Does anyone other than me see a problem with this?

[LandKO]

Recently purchased a Roadmaster rear sway bar for my 30FE.
Today, while trying to figure out how I will go about installing it, I discovered this condition.

Closer view

What you are looking at is a fastener holding a rubber “mud flap” forward of the driver’s side rear wheels.
On my RV, the propane tank is mounted just forward of the rear wheels. The flap is apparently installed to protect the tank from anything being thrown up by the tires.
Great idea, but in my opinion, poor choice of fastener.
Anyone else agree?
I plan on replacing it with a bolt and nut.

[Bob Denman]

[JimOIB]

Yup - I had the same thing on my 24F. The bolt holding the mud flap was actually hitting the propane tank while in motion and caused a rattling noise. Took me a few months to find it. I put the right size bolt in. It was a ticking time bomb, no pun intended.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Just zing the excess off with a sawzall.

[apr67]

Its just how RV's are built. Really, I don't think that screw could puncture the LP tank, its pretty thick steel, but I agree that it makes my spidey sense tingle.

I would do what the other poster said and just cut the excess off.

[Bob Denman]

It looks exactly like the sort of thing that can remove knuckle-hide in a heartbeat!

[MJC62]

Highly doubt that a sheet metal screw can puncture a propane tank, but it does make ya scratch your head.....

[Diemaster]

Originally Posted by MJC62

Highly doubt that a sheet metal screw can puncture a propane tank, but it does make ya scratch your head.....

I agree. It would have to hit the same exact spot literally thousands of times with enough force to even make the tank questionable.

like trying to use a drinking bird to hammer a nail. just not going to happen .


...and incase you dont know what a drinking bird is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTkx3cdO5rM

[JimOIB]

Hmmm...but it might not take much force to puncture that propane line if it decided to work its way down. Your plan to replace the screw with a nut and bolt is the prudent thing to do.

[camperguy99]

What I have done in this very situation is to cut an inch or so of oxygen tubing or similar and simply screw it onto the screw head.

[Mr Sunshine]

or a big dab of silicone. If it was mine, I'd snip off the protruding excess, then a dab of silicone.

[DogLovers]

I agree poor choice of fasteners. But be careful you don't want your nuts hanging out.

[revjeffrey]

Have to ask,,,, Why was it even designed that way?

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by revjeffrey

Have to ask,,,, Why was it even designed that way?

It was built that way...

[bry899]

Not sure if mine had the screw, but my mudflap was worn down by the tire from the wind at highway speeds. A mudflap before a tire should have a bracket to keep the mudflap from rubbing on the tire, I guess they forgot to install the bracket. Anyway I just removed what was remaining of the mudflap and do without it.

[LandKO]

Originally Posted by DogLovers

I agree poor choice of fasteners. But be careful you don't want your nuts hanging out.

I sure don’t want that to happen

[Lt Keefer]

All I can say is that is typical of the way Thor builds motor homes. They do not give a sh$& about the finished product.

[LandKO]

I replaced the offending fastener that I discovered and showed in the first post of this thread with a bolt washers and a nut. I attached them to the same point on the existing metal bracket. Thought I was good to go.
Well, I crawled under the RV after our recent 2500 mile trip, and found this:

Apparently the metal bracket chose to depart the vehicle at some point in the trip and now I have a shredded mud flap. It’s not of much use now.

[SANDDOG]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

All I can say is that is typical of the way Thor builds motor homes. They do not give a sh$& about the finished product.

That screw is reverse exorcism, Thor doesn’t give a crap about finite issues like that I’ve replaced so many of those screws with nuts and bolts hate for them to fall out and puncture somebody’s tire

[Mlleml]

Originally Posted by LandKO

Recently purchased a Roadmaster rear sway bar for my 30FE.

Today, while trying to figure out how I will go about installing it, I discovered this condition.

Attachment 17710

Closer view

Attachment 17711

What you are looking at is a fastener holding a rubber “mud flap” forward of the driver’s side rear wheels.

On my RV, the propane tank is mounted just forward of the rear wheels. The flap is apparently installed to protect the tank from anything being thrown up by the tires.

Great idea, but in my opinion, poor choice of fastener.

Anyone else agree?

I plan on replacing it with a bolt and nut.

You’re lucky. On my 29m they secured the flap on the drivers side but no bolts, no holes on the passenger side, flap swinging free. 2 different guys must have installed the flaps. Initial quality still confounds me.