Got a lump under the carpet - Montana Owners Club

CountryGuy · 06-05-2006, 03:35 PM

The other day a storm was a brewing and I went out to Tana to bring the slides in (they were talking hail and I thought I would try to save the slide toppers).

Well, I was checking everything before I brought the slides in, I walked across the front room area and felt something under my foot. Kinda a big something, seeing that I had shoes on.

Upon inspection, Al says it feels like a carriage bolt! He took a magnet out there and says it stuck to the lump, so it is metal for sure.

So, anyone ever have this??? And, if so, NOW what????

Montana_1240 · 06-05-2006, 03:45 PM

Carol,

When we bought our 2004 3380, there was a lump in the carpet, as well. Thankfully, it wasn’t where a slide would traverse it. We didn’t notice it until we were in Canada.

When we were at the first Annual Rally, and went to the factory for other maintenance, they took a look and pulled out a large gage screw!

Heaven knows what it was supposed to be holding. Nothing ever fell off the rig, after that. But that’s what our lump was.

I let them do it because they knew how to lift the carpet without cutting it…Which is the “solution” I was contemplating.

Check with a dealer, unless you can figure out a way to lift the carpet without cutting it. There must be a way, because they did it at Goshen.

Good Luck,
Steve

CountryGuy · 06-05-2006, 04:01 PM

Steve,

Guess I should mention that all we can feel is the head of this ?bolt? Guess we are also wondering where did it pop UP from??? What was it holding?? Those sort of questions, disconcerning. I would say this lump is about 2 foot from the floor heat vent. Said floor vent is the one that is near our island on the 3295. So you are correct, we cannot figure out how to mess with this too much without cutting carpet, which is not really an option we choose to take.

Anyone else have suggestions or ideas for us?? Thanks Steve for your input.

countrygirl · 06-05-2006, 04:37 PM

Carol, I think that we had the same thing not long ago. Ours was just inside the door , about 6 or 8 inches inside. Of course, our entry has carpet there so, we talked about what we should do to get to this problem. David also thought as you did that it was the head of a bolt. He decided to cut a small place in the carpet instead of pulling up the carpet . Then , he could see exactly what it was. He just removed the bolt and put the carpet back in place. So far so good , nothing has come loose. don't know whether it was to the steps or what. If we were going to have problems, I feel sure we would have already had some after taking up the bolt.
Shirley

padredw · 06-05-2006, 04:42 PM

Shirley has this one exactly right. I only add that cutting a small "slit" with a very sharp instrument actually saved the carpet. We can't even see the 'slit', but the bolt would have worn though by now leaving an unsightly hole. Seems like you have the same thing, Carol.

prariepoodle · 06-05-2006, 05:09 PM

We have a small lump under the carpet in the bed room under the edge of the bed and you can tell that it is a screw laying on it's side. I have left it alone cause I don't walk there and I don't want to cut the carpet at this time. As long as it don't bother me it can stay there. LOL.

CountryGuy · 06-06-2006, 02:38 AM

Will take the carpet cutting under consideration,

Dave, how large was this bolt??? The one Al showed me, that he thinks might be the same thing, is like 4 inches long and the head is ohhh, 1/2 inch across??? Remember, now, we can ONLY feel it so far, have not seen it so we are still in the "guessing" stage.

Thanks everyone, keep the idea coming!

Emmel · 06-06-2006, 04:38 AM

Carol, I used to work part time at a new car dealership and actually found a 5lb box of screws loose under the back seat of a NEW car. It wouldn't suprise me a bit to find a loose screw under the carpet in the campers today!

padredw · 06-06-2006, 04:40 AM

Carol, to my best recollection that bolt was about as "wide" as you describe, but not nearly as long--I think no more than 2 inches (maybe less), but it was a nice size bolt -- I would guess the head about 1/2 inch, and it needed to come out. I slit the smallest opening I could to get the bolt out and when I pressed the carpet back down we have never noticed that place again.

I did wonder what it should have been "holding", but there was nothing I could do about that short of taking up the carpet and even then I might not have been able to replace the bolt. It was near the steps and maybe had something to do with that attachment--only a guess.

I am not recommending anything, only reporting my own action.

Good luck.

stiles watson · 06-06-2006, 05:10 AM

What would it be ike to use your magnet to move the bolt over to the edge of the carpet and take the carpet up, remove the bolt, and reset the carpet? A sharpened coat hanger could be used as a "carpet hook" to get enough space to move the bolt. The carpet is laid very much like house carpet, so the molding along the edge could be undone and redone. If you don't think you can do it, any carpet layer could do it for you and for a lot less than a dealer would charge.

Montana_1240 · 06-06-2006, 05:42 AM

Carol,

Our lump, (which, by your description, was about in the same place as yours is,) wasn’t high enough to tell if it was a bolt, screw, or simply some rod or something. I didn’t have a magnet around, but we could tell it was pretty solid, whatever it was.

I still wonder what it may have held. It was about 4” long, machine-threaded, with countersunk head.

While the factory guys said it was “nothing,” I still always wondered if something under the floor was going to fall out, or get loose and wear, or something. It was way long enough to get through the flooring, and must have served a function at one time.

A cut in the carpet wouldn’t have been too hard to hide, but it’d linger in my mind all the time, and I just knew that someday, something would have caught in it and caused a major problem that no warranty would have covered. Plus, if it was removed, (and I still don’t know why it wasn’t either tightened or replaced at the factory,) what would result over time.

Maybe asking MIMMF (?) the question about what it could possibly be holding would help? Except for the fact that the factory guys did it, if I had removed it, I’d have only been fully satisfied if I took the bottom off the rig to peek around where that screw used to be to see if something looked like a nut, needing a screw. I’m guessing nothing would be visible from the top side, other than the hole.

The doubts are why I suggest you see a dealer. If it’s frame-related, that should be under Lippert’s warranty, I think.

Let us know what happens.

Steve

CountryGuy · 06-06-2006, 06:04 AM

Again, thanks guys for all the feedback and opinions. I am sorry I did not make this clear from the first, but blame it on exhaustion, and mushy brain function. This lump, whatever it is, is not just laying around, cannot grab it with a coat hanger, it seems that it is still IN the floor. Al gently tapped it with a hammer and it did not move back down towards the floor. Well, we are outta here in the AM for our lake trip, guess we will see if it moves up any more on the 120 mile run over to the lake. The suggestion to take it back to the dealer, well, our selling dealer is not gonna happen. Won't be letting him ever touch our trailer. SIGHHHH.

Steve, sure sounds the same, and your impressions are pretty much what ours are. Al is strongly resisting taking off that bottom, as this is in the middle of the rig, very near the axles, and he knows it is gonna be one bear of a thing, plus, if I am not mistaken, our stuff under there is already torn up from some prior work done to the axles, etc. It really needs a new piece of that stuff, but with his back, Al is not real hep on doing ANYTHING down there.

ok, still looking for any feedback, appreciate what we have heard here for sure! As usual, this is a great bunch, and so helpful.

campbud · 06-06-2006, 06:44 AM

Al & Carol, Sure hope it is just a bolt that doesnt go to anything. We seem to find things when we are scheduled to use the Monty...I hope you both enjoy your lake trip and that the bolt doesnt move to give you any problems...Good Luck

Montana_1240 · 06-06-2006, 08:05 AM

Carol,

I hope Al can get this rectified. Since your selling dealer’s a loser, maybe a call to the factory? If it IS a part of the frame, or, (as it sure sounds,) shoddy construction for leaving it loose, Keystone often stands behind such work.

And, if you have to call the factory, they might even give you a lead for getting a sheet or two of that plastic composite for the bottom.

I know that I had a vision of the long bolt holding one of the holding tanks, (probably the gray, given the central location of the thing,) and that tank falling out eventually.

But a call might just end up letting you know that it was only something used during fabrication, (maybe when the floor was upside down,) and won’t be needed for holding anything vital. And that is the overall impression I got when they simply took mine out without replacing it.

Ours did develop after some travel, BTW. I know it wasn’t there when we purchased that 2004 Monty. (And I bet you’d have noticed it before now, as well.) But it was a lump, after we put miles on it. It might just do the same thing in your rig. The lake trip might just raise it a bit more.

You did get some good feedback. But I dare say it would have been perfect, had someone said, “it holds this or that,” or, that it “was used during fabrication, and doesn’t serve any further purpose.” Such a complete response would ease your anxiety, I’m sure.

Oh, and I’m a guy who would do almost ANYTHING to avoid lying on my back under this thing, undoing panels. (No matter how much I’d love to add some 110V wiring for added receptacles!) I’m just waiting until it’s absolutely necessary. Then I’ll add the wiring. So I can’t say that I blame Al for not being overjoyed with that prospect. And why a call to Keystone might help avoid all that.

Steve

CountryGuy · 06-06-2006, 08:27 AM

OK, Al snuck out there while I was cutting out dresses for the twins and started some serious snooping.

He took the vent out and was able to reach the PROBLEM! It was 16 inches from the heater vent. He was able, to JUST get his arm in under the carpet and reach and touch the nasty!

It is NOT a Lag bolt (just felt like it through the carpet). It is a phillips head screw, LARGE screw, and it is sticking up about 1/8 of an inch. He tried a lot of stuff, like vice grips, cause it turns just a bit, channel locks, even took a screw driver, cut part of it off to make smaller and tried turning it. no go on any of it.

He cannot get it to turn enough (cause he could JUST reach it) to remove it.

He then went to a metal plate over the screw and beat on it a bit, hoping to break it off, and that did not work either.

So, it is still there, he is worn out, and has a scrapped up arm to show for it. We are gonna try to put the rug and the little wicker storage cabinet in such a way that we don't continually walk on it while we are gone.

Calling the service center for suggestions, etc, might be the next step, but at this point, the LAKE is NEXT~!!! ohh yea!

The carpet will have to be cut (and then seam taped with that hot glue tape stuff) or pulled up from the sides and then tacked back down to get at it.

Let me tell you, it was not for lack of effort!

dsprik · 06-06-2006, 09:17 AM

What was that light in the sky, shaped like a bat, that the Commissioner used to signal Batman?

We need one of those for Dale (MIMF). Maybe something in the shape of a "slideout" in the sky...

That could work...

Montana_1240 · 06-06-2006, 11:39 AM

Carol,

Sounds like you'll be fine. If it's one of those screws, it's unlikely it was being used to hold up anything under the floor. Maybe just a screw holding the floor down!

Makes you wonder how it could undo itself, when it can't be wriggled out with a pair of vice-grips! Probably something to do with the motion harmonics, due to the material physics of a fifth-wheel, coupled with the various road surfaces encountered at varying times and varying speeds over a given timeline period.

Or not.

Steve

CountryGuy · 06-06-2006, 11:46 AM

Steve

YEPPER!!!!!

TO YOUR COMMENT:

"Makes you wonder how it could undo itself, when it can't be wriggled out with a pair of vice-grips! Probably something to do with the motion harmonics, due to the material physics of a fifth-wheel, coupled with the various road surfaces encountered at varying times and varying speeds over a given timeline period."

Yank · 06-07-2006, 06:28 AM

Hi guys...please let me know what is under your carpet when you find out. We have 2 very large (bolts???) or something in the middle of our living room also. I tried a hammer but they don't seem to move. No way my 5er is going back to the dealer...thanks Al

Ironman · 07-04-2006, 05:47 AM

In our 2004 Model 3295 we had a 6" bolt work its way up in our carpet in front of the refrigerator about 10" in from the furnace duct. We ended up at Hart City and they had to pull the carpet loose in front of the frige/fireplace to remove it. When the camper was put together, the bolt was inserted but did not hit anything below the wood floor to hold it in. Hart City - excellent repair shop for us.

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