Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

We have a new 22' BFT. The side exterior door is very hard to open from the inside. Once the latch lever is pulled, it requires a significant push on the door to open it. Most adults cannot get it open because they don't think to apply the amount of force needed. My kids can't open it at all. The same amount of force is required from the outside, but it isn't as big of a deal in that case because you are applying the force in the same direction that you are pulling the latch handle. When inside, you are pulling the latch handle towards you with one hand but have to apply an outward force with the other hand.

Is there an adjustment that can be made, or would lubrication of a component somewhere help?

Thanks.

Call Kim at the factory. They are super in helping when problems arise.

if you find a way let me know. I actually broke the handle off our first BF on the inside pulling it with all my weight and went flying backwards when it let go. We had to use a pair of vice grips as a handle until we could get it fixed. At night when we were locking up for good I would go out the cab passenger door and push it (body slam) and Jim would lock it from inside. On this until I actually have to body check the door with my hip to open it from the inside.

I guess we don't have to worry about the door opening unexpectedly

I had the same problem on my new 24RB. Kim sent a new hinge right away, but when I took it to the RV repairman to have it replaced, he noticed that the lower hinge wasn't installed correctly. He removed and re-installed it which resolved the problem.

Later, the door seemed to not want to close properly, then was hard to open. I looked at the latching mechanism and it was stiff. I sprayed it with CORROSION BLOCK and it works fine now. that product is one we used on our boat and it's wonderful.

On ours the door hinges can be adjusted some where they mount to the RV body. You can loosen the screws and with a buddy to hold the door how you want it, re-tighten the screws. Since its adjustable, it also means the door can shift over time with all of the bumps and flexing of the RV. You should look at it and see if you can shift the door in a direction that will help it to close easier.

Our door is a bit tight to close but unfortunately there is no more slack in the hinges for adjustment.

I'm suddenly having a problem with not being able to close my side door.The door seems to have shifted downward so that the top of the latch, which should go over the top of post on the doorframe, now hits the bottom of that post, preventing the door from closing. The door hinges appear to be screwed in to fixed locations in the doorframe, but the previous posting sounds like that might not be true and the hinges might allow the position of the door within the doorframe to be adjusted.

Is this true, and has anyone done it? (Mike Astley is apparently no longer on the Forum.)

If so, is it simply a question of loosening the screws on all three hinges, shifting the height of the door in the frame, and then retightening the screws? How heavy is the door? Can one person manage it easily, or is it heavy enough to requires some blocks and levers? Have I got the right understanding of this task, or am I missing something important?

I am still around. On the bad news side, the hinges in your pic look different to mine. On the frame side of my RV, the hinges have a vertical slot that allow vertical adjustment once the crews are loosened. I don't see those in your pic but you could take a closer look and see it they are there.

The door isn't too heavy but pretty ackward to hold in place while you re-tighten the screws, so easier done by two folks. I wanted my door down as far as possible so just loosened the screws and let it go to the lowest position..a one person job. You need yours up so someone would need to hold it in place.

On my 2004 BFT, the door is in the rear. Sometimes it is hard to open if I am parked on uneven ground. Apparently, the coach body flexes enough to cause the door to jam and stick. Also, check to see that the door is not sticking to the foam weatherstrip around the door opening.

Bill

Thanks for the info, Mike, though it's not what I was hoping for. Because our coaches are essentially the same model only one year apart I was hoping that what worked for you would also work for me, but that's apparently not the case. I've sent a message to Kim and we'll see what he says. Maybe he has some of the slotted hinges that I can replace mine with, or perhaps the best solution would be to drill new holes in the doorframe and shift it that way. I still can't figure out, though, how the door was able to shift that much in the first place.

I thought you were no longer on the forum because I didn't find your name in the Registered Users list, but I realize now that I wasn't searching the complete list.

Ralph

Ralph, I took a look at the latch on mine and when it is open the "jaws" are wide open with the top jaw all the way to the top and the bottom jaw all the way to the bottom. When it latches the top jaw comes down and latches and the bottom stays down.
Not sure the bottom latch on mine is working correctly but the door does latch.

Looking at your pic it looks like the top jaw is down too far. So perhaps you have a latch problem not a door problem, especially if the door looks OK otherwise.

Ralph, Your door latch is similar to the one on my 2004 26RB. Iv'e never tried adjusting the door hinges and did not know that they could be adjusted. I've always just adjusted the post that the latch grabs onto You have a picture of the beast in your post. It is the projecting 5/8" diameter clothes ripper and arm scratcher that my wife cusses out at least once per trip. You can see the the end has a hex head on the end (to maximize skin damage) that you can loosen. Once you unscrew it a turn or two, it can be moved and re-positioned and re-tightened. It takes some trial to get the best fit. Good luck!

Thanks Bruce, that did the trick. I'd looked at the post but it looked pretty solid and I never thought to try adjusting it, but I did, and that solved the problem.

I'm not sure what you mean by top and bottom jaws, Mike. My latch has a single C-shaped piece that rotates around the post when the latch is closed to hold the door in place, so either you're referring to the top and bottom ends or that C as the two separate jaws or we have very different latch mechanisms

hindeb wrote:It is the projecting 5/8" diameter clothes ripper and arm scratcher that my wife cusses out at least once per trip. You can see the the end has a hex head on the end (to maximize skin damage) that you can loosen.

I ripped off several belt loops on a few pairs of pants so I ground the hex part off and filed two flat parts on the end.

Thanks for the pic and idea.
I am also catching my clothing, but nothing ripped jet.
So I am going to do the same mod.
My door also hangs up from time to time. Maybe like Bill said, the flexing?
Hasn't been real bad, so something I can live with.

Ralph Strauch wrote: I'm not sure what you mean by top and bottom jaws, Mike. My latch has a single C-shaped piece that rotates around the post when the latch is closed to hold the door in place, so either you're referring to the top and bottom ends or that C as the two separate jaws or we have very different latch mechanisms

On mine the top and bottom sides of the "c" move independently.