Broken part dragging on the road

[The Gritz Carlton]

Pete...check with MorRide...this may just be a temporary plate they install for jig alignment during the modifications, etc, or something along that nature, thus the light tack welding. It may not even be needed or serve any function. Send them a picture.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

That’s IT! I should nail it back on so I don’t have to drill any holes! Should have thought of that earlier!!

You'll need a REALLY big hammer...

[BobLane]

Check out what a company named HILTI has available to reinstall. We use them a lot in the construction industry for attaching items to steel beams.

[keger]

How about stopping by a dealer with similar year and model of MH and look under that to see if you find that same thing. Right now it's anyone's guess what it's used for. I for one am glad you found it before it came off on the highway where who knows what might have happened to either your MH or someone else.

[Ozark Traveler]

Not mentioned by anyone (that I saw) is to find a Ford Truck dealer that can service the F53 chassis and have them advise you.

[Rascal55]

Mine did the same thing a few years ago. I didn't reattach it and have never had any issues.

[Nursx2]

Mine came loose on two spot welds last year (total of four)... I took a piece of 2" x 1/4 steel (1 foot long), drilled holes on either end, attached it to shield and then chassis (had to drill hole in chassis). Solid now and stress is taken off existing spot welds from the wind going down the road.

Once again Thor quality (lack of...) shines through!

Darren

[vt800c]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

That’s IT! I should nail it back on so I don’t have to drill any holes! Should have thought of that earlier!!

Super glue.

[Chateau29Z]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

Driving through Montana this week we began hearing a grinding noise when going over bumps. It quickly progressed to a constant grinding. Pulled over and found this heavy gauge 6 foot piece of steel dragging on the road. It appears to be a heat shield that was spot welded about every 10 inches to the right side of the frame (2015 F 53, 18,000 GVWR). About half of the welds were broken allowing one end (fortunately the back end!) to drag. I was able to crawl under and break the remaining welds and so remove the entire piece. I think it will be OK without it. It might be a Ford part as it is powder coated the same as the frame. Has anyone else heard of this part falling off or of being of any particular use in the first place?Attachment 18491

It's possible that the frame on the Ford is a high strength steel alloy. This means that spot welding it causes problems with the heat treat. If you are able to drill it and bolt it back on, You may be able to succeed. If it is actually heat treated, you will have problems drilling it but a carbide drill will probably do the job. If the chips are brittle and hard you will know.

[tnwave]

I also had the heat shield fall off my Thor ACE 30.1. As I drove into downtown Nashville I heard horrible scraping underneath. Had to crawl under on the side of I 65. One weld was still holding and I had to use a hammer to bang it off. We went on with our trip though I did keep an eye on it. 1800 miles later I'm parked at home and wondering who to get to fix it.

[Pete'sMH]

Really appreciate all of these comments. This forum and its contributors are THE best. I’m still a week and a half and about 1500 miles from home and haven’t decided yet what to do with the darn thing. I’ll probably get a few thoughts from local “experts” at Ford and a local welding shop. I wish I could see what purpose the thing has though! One of many mysteries in life.....

[Boerne RV]

Last week I installed a heat shield as instructed by the recall notification. I forgot if it was Thor or Ford or some other outfit. I think it was a Windsport. Maybe a Hurricane. I’ll check Monday.
Read something like this:. “TO PREVENT OVERHEATING THE BOTTOM OF THE COMPARTMENT ABOVE EXHAUST PIPE” “possible damage to contents of compartment” “fire hazard possibility”

3/8” hex head self drilling screws provided
4 or 5 to the inside top frame rail passenger side and a couple connecting it to the existing shield.
It was counterintuitive drilling into a frame.
It would have to be really extreme conditions but it must have happened once at least.
It’s a 5min job to reattach that part. If necessary. Sorry I can’t tell how to fix it from here. I would go to a Thor dealership lobby and ask for assistance. Parked badly. Carrying the part around. My wife would be very concerned.
Check recalls. Make sure the model doesn’t need the additional shield. Get the part number, um, of the part that um, fell off my RV. I would run the slides out. Unpack a few compartments in the middle of the lot. I would crawl around under other similar vehicles to see the part in place. Get the proper way to fix the problem according to specific instructions from the manufacturer. Have lunch. In the break room. Asking every single person if anything has fallen off their RV. My wife would be having anxiety issues. I would have to carry around a fire extinguisher. And the part. Until it gets fixed
.

[Yosemitebob]

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

My little nugget of advice...do not drill on frames...anywhere. Lightly tack welding is OK but laying to much heat into it or drilling holes in it can be a serious issue.

I always understood that to be true, but.....as long as you drill the hold the correct size and then fill the hole with the correct size bolt and tighten it up the stresses of the hole are then negated. I learned that from a engineer. He also told me if you remove the item being bolted in that particular hole I would need to but the bolt back to fill the hole.

[DogLovers]

The best low cost fix would be to drive over to a muffler shop. They weld all the time and most likely will weld it back into place at a great low cost.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Yosemitebob

I always understood that to be true, but.....as long as you drill the hold the correct size and then fill the hole with the correct size bolt and tighten it up the stresses of the hole are then negated. I learned that from a engineer. He also told me if you remove the item being bolted in that particular hole I would need to but the bolt back to fill the hole.

That’s interesting. I think I’d be ok with the few small holes it would take but I’d want to put washers between the parts to keep from trapping water against the frame.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by DogLovers

The best low cost fix would be to drive over to a muffler shop. They weld all the time and most likely will weld it back into place at a great low cost.

Hadn’t thought of that. And it’s a great idea. Even have a good one handy to my home. Thank you for the idea.