Exit hatch install April 30, 2015, 05:47:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152506I am hoping someone here can provide some insight. I decided to replace the exit hatch on my 2006 27' Mid Bath. Took out with no problem, which requires sliding the hatch to the side after removal of the two screws. The metal piece has then been pop riveted onto the new hatch, so I need to slide back into place. I can't seem to get it started. It looks like two C pieces, and one must go inside the other but I can't make it work. I should have taken a close up picture before removing but why do something smart like that. Anyway, the question is, is there a trick to this? Does one C go completely inside the other? Should I get my 8 year old grandson to take over? Any insight would be appreciated and thanks.
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #1 – April 30, 2015, 07:19:06 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152509I just did mine and I couldn't slide it back in place with the hatch attached to the hinge. It simply had to be open more than the hatch attached would allow to slide it back. I screwed mine together after the original rivets failed. I unscrewed the cover and slid the hinge back in place, then screwed the cover back on. Perhaps I could have forced it, but I didn't. Don't know how the "pros" do it. but the key is the hatch has to be open more than wide to get the hinge to slide back along the track.
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #2 – April 30, 2015, 08:22:31 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152510Good input and thanks. I was actually doing just the opposite of what you said. Tomorrow morning when it's cooler I will try again and tilt the cover more open. Maybe add a little grease also. Thanks
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #3 – April 30, 2015, 08:27:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152511Good luck.. if you manage I'd like to know for future reference. Maybe I just had to push it a bit more open..
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #4 – May 01, 2015, 02:58:07 am Yahoo Message Number: 152514" Tomorrow morning when it's cooler I will try again and tilt the cover more open. Maybe add a little grease also."Tilting is the answer. Please, don't grease the hinge, it will only attract dirt. Silicone or other dry lube is fine.I have found a lot of hatches with cracks around the hinge rivets. the cracks area a sign that there is too much pressure exerted on the plastic hatch cover by the pop rivets. Instead of using rivets to reattach the hinge, I use stainless steel machine screws with SS nyloc nuts and washers. Using nuts allows the screws to be snugged but not over tightened and it's a lot easier than setting the big 3/16" pop rivets.Larry
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #5 – May 01, 2015, 10:50:10 am Yahoo Message Number: 152515Job now done but I wish I had not used pop rivets. First, the key was tilting it straight up as suggested, but also laying down so as to see it better and get a straight line. Thanks for the suggestions to both.On a separate note, I actually had driven out to Lazy Daze to get the new hatch because Vince also included the pop riveting of the hinge to the hatch. After I got home (an hours drive) I noticed that he put the pop rivets in backwards so now the back side of the pop rivets stick out forward. Will work okay, but is kind of stupid I think. Wish now I had done it myself without the pop rivets. Oh well. Thanks guys.
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #6 – May 01, 2015, 11:21:00 am Yahoo Message Number: 152516Good to hear you got it back on. Out of curiosity do the new factory hatch covers come pre drilled for the hinge attachment?
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #7 – May 01, 2015, 11:50:20 am Yahoo Message Number: 152517" Out of curiosity do the new factory hatch covers come pre drilled for the hinge attachment?"Recently installed two new covers and neither were pre-drilled. For a DIY install, consider SS screws instead of pop-rivets.Larry
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #8 – May 01, 2015, 11:52:09 am Yahoo Message Number: 152518Was not pre drilled, but Vince did the pop riveting job. If I had to do over again then I would have simply ordered a hatch over the Internet and done everything myself. Lazy Daze charged me $150 for the hatch including the backwards pop riveting. I thought it would be fun to go out to the factory and look at new units or something. There was only one display model and it was locked up. It's a funny place out there but they do know how to make a great coach.
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #9 – May 01, 2015, 12:07:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152519I did use the screws, after my original rivets failed and the hatch cover separated from the hinge. I see you used the nylock nuts which sound great. I just had regular nuts and used some polyurethane on the threads... hope it holds. I'll watch them, there's eight of them. I ground off extra screw length with Dremel tool. One thing I can say, so far the condition of the cover is good considering 3 years of so. CA UV exposure. I popped the old rivet heads out of the cover with nail set and it stood up to the treatment. No cracks at this time.
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #10 – May 01, 2015, 04:26:47 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152524Larry,Other than the Mothership, what is you online source for the exit hatch cover? They seem to come in various sizes too. What size does the Mothership use on '05 models?I'm not desparate, but it's time to replace my escape hatch cover.Alex Rutchka, SE #4 '05 MB
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #11 – May 02, 2015, 06:47:08 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152550"Other than the Mothership, what is you online source for the exit hatch cover? They seem to come in various sizes too. What size does the Mothership use on '05 models?".AlexI have bough hatches at RV stores and the Mothership. The ones from LD fit better and the recent batch are heavier and better made than the ones I find at the local RV stores. Make sure to order a crank mechanism too. they wear out and it's hard to find the same type (arms are different).When buying from LD, just tell them what year LD you own and they will pick the right one. Then write a check, mail it and then wait for the package, with the carbon paper receipt. Credit cards are way too new an idea for them (and if they did accept them, they would physically need the card to run through an old-style paper credit card machine...complete with a carbon receipt).Larry
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #12 – May 02, 2015, 07:29:34 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152551Then write a check, mail it and then wait for the package, with the carbon paper receipt.--- The office person will tell you (phone only, no text or email) the total amount, i.e., the item(s) cost and *shipping* costs; LD's shipping charges can be high, so it's a good idea to make sure that everything needed is included in one order. Saves on "longer shelf life than Twinkies" carbon paper that way, too! ;-)Joan
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #13 – May 02, 2015, 08:14:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152552I wonder if they will accept USPS money orders for parts orders. I think this would speed up the process because when I ordered in the past they waited for the check to clear before shipping. They are so archaic but it's okay. One of the reasons I love them. I like to visit there "time machine".bobmoore14
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #14 – May 05, 2015, 10:31:02 am Yahoo Message Number: 152587Larry,I ordered the exit hatch cover and crank mechanism for '05 MB from the Mothership. $154.45 including shipping to SC.Thanks for your input!Alex Rutchka, SE #4
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #15 – May 05, 2015, 02:41:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152593"I ordered the exit hatch cover and crank mechanism for '05 MB from the Mothership. $154.45 including shipping to SC.'AlexExpensive little of plastic, consider painting it white to give it some protection from Uv rays, this should give the new cover a few extra years of life.Larry
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #16 – May 05, 2015, 02:48:22 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152595That price of over $150 seems steep. I had mine replaced by a local RV shop in Auburn, CA. for $102 including labor and resealing around it. It is identical to the original equipment. If someone else needs one I would shop around a bit.Bob
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #17 – May 05, 2015, 05:58:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152598I agree with you that $150 is steep, especially considering you have to install yourself. The one thing I will say is that the hatch material is white and thicker and appears to be more durable. Lazy Daze seems to take a "cost plus" model to all their pricing, and usually seems reasonable. My guess is that the new hatch material simply costs more because it's better. Time will tell.
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #18 – May 05, 2015, 07:34:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152599My guess is that the new hatch material simply costs more because it's better. Time will tell.---- Larry replaced the hatch cover and hardware on my 2003 about a month ago; this is the third cover, and it appears to be much better quality and definitely of thicker material than the OEM and its replacement. My motorhome is stored outside; despite liberal applications of 303, the killer UV rays took their toll. Both covers had yellowed and had become a bit "potato chippy", as had the AC shroud (also the second incarnation), so that was replaced , too.Just a comment on the AC cover: I replaced the original one on my rig several years ago after the AC cover on an RV ahead of me in the lane on I-5 shattered and flew off; plastic shards hit the nose of my rig, the windshield, and the overcab and scattered in the roadway. The driver was unaware of the flying chunks, of course, and went on down the road. I was lucky that I didn't lose control of the motorhome; objects crashing into one's windshield tend to divert one's attention from the business at hand. I suggest a "brittle check" on the AC shroud for the sake of the ones behind you on the road ;-)Joan
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #19 – May 05, 2015, 09:32:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152603Alex, I'm guessing the cover was $50 and the rest for shipping and carbon paper?Jim C
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #20 – May 06, 2015, 08:10:27 am Yahoo Message Number: 152609Jim and others,It is more than the escape hatch cover. It is also the *crank mechanism* and the shipping. So, it's more than a piece of plastic.Alex
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #21 – May 06, 2015, 11:51:37 am Yahoo Message Number: 152611I have an "almost new" escape hatch as removed from my '05 MB. It has been painted to protect from UV, but has less than a month or two exposure.FREE to a good motor home. Pick up only, no shipping, located in Carson Valley, NV, just east of Lake Tahoe.bumper
Re: Exit hatch install Reply #22 – August 17, 2015, 12:11:49 am Yahoo Message Number: 154735Earlier I posted and have deleted the post re: the escape hatch. I'm trying to confirm the escape hatch measurements for my 1997 TK. These measurements may be off due to missing part of the lid. What I'm trying to confirm for measurement is the following: 25.25 Length , middle of the lid was 25.75 and the width I have at about 18". The lid depth is 1.125 interior and 1.250 exterior. The metal bar that fits inside of the lid and the screws go into is about 17.75. The sheet metal screws that go in were fine on all but three of the four screws and unfortunately couldn't get that rusted screw out of the channel and ended up cutting the head of it off. Has anyone replaced that channel or found where they can get it? I need to possibly replace that piece and confirm the measurements of the lid. Thanks in advance.Regards- Arnold Levin
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