Fleetwood E4
Tinley Park IL
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Joined: 02/27/2008
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On our first trip with the E4 we had it fully loaded with water. At a gas stop we notice something was hanging under the camper.It was the metal straps holding the fresh water tank. The bolts had sheered off.
As we were repairing the problem we noticed the bolts are to small for that much weight.I am replacing them with stainless steel bolts.
If you own one just be aware of this problem.
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snowman610
Winona MN
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Joined: 03/22/2006
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Thanks for the update  I'll be checking them tonite!
2008 FleetwoodE4
2005 F-150 with mods
2006 Can-Am Outlander Max
Winona,MN
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Eurocamper
Salt Lake City, Utah
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Joined: 03/04/2008
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I have an E1 and I inspect those straps before every trip. First time I looked after delivery I discovered one bolt was missing entirely and one bolt was held on by only a couple of threads of the nut.
Switching to stronger bolts seems a good idea.
Ron
2008 Fleetwood Evolution E1
2007 Nissan Xterra
1992 Isuzu Trooper
Ex 1997 Volkswagen Eurovan Camper
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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I would suggest anyone with a problem like this that has repaired it themselves contact the builder and explain the problem and your fix. If a manufacturer doesn't know there's a problem they won't do anything to fix it on later units.
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He Ruide
Cincinnati Ohio
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Joined: 08/30/2006
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Thanks for sharing and I agree with Mike that you should share this with Fleetwood. The other thing to note is that you are carrying over 280 pounds of water in that tank and it might be wise (even if it is just for gas mileage) to limit the distance that you have to travel with the tank full.
Rudie
Fleetwood Evolution E3 - Yellow (DW let me get a Yellow one since she wanted an E3 with a slide out  )
Hummer H2 - Black (DW vetoed the Yellow one, but I got two Yellow Hummer Folding Mountain bikes  )
My Pics and Mods and My Weekly Blog
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JCHKeys
Suffolk, VA
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Joined: 11/05/2007
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Since I am living in mine now, I will go to the 'basement' and check. I guess a 1 for 1 replacement is a good fix. If not Stainless, you could also go with some grade 8. I use alot of grade 8 bolts on our E4.
JCH
New TV: 2008 Dodge Ram 3500, 6.7L Cummins, 6 Speed Auto, No mods yet (but they are coming)
2008 Fleetwood Evolution E-4, Reese Round Bar Weight Distributing Hitch
Me and the Wife: Scuba Dive, Mountain Bike, Kayak, Hike
Two Dogs: Mako and Amber
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Fleetwood E4
Tinley Park IL
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Joined: 02/27/2008
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After we left the gas station we immediately called our dealer. To let them know what had happened. They told us they will call Fleetwood and let them know of the problem. As far as towing with that much water I agree 100%, but this was our first time towing with water. Thanks for the good advise. I will use it on my next trip. Otherwise the E4 performed flawlessly.
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JCHKeys
Suffolk, VA
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The E4 is a great rig. We were so happy with it across the country. Especially in those dumpy RV parks that wanted a $20 deposit for a key to the bathroom. That walled bathroom was a godsend. We had a couple of dry-camps, in Missouri and Kansas, we just stopped at the gas station just before the park and would fill up using their freshwater line. We ran it out for a couple of seconds before hooking up out water lines (and filter). Our filter was new when we started the trip last Sunday, on Thursday we had to replace it. It was completely clogged. The o-ring strainer was filled with metal and wood chips, and the filter was solid with other stuff.
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