lost my storage bin while driving down the road!

[btilfan]

Well by lost I mean it came loose dropped to the pavement but was still attached by one screw and I drug it for about 25 miles.
I have a 2004 Coachmen liberty class A and the storage bins are plastic tubs mounted behind the storage doors along each side of the MoHo. This one was passenger side right in front of rear duals. lucky it stayed attached by one screw or who knows what would have happened when the rear tires ran over it.
It wore a hole about 10" long and 8" wide where it was dragging. Only contained some extension cords and jumper cables. both torn to shreds.

looks like the wood around the frame that it was attached to was rotted and the screws pulled out.
I'm going to rig up some metal straps to secure the others as I have much more weight in them.

I suggest if you have this type of storage bin check them carefully.

I'll try to attach a picture but can't get them off of my phone.

[btilfan]

Little update for you people checking your bins..
I've discovered that the failed bin was the only one that was not attached to the sidewall along the top of it. This one is directly below one of the water tanks so it was only attached on the sides and bottom. all the other bins are securely attached to the flooring above.

[malexander]

Mile High wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I was once following a guy pulling a travel trailer and one of the leveling bars on his hitch had come loose from the hitch and was only being held on by the chain attached to the trailer. Those are very heavy metal bars. It was bouncing all over the place and smashing up against the bottom of his trailer and shooting sparks. I could even hear it hitting his trailer from my car behind him, but for some reason he couldn't hear it and just drove on. I tried to signal him with my headlights, but I was staying several hundred feet behind him because I was worried the chain was going to bust and that metal bar was going to come flying out. He ignored my headlights flashing and just kept going. Luckily he passed a CHP officer sitting on the side of the road and I pulled up to him and told him the problem and he was able to catch up to the guy and pull him over.

The moral of my story is there could be a lot of things that go wrong with your RV that you may not be able to see or hear from the drivers seat.

And it usually pays to investigate when other drivers are warning you 🙂
Last set of headlights and horn from another driver led me to a missing wheel on my 5th wheel and I never felt it go.

Any time someone passes me, waving their arms or pointing backward, I immediately head to the shoulder. I know something is wrong.
I actually pay attention to people around me on the road (situational awareness) they'll usually let you know if something doesn't look quite right.

I've seen people that couldn't tell you even if someone was beside them or not. Eyes STRAIGHT ahead, never looking side-to-side or in the mirrors.

[Mile_High]

msmith1199 wrote:
I was once following a guy pulling a travel trailer and one of the leveling bars on his hitch had come loose from the hitch and was only being held on by the chain attached to the trailer. Those are very heavy metal bars. It was bouncing all over the place and smashing up against the bottom of his trailer and shooting sparks. I could even hear it hitting his trailer from my car behind him, but for some reason he couldn't hear it and just drove on. I tried to signal him with my headlights, but I was staying several hundred feet behind him because I was worried the chain was going to bust and that metal bar was going to come flying out. He ignored my headlights flashing and just kept going. Luckily he passed a CHP officer sitting on the side of the road and I pulled up to him and told him the problem and he was able to catch up to the guy and pull him over.

The moral of my story is there could be a lot of things that go wrong with your RV that you may not be able to see or hear from the drivers seat.

And it usually pays to investigate when other drivers are warning you 🙂
Last set of headlights and horn from another driver led me to a missing wheel on my 5th wheel and I never felt it go.

[msmith1199]

I was once following a guy pulling a travel trailer and one of the leveling bars on his hitch had come loose from the hitch and was only being held on by the chain attached to the trailer. Those are very heavy metal bars. It was bouncing all over the place and smashing up against the bottom of his trailer and shooting sparks. I could even hear it hitting his trailer from my car behind him, but for some reason he couldn't hear it and just drove on. I tried to signal him with my headlights, but I was staying several hundred feet behind him because I was worried the chain was going to bust and that metal bar was going to come flying out. He ignored my headlights flashing and just kept going. Luckily he passed a CHP officer sitting on the side of the road and I pulled up to him and told him the problem and he was able to catch up to the guy and pull him over.

The moral of my story is there could be a lot of things that go wrong with your RV that you may not be able to see or hear from the drivers seat.

[rgatijnet1]

You might be able to take the existing damaged bin and have a fiberglass repair facility fix it for you. They should be able to beef up the exterior and repair where it pulled loose from the coach.
Now repairing the rotted wood on the coach is a different problem and not sure what to advise on that.

[Mile_High]

That is too bad. Sorry to hear that. There are some RV salvage yards, but probably still pretty unique item to find.

[btilfan]

No, contacted Coachmen and they said it's no longer available. I found a plastic tote approximately the same size, I'm going to try to modify it. or possibly build one from wood. the problem will be revamping where it attaches to the inside of the sidewall.

[Mile_High]

Are you going to be able to salvage the bin? Not sure where you would find one if you had to look.

[Yankee_Clipper]

I appreciate this post. Looking over my storage bins is next on my inspection list!

[btilfan]

Mile High wrote:

lanerd wrote:

btilfan wrote:

lanerd wrote:

btilfan wrote:
Well by lost I mean it came loose dropped to the pavement but was still attached by one screw and I drug it for about 25 miles.

25 miles and you never looked out the side view mirror? Do you check the compartment doors before you hit the road and make sure they are locked? That is one of the first items on my "check" list before we leave.

Ron

checked and locked. it was just under the side of the MoHo, not visible in the mirror. It fell from behind the door. the door had nothing to do with the way it's mounted.

I apologize. 😮 I should have worded it differently... did not to mean to insinuate negatively on your part.

I can see now what you meant. I have never heard of the bin itself coming loose. New one on me. Again, sorry if I offended you.

Ron

I give that a 2-star rated recovery :R

Apology accepted.. I wish I had a picture, it's hard to describe.
When you open the door to the outside storage bin the bin itself is made up of a plastic tub mounted to the inside wall. that entire bin detached from the screws and fell, dangling by only one wood screw. It's 16 x 22 x 12. now when I open the door to that bin all I see is the ground.

[Mile_High]

lanerd wrote:

btilfan wrote:

lanerd wrote:

btilfan wrote:
Well by lost I mean it came loose dropped to the pavement but was still attached by one screw and I drug it for about 25 miles.

25 miles and you never looked out the side view mirror? Do you check the compartment doors before you hit the road and make sure they are locked? That is one of the first items on my "check" list before we leave.

Ron

checked and locked. it was just under the side of the MoHo, not visible in the mirror. It fell from behind the door. the door had nothing to do with the way it's mounted.

I apologize. 😮 I should have worded it differently... did not to mean to insinuate negatively on your part.

I can see now what you meant. I have never heard of the bin itself coming loose. New one on me. Again, sorry if I offended you.

Ron

I give that a 2-star rated recovery :R

[crasster]

One time I had a propane hose come loose and it drug on the ground while still connected to my tank. Very glad nothing happened and the tank was off. Hose was a goner.

[lanerd]

btilfan wrote:

lanerd wrote:

btilfan wrote:
Well by lost I mean it came loose dropped to the pavement but was still attached by one screw and I drug it for about 25 miles.

25 miles and you never looked out the side view mirror? Do you check the compartment doors before you hit the road and make sure they are locked? That is one of the first items on my "check" list before we leave.

Ron

checked and locked. it was just under the side of the MoHo, not visible in the mirror. It fell from behind the door. the door had nothing to do with the way it's mounted.

I apologize. 😮 I should have worded it differently... did not to mean to insinuate negatively on your part.

I can see now what you meant. I have never heard of the bin itself coming loose. New one on me. Again, sorry if I offended you.

Ron

[korbe]

I think there is a bit of confusion on what broke, opened or fell. I couldn't get a good picture in my mind of what actually happened.