RE: Hold down clips

[Venatic]

 
Has anyone had a problem with their hold down clips just disappearing without a trace? One of ours on the trunck seems to have grown legs and walked off. It was on there before we left and even though I wasn t there to set up camp, I was told it was there when DW and company set up camp. When I went to close up camp, it was gone. Was no where in site of the camp site. This is the second one I ve replaced and I m beginning to wonder if someone else at the campground was missing one and helped themselves to a free one.
 
 Lucky for them I was out of shells.

[Wayfarer]

 Venatic
Hold down clips?  Trunck?
 
 What? [8D]

[Venatic]

 Venatic
Those clips or latches that hold down the roof and/or trunk.
 
 Maybe latches would have been the better word.

[Wayfarer]

 Venatic
Okay.  Just couldn t figure out the " clips"  and didn t know if " trunck"  was for " truck"  or " trunk."   Sorry.
 
 Anywhoooo, never had any problem with those things being stolen.  In fact, on my Utah (before the Rockwood) I couldn t think of any way a person could get them off, so I  went out to the garage and looked at the Utah and, sure enough, someone could steal the bottom part by unscrewing the hex-head screws or the top part by drilling out the rivets, but either way it would be a time consuming caper and not one I would try in a campground even if I were of a mind to steal them.  Never heard of anyone having those things stolen but I haven t been into PU ing all that long.  Maybe some of the more experienced PU ers can help.  Just off hand I might suggest closing the latches and locking them.  On those front two, at least on mine, are thingies so you can lock them with a small padlock.  I got a couple of keyed-alike small padlocks at McCoys with which I always keep them locked when traveling or at a campground.  Sure, they could be popped off fairly easily, but they might keep honest people honest.  And then there are those seemingly nice people out there who, if no one is looking, will walk with anything not nailed down if they think they need it worse then you do.
 
 I realize this is not really much of an answer - more my thoughts than anything else - but for what they re worth you are welcome to them.  [8D]
 
 [font=" Script MT Bold" ]Wayfarer[/font][/size]
 

[tlhdoc]

 Venatic
I have never heard of the latches being stolen and I don t know how they could just get lost.  They are attached to the camper.

[wahoonc]

 Venatic
If you forget to latch one they will vibrate themselves off, [:@] at least the part that unscrews will. Never had one disappear in the campground or at home.
 Are you losing the entire assembly or just the screw on part? If just the screw on part I would suspect kids at play. Try putting a dab of thread lock on the screw part it might slow them down[8D]
 
 Aaron[]

[Venatic]

 Venatic
The only part that was missing was the part that screws into the nut. The first one that I replaced cost about $14. Not a bunch, but enough to gripe about.
 
 It may have wiggled itself free and fallen off, but it was there when we opened it up, and not there when we went to close it up. And it wasn t laying on the ground anywhere.
 
 My reasoning thinking that someone took it is there were some kids with missing bikes around the area. The sheriff was patroling along with the ranger.

[LKaskel]

 Venatic
Two questions.....What is the name of the campground so I make sure I go somewhere else and...is there someone with a sense of humor that tries to see if they can " get"  you  If I say something bothers me my kids try to find a way to use that to drive me nuts!  Usually makes us laugh pretty hard.

[Wayfarer]

 Venatic
I ve been wondering about your missing " clips"  and started studing my Utah trying to figure out whass happ n.  Think I understand now what you are talking about: must be the part that clamps over the " hook"  on the side of the roof or on the lid of the trunk, the part that you can turn (screw) one way or the other to make the clamp tighter or " looser,"  right?  Don t know what to call the little booger, but understand now that if someone just strolled by when you were gone from your pu (or even if you were inside asleep) they could quickly unscrew the thing and sneak off.  Ah, so!  
 
 As posted above, you could close the trunk, latch it down and then put a small padlock on the two on the front of the trunk, but on the others on the trunk lid or latches for the roof I don t know what you could do short of removing them when you re popped us at a campground.  Guess some other PU er needed one and didn t want to pay the $14.95.  Didn t think we had those kind of folks in the PU community?
 
 Sheeesh!  Something else to worry about....[:@]
 
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[Wayfarer]

 Venatic
One more thought - I m assuming now that it was the easily " screwed"  out gadget, part of the latch, that clamps over the bracket on the roof or trunk lid (as talked about in previous post).  After looking again at the Utah, and if that is indeed what you are talking about, you will notice on the two latches on the front of the trunk, at least on the Utah,  there are the little thingies that protrude through the clamp and stick through the slot in the latch and allow you to lock them with a small padlock.  Why not get from Coleman of whoever enough of those little hasps or whatever they are called to go in all of the latches which would allow you to lock them when the top or lid is up or down.  I have the keyed alike padlocks, very small, made by Master and coated with a black plastic or similar substance so they won t mar the finish, and, as I said, they aren t real heavy duty but would serve to keep honest people honest or at least slow down somewhat dishonest jerks.  Come to think of it, now that we are aware that people indeed steal those things, it would be a good idea to rig all the latches with someway to secure the parts together.  
 
 OK, I m gonna quit now.  Hope all of this helps.
 
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[MtnCamper]

 Venatic
How about if you took a vise grip, and smashed the last 2 threads on the bolt. No screwing them all the way off now! Then if you ever needed to take them off, use a good wrench and just crank em off. Then replace the nut too.

[Venatic]

 Venatic
Sorry, been away for a bit camping.
 
 We were camping at Rend Lake in the South Sandusky campground. There was a family reunion group there the same weekend our group was there. We tried to get the whole loop which dead ends, but two families had grabbed two sites late last year before we could. One family had someone who had brought his Harley with him, and at 4:30 in the morning, it was quite a rude awakening. One of the guys we were with was thinking about cutting his coil wire.[]
 
 I ll get over it. Maybe a little Loc-tite on the nuts might make it a little more difficult. I don t like the vise grips idea, as it won t fail that I ll need to loosen or tighten them and they won t move.[]

[MtnCamper]

 Venatic
If you just do the last 2 threads, you can loosen and tighten all you want. But they won t come off easy.