Warranty claims on a pop-up camper

[geodasher]

I have a new Hallmark (2015 K2, picked up Feb) and have so far not run into any real problems with it. During the purchase process the communication was tough at times, but in the end they did come through and everything was as ordered and discussed and came together as we had all planned. One thing I learned after using it and bouncing it a little was that their idea of tie down arrangement was wrong. They installed the Happijak in the front, then Torklift in the back. I agree with this 100% and it works well. Where the difference is, is with the Fastguns, there's sprung ones and solid. They said the sprung should go in the back and solid goes in front. After hitting an unseen rut a little hard and all of the fast guns came loose, the camper shifted, and the unsecured scissor steps bounced around and damaged the door, I figured something wasn't right. Turned out the bounce (at ~ 20 miles an hour) actually bent an overload spring bracket, pretty good for a '12 F350 well under it's weight limit. Reading here and other forums, talking to Torklift, swapped the Fastguns to solid in the back, sprung in the front, no problem since.

I can see how with their typical arrangement could cause problems. In a dynamic environment like a camper off road, it's better to have some movement and allow things to flex around. It's just a matter of where that movement is and how it transfers to the camper itself. Done wrong, all those forces are transferred somewhere, usually not to an area that can absorb it well. Don't be afraid of not cranking down on the tie-downs, especially with the Fast guns. Everything is going to flex, if all of that flex is taken it out in one direction, now things give in the wrong place.

Having your problems out of the gate though does imply something was wrong to begin with. Hopefully you do have some verifiable documentation of communicating with them. Getting resolution will be tough in any matter

I think the Hallmark guys are defensive of their campers and don't take constructive criticism well, even with how they are secured. Would I buy a Hallmark again, hell yes. Overall the construction and design is what I expected. Compared to other options on the market (in spite of the cult like following), I think it's the best in class. There is no one size fits all with the these things. For the most part you cut to size, then pound to fit.

I had the exact same problem with Hallmark's turnbuckle installation in 2014, well before yours. They reversed the front and rear turnbuckles on purpose (Torklift AnchorGuards which are labeled for installation) because "they know better than the turnbuckle manufacturer." They also omitted a couple of jam nuts on the cushioned (front) ones, and they cut one rod too long on a sprung (rear) one so that it jammed and prevented the turnbuckle from operating properly. All of this caused 3 of the turnbuckles to come loose and one to fall off a few hundred miles down the road from their shop. They insisted that was normal and that I had to tighten the turnbuckles more often! Bill said he preferred straight chains because the expensive turnbuckles were unreliable.

I called Torklift and they identified the problems quickly and sent me new units with proper installation instructions. Then they checked back to see if I had any questions. No loosening since over thousands of miles. Now that's how customer service should be. I have no idea what Hallmark's problem is.

As for the OP's problems with loosening and cabinets going out of alignment, that should not happen. I recommend double-checking the turnbuckle installation--call Torklift if anything is unclear--as the turnbuckles should remain snug even after many miles. Carefully inspect the camper's alignment and look for any warping or sagging in the shell. If there are any problems, document them with photos and measurements. Good luck.