[bobsals]

Greetings, we had a Sunnybrook Fifth Wheel up until this past March when we brought home our new Mountaineer. When we took delivery of the Sunny we (I) kept leaving the little sliding door open when going outside. My wife was always complaining that I was letting the bugs in. So I thought there had to be a better way.(other than close the door) I went to a local hobby shop and bought a length of solid stainless steel wire used in model airplanes to control flaps, ailerons etc. This wire was used because it was small and tough enough to use as a “push rod”. I installed the wire pretty much the same as shown below. My wife said “Now you’re too lazy to open the sliding door!!” I told her I was getting tired of hearing her complain. After installation, it was such a simple idea and worked so well, we soon got very used to using it. When buying the new Mountaineer you will never guess what my wife said… “Can you put the screen door thingy in the new camper?”
Anyway, it was a little more difficult on the new unit because of the design of the aluminum rail. However it got done and now DW is happy. One of the simple things that make life just a little easier. I think most if not all of you that read these postings are “do – it – yourselfers, and would not have much problem making this up if it appeals to you.
The only material I used was the .0785 wire (about 5/64”) that was purchased at the hobby store. You may be able to use coat hanger wire but it might be too soft and flexible. The only other thing I bought was the little red cover which is just a screw protector that was bought at Home Depot. It’s critical that the hole in the upper rail is drilled in the right place. This was done by closing the main door and finding a place to put the wire without interfering with the lock and latch mechanism. In my case it was 3-1/16” over from the end of the rail. I removed the upper rail ( it comes out pretty easy) and drilled a 3/32 hole down through using a drill press. This kept the hole square and in line. Make sure the hole is drilled through the front channel as your sliding plastic door uses the rear channel. See the pics. The handle was removed and drilled at the location where the wire intersected it. The wire was bent at a 90 degree angle where it passes though the handle. I was kind of skeptical of bending the wire after going through the handle in a “Z” fashion to hold it there. I thought the stress on the plastic handle might crack it, but it held up well to the torque applied while bending the wire. Everything was re-assembled. Now when going outside with just the screen door, we just push down on the little red button and no sliding necessary on the plastic door.