Stock Grab handles available

[CapsFan]

Hello Sunline owners....

I had been looking for a replacement Grab Handle for my recently purchased 2003 Sunline. I did not want to drill any new holes so I needed to find on with an 8 1/4" space from hole to hole. No luck on the internet, or, also, with a phone call to Camping World.

I then called Leo RV in Gambrills Md and they suggested I bring it in and maybe they could come up with something (they have been extremely helpful to me in many ways).

When I got there, two parts guys took a look and said..'.hey, that looks just like a box full we just got in but did not order.' In checking for us, he came back with one and it was the identical white Grab Handle that my camper came with.

So...if anyone else had a worn, sun damaged one and wants to replace it, easily, Leos has them.

I hope this helps someone.
Karen

[JohnB]

Hi Karen,

This is good news! By any chance did you notice a brand name on them?

Thanks

John

[Digmenow]

I was at Leo's yesterday (see the Tow-tally awesome Reese 800 lb TW weight distribution hitch for a T-1950! thread) and bought the incorrect lens for the interior lighting which I will need to return for exchange sometime in the next week or so. I will ask about them when I go and report back as I will likely replace mine as well.

As an aside, the customer service in the Parts/Service department at Leo's is off the chain! EVERYONE stepped up and offered help and backed off whenever it was obvious that I had switched into browsing mode. Based on that single visit, I would highly recommend them.

[Sunline Fan]

Awesome!

Fun fact from working in RV parts, whenever someone needs a piece of aluminum siding, a cabinet, or some other large item replaced under warranty, the OEM manufacturer will crate the replacement to send via LTL truck freight. To make the crates easier to move, especially if they are large and heavy, a lot of times they will screw one or a few of these plastic handles to them. Because they already buy them in bulk, they can get them so cheap that they are cheaper than buying or making something else to grab onto.

[Digmenow]

It's getting kind of crazy now!

I was on the phone a few minutes ago with Justin in the parts department at Leo's and was asking him about the anti sway control and happened to mention the exterior handle for the Sunline campers. He knew exactly what I was talking about and he remembered the exchange and actually... someone had come in last night looking for one based on this thread! I'm not sure if it's capsfan or not but as he was talking to me on the phone, his boss heard him, walked over and handed him one of the handles that had just come off of a packing crate. He's putting it on hold for me and I'm picking it up, hopefully, tomorrow.

Funny how things work out, isn't it?

[JohnB]

WOW, that was amazing!!!

Yes, please pass on the brand when known.

I'll also pass along, if yours turns black and looks like yuk, by using some bleach in water and applying a few times, let is soak for about 5 to 10 minutes and then rinse well, they come back amazingly white. Try and keep the bleach off the decals.

I have seen these handles also sort of, well rot. Something about the mold and yuk starts to eat into them. My front door handle on my T310SR is in good shape but my T-1950 that did not have the same TLC and 303 UV treatment as the T310SR sure shows it's age. It is heavily pitted with missing plastic.

[CapsFan]

Originally Posted by JohnB

Hi Karen,

This is good news! By any chance did you notice a brand name on them?

Thanks

John

Hi John....

It says...L P C #480...there is also a 6 under the screw hole if that means anything. I didn't even think to check until you mentioned it.I was amazed that it was a perfect match. Justin is my go to person (he is excellent and very knowledgeable), at Leo's, and I wish I had the other gentlemans name (he has been awesome too, on many occasions) because he is the one that pointed out the box of "crate handles" that had come in, unordered. It is the same, not only In size but in design....exactly. The customer service there is excellent.

I am glad this is helpful info..

Have a great night
Karen

[CapsFan]

Originally Posted by Digmenow

It's getting kind of crazy now!



Funny how things work out, isn't it?

Hi Dig....It was me there yesterday. I posted this to let you all know about the handles. Was it you that was getting a dinette table? I was there when one was being packed. We had a conversation about it

I did tell them about the forum and that they might get some calls about the handles

Wow...we were there on the same day!


Karen

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by CapsFan

Hi John....

It says...L P C #480...there is also a 6 under the screw hole if that means anything. I didn't even think to check until you mentioned it.I was amazed that it was a perfect match. Justin is my go to person (he is excellent and very knowledgeable), at Leo's, and I wish I had the other gentlemans name (he has been awesome too, on many occasions) because he is the one that pointed out the box of "crate handles" that had come in, unordered. It is the same, not only In size but in design....exactly. The customer service there is excellent.

I am glad this is helpful info..

Have a great night
Karen

Thanks Karen, much appreciated.

It is good to hear you found a good helpful dealer. When you find them, it is worth a lot in helping good folks with issues on their campers.

That part number was a good hit. Here is a 2 pack of them for those far away from Leo's. https://www.amazon.com/Original-Made...HANDLE%2Cwhite

This appears to be it as well, in qty of 1. I have never bought from these folks so cannot tell about the seller.
RV 9 1/2" Grab Assist Handle White Free Shipping, Assist Handle Camper | eBay

I can tell that for sure looks like the original as it has the depressions and vertical lines in the middle of the handle. It is listed as a 8" hole center for mounting. There are several other brands out there but they do not exactly look like the ones we have or that have the 8" center distance like we want.

Little by little we keep finding all the original parts suppliers Sunline used to help with repairs. This grab handle never came up before and now we know. Thanks again for sharing.

John

[Digmenow]

Originally Posted by CapsFan

Hi Dig....It was me there yesterday. I posted this to let you all know about the handles. Was it you that was getting a dinette table? I was there when one was being packed. We had a conversation about it

I did tell them about the forum and that they might get some calls about the handles

Wow...we were there on the same day!


Karen

Hey Karen! Alas, no dinette table for Dig. That should come from a custom cabinet maker sometime in the depth of winter.

Sorry we missed each other and thanks for posting about this. I am installing a folding grab handle but I'd like to replace the corroded looking original handle just for appearances. How much did they charge you for it if that's not too much to ask?

[Digmenow]

I got the only one they had in the store according to the young lady who rang up my friction slide purchase. She told me that, as mentioned above, it came off of a packing crate. I looked at every possible surface on it and there was no part number.
Should I mention at this point they gave it to me for free?

When I remove the old one and put the new one up, is there a "SOC recommended" sealant to apply to the screws or will any exterior silicone caulk be fine?

[CapsFan]

Originally Posted by JohnB

Thanks Karen, much appreciated.

It is good to hear you found a good helpful dealer. When you find them, it is worth a lot in helping good folks with issues on their campers.

That part number was a good hit. Here is a 2 pack of them for those far away from Leo's. https://www.amazon.com/Original-Made...HANDLE%2Cwhite

This appears to be it as well, in qty of 1. I have never bought from these folks so cannot tell about the seller.
RV 9 1/2" Grab Assist Handle White Free Shipping, Assist Handle Camper | eBay

I can tell that for sure looks like the original as it has the depressions and vertical lines in the middle of the handle. It is listed as a 8" hole center for mounting. There are several other brands out there but they do not exactly look like the ones we have or that have the 8" center distance like we want.

Little by little we keep finding all the original parts suppliers Sunline used to help with repairs. This grab handle never came up before and now we know. Thanks again for sharing.

John

You are very welcome! I have gained so much help from the forum, it was good to find a contribution to the wealth if info here

Have a good day!
Karen


PS...thanks John for your good detective work. I don't think Leos plans to carry these in the future...I was just at the right place at the right time.

[CapsFan]

Originally Posted by Digmenow

I got the only one they had in the store according to the young lady who rang up my friction slide purchase. She told me that, as mentioned above, it came off of a packing crate. I looked at every possible surface on it and there was no part number.
Should I mention at this point they gave it to me for free?

When I remove the old one and put the new one up, is there a "SOC recommended" sealant to apply to the screws or will any exterior silicone caulk be fine?

Hi Dig...I am not sure what the best recommendation is, but I bought a roll of butyl tape (Johns recommendation for replacing old rubber tape) and cut to fit the handle square where the screw enters....preliminarily, put the screws in, just a bit, as to be able to match the holes in the camper, and tightened it into a cleaned surface. As for the outer screw head, I hadn't thought as to weather anything would be necessary as it has nothing before. I did see in the handles that John has that they came with screw covers...I liked that idea and wonder if a hardware store might have something comparable.

As for the cost....you got a great deal!

All the Best!
Karen

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by CapsFan

Hi Dig...I am not sure what the best recommendation is, but I bought a roll of butyl tape (Johns recommendation for replacing old rubber tape) and cut to fit the handle square where the screw enters....preliminarily, put the screws in, just a bit, as to be able to match the holes in the camper, and tightened it into a cleaned surface. As for the outer screw head, I hadn't thought as to weather anything would be necessary as it has nothing before. I did see in the handles that John has that they came with screw covers...I liked that idea and wonder if a hardware store might have something comparable.

As for the cost....you got a great deal!

All the Best!
Karen

Yep, you described the correct installation process exactly!

Interesting idea about covering the screws, but I don't think it's necessary. The area where the screw goes jumps up to the actual hole the screw goes through, so any water puddled there would have to accumulate enough to seep in up around the screw. Pretty unlikely, especially for the bottom screw that's covered by a lot of the handle. If you really wanted, you could put some non-leveling Dicor sealant over the screws (like is used on the tops of the clearance lights), but since the screws don't face the sky, it isn't necessary.

[CapsFan]

Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

Yep, you described the correct installation process exactly!

Interesting idea about covering the screws, but I don't think it's necessary. The area where the screw goes jumps up to the actual hole the screw goes through, so any water puddled there would have to accumulate enough to seep in up around the screw. Pretty unlikely, especially for the bottom screw that's covered by a lot of the handle. If you really wanted, you could put some non-leveling Dicor sealant over the screws (like is used on the tops of the clearance lights), but since the screws don't face the sky, it isn't necessary.

Great! That's good to know. This has been a lot of hours of updating, but I am getting a lot of happy satisfaction after each stage of my goal is accomplished. I honestly don't think I would have done any of this without the forum help

[Digmenow]

I forgot the butyl tape and had already taken the handle off before I remembered it.

The people at Home Depot tried to sell me Mortite caulking cord but I wasn't having any of that. I finally found a 25 ft roll at West Marine but they wanted twenty five bucks so I ordered a 30 ft roll of Dicor from Amazon for $15. It should be here Thursday. I hope the expected rain isn't drenching. I put the handle back on temporarily without any sealant.

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by Digmenow

I forgot the butyl tape and had already taken the handle off before I remembered it.

The people at Home Depot tried to sell me Mortite caulking cord but I wasn't having any of that. I finally found a 25 ft roll at West Marine but they wanted twenty five bucks so I ordered a 30 ft roll of Dicor from Amazon for $15. It should be here Thursday. I hope the expected rain isn't drenching. I put the handle back on temporarily without any sealant.

It should be fine for a couple days. Besides, the awning really blocks any rain from draining on that area, it's just if a sideways rain hits the side of the trailer and runs down. Even then, it shouldn't make a difference in a few days.

Your roll of butyl tape probably won't come in any fancy packaging, so I'd recommend putting it in a ziploc bag when you're done, to help keep it clean and prevent it from drying out somewhat- even though that's more of a concern with regular putty. The roll I buy at my local RV dealer is just a roll on a shelf, with the paper backing on the tape. No other protection from the elements, and I suspect yours will arrive in the box and look pretty similar.

You'll be surprised how much you'll use it, since literally anything that you take off the trailer needs to be redone with it.

[Digmenow]

Thanks for the storage tip, Fan!

I am rapidly accumulating a small inventory of spare parts, lubes, sealants and such. I'm gonna need to hook a small trailer to the back of the 1950 to carry it all. This is worse than golf!


BTW, I was at Leo's RV yesterday to pick up some necessary bits and I saw a large crate outside the office that had two more handles on them. In case anyone needed one.

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by Digmenow

I am rapidly accumulating a small inventory of spare parts, lubes, sealants and such. I'm gonna need to hook a small trailer to the back of the 1950 to carry it all. This is worse than golf!

LOL, that's nothing compared to those of us who have accumulated a lot of spare parts- fender skirts, lights, wheels, decals, etc!

[Digmenow]

Not affiliated with the seller but here they are, big as day on eBay with nice button covers.

RV 9 1/2" Grab Assist Handle White Free Shipping, Assist Handle Camper
US $5.29
Limited quantity available 266 sold