountering the wider door gap at the top – it's a good 5cm now. Closes up when legs / jockey wheel down for pitching. Are there any other posts / links relating to this problem? All the image content in this thread is not viewable (see image below - is all I can see even though I have an account. Thanks in advance!
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Topic: Pennine Pathfinder Door
via mobile 11/7/2022 at 1:07pm
