Body Bolts

[Pauls72]

This last trip out, one side of the outside door steps had come loose. So today I went to replace the nuts that secure it, with Nylock nuts. This way it should never come loose again. I happened to noticed most of the nuts/bolts that secure the body to the frame where loose and some where missing, so I replaced them too. They are 3/8"x16 nuts. At $0.14 each, I replaced all of them.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-3-8...ck-Nut/3058725


Trailer is 2-1/2 years old with about 8000 miles on it.

[Murff]

I think the blind Quality Control person was on vacation the day they built your trailer.

Murff

[Camper_bob]

The body bolts on my trailer were not all tight either. Someone posted about this years ago. I read the post and got concerned. So when I got home, I grabbed my crawler and checked every single one. About 30% of them were looser than they should have been. IIRC, one or two were little more than finger tight. I think someone posted that they had replaced all theirs with Nylocks.

[Screwby]

I started a thread about this a couple years ago, it pops up again sporadically. I’d just checked them again recently and they were loose again. Looks like I might go the nylock route as well

[ALJO]

Those body fasteners are carriage bolts which pulls easy through the soft wood bottom plate (2x2"). The best method is remove the nut and install a heavy rubber washer (cut of from a hose) and tighten the nut snug and then install an extra nut. A little oil on the tread doesn't hurt. At least the rubber washer gives a little cushing and will not pull the carriage bolt through.
Problem with nylock nut is they might twist the carriage bolt around and around.

[Pauls72]

Oh well the deed is done. No problems putting them on, I left the lock washers under them and I just snugged them down. If I ever have to pull them off and have problems, I have a Dremel Tool and die grinder with cut off disks.

[Seann45]

Hey be glad you had bolts on yours... my previous trailer (a Keystone Zeppelin) the wall fell off going down the road when we looked at what held the wall to the floor the only thing we could find were trim screws (the same kind Jayco uses to hold your A/C vent in place)