daveskis
Maryland
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There MUST be an easier way to get the door open on a Fleetwood Niagara with the roof lowered. They have the front right latch set up to raise the corner a little bit and then secure the latch. It's never high enough to get the door open without unlatching the rear side and also lifting up on the roof. Truly a pain. Is there a "trick" to this? Better yet, is there a modification to make it easier?
What's the scoop?
Thanks
Dave
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PattieAM
Maryland
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Joined: 08/03/2005
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Nope - no trick - you have to raise the roof about an inch for the door to open (safety feature). This is much better than the models that have doors not secured by the roof - road vibration has been known to allow the doors to open on the road and contents be strewed. And, another positive is less chance of leakage.
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larson6
Eldon, MO
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That's not just Fleetwood either. Both of my Clippers have needed the roof unlatched and raised an inch or so to get the door open without ripping the top seal. Yet some engineering genius put the crank storage on the inside of the door!
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He Ruide
Cincinnati Ohio
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larson6 wrote:That's not just Fleetwood either. Both of my Clippers have needed the roof unlatched and raised an inch or so to get the door open without ripping the top seal. Yet some engineering genius put the crank storage on the inside of the door!
Larson, That engineering genius thought that was a good place to store the backup OOPS... I meant the back up to the back up crank 
Is there a place there to store PUP keys?
I too have to crank up an inch or so to get in the door.
Ruide
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larson6
Eldon, MO
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He Ruide wrote:larson6 wrote:That's not just Fleetwood either. Both of my Clippers have needed the roof unlatched and raised an inch or so to get the door open without ripping the top seal. Yet some engineering genius put the crank storage on the inside of the door!
Is there a place there to store PUP keys?
Ruide
Yeah, right next to the crank.
I would assume that's there for after you're set up since you obviously can't leave it there when folded down. It just seemed silly to have a storage place specifically for something, in a place you can't get to without having what you're trying to get!
Granted, I do use a drill and socket genie, but I still keep the manual crank in the front trunk "just in case". I guess no one was smart enough to think of maybe putting the crank storage in there.
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CHEWY51099
Salem, Mass
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Yup its a safety devise. You have to raise up the roof a hair to open the door. The problem is that there is some flex with most pups. The doors had a habit of popping open on some rougher road sections as the pup flexed. The roof lip or overhang prevents this from happening. Yes its a pain but it sure beats chasing the pots and pans down I95.
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Mike Up
NW Indiana section of Chicagoland
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Most campers that are meant to have the doors opened while closed, can only have the doors opened if there's no air conditioners. The added weight of the air conditioner will create the need to also raise the roof to open those models doors as well. This is so on my last 2005 Freedom Rockwood and my newer 2007 Starcraft.
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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Actually the original designs from all the major builders used the roof/seal to hold the door closed when traveling. Manufacturing tolerances are wide and vary from builder to builder, but even if the door opens with the roof locked down you may be wearing/tearing up the roof seal.
In the case Of Fleetwoods/Colemans I recommend ALWAYS raising the roof so you can't hit the seal for any reason.
Why? The roof seal is only available from a Fleetwood dealer and runs $7+ a foot. Replacing a roof seal on a 12 foot box can run $300+ with shipping and glue.
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forsailors99
Montgomery Village, MD
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Hey, Dave. Congrats on your new Niagara. We just bought the Fleetwood Avalon yesterday. So I was interested in your post. During the walk-through, we were able to open the door with the roof down by using the front right latch you referred to raise the corner a bit. I didn't have to open the other latches. I don't know if there's a design difference between the Avalon and Niagara, but I'd think your door should open by only unlatching that one latch.
-Dave
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