RV Education 101® most campers that have floor rot will also have joist rot and/or wall framing rot as well. If thats the case, the correct way to replace the floor/joists is to de-couple the trailer body/shell from the frame and raise the body from the frame. There are other videos on youtube showing this. Essentially, remove or cut the screws holding your bottom plate/framing to the flooring (you have to remove the trailer nose cap and siding to access the screws). Once all screws are removed, slide a 10' or 12' long 4x4 or 6x6 through the storage doors - from one side to the other. Support each side with a high-jack/farm-jack or use floor jacks with wood blocking to account for the height difference. Jack the camper body up by 1 or 2 inches from the frame. NOW you can PROPERLY replace the trailer floor/joists, etc. Doing it this way would have sped this job up to be less that 5 days.
I got myself in a pickle utility g a camper with water damage and watching your video twice gave me an idea of how I’m going to replace the floor. Thanks for making this video.
I watched your video before I made the purchase of a worn out trailer and had to come back to rewatch. Definitely going the underlayment route. Thanks so much for the detail!
Great Job! I bought a camper 3 days ago and it has soft floors. I listed it and sold it today. I know now that was a job that even if I did the floor, it would have taken me forever and would have eaten all the profits. The buyer said he was handy.
FRP for the walls for a win! Loved watching this and that is the first time in 10 years I have ever stayed interested in any one video (from anybody)! Great job to you and your son, and your wife for helping too :)
Thanks for the video help. I'm currently ripping out the original floor of a 2006 Rockwood Roo and this video really helped me understand what I'm dealing with that I didn't know before lol😅
the "underlayment" is called darco and is a waste of time because it actually TRAPS moisture under the floor if it ever gets even a tiny pinhole in it, which they do easily. Kinda like when folks cover their rvs or boats etc with a cover while outside, every time you take cover off it has promoted mildew, bug and bird nests etc. Next time (if you ever do this again) spray the plywood floor with truck bedliner spray and you'll protect it forever. No need for wraps. My advice is based on rehabbing and sales of over 300 trailers. The junk manufacturers use in construction is unreal.
Thanks for shearing . Do you spray with truck bedliner the top layer of plywood or the bottom layer? It is ok to use regular plywood 3/4 or 5/8 thick or it is better to use pressure treated plywood? What your opinion in this ? Do you spray after the plywood installation or before? Thank you for taking time to share.
Thanks for shearing . Do you spray with truck bedliner the top layer of plywood or the bottom layer? It is ok to use regular plywood 3/4 or 5/8 thick or it is better to use pressure treated plywood? What your opinion in this ? Do you spray after the plywood installation or before? Thank you for taking time to share.
@@eugenekalinowski17 use PT plywood and spray both sides before install. RV makers also space out floor joists way too far apart so I add "sister" joists to have more support also
So you’re saying, skip the black tarp, material and spray, both sides of pressure-treated plywood with bedliner and place it right on top of the campers metal floor joints?
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! Yes I'm shouting lol. This video is exactly what I have been looking for. I need to replace some framing and a lot of flooring on my 1984 Shasta. The underbelly is pretty shot just like your aluminum (mine is galvanized but holes rusted through it). This is the first how to floor replacement that showed the whole project even Ripstop Material. I feel like I am so much more equiped to tackle this. Thank you. From Mystic CT.
Hoo boy. I gotta rotted-out bathroom floor from a shower leak. Dreading having to do all the work you did. But I sure do appreciate you showing me how it's done the right way. Thanks!
Sometimes you can get lucky and only have to replace the immediate layer of board under your tile or vinyl. I have a 18 transcende and I figured out if you go under the area you have to replace and remove your under guard whether it be the plastic coated cardboard or what ever they used and push up on that area if it's not mushy or wet it's only the top layer hopefully you get lucky like I have.
My exact camper with same flooring issue. Finally found the video again!! Now to start the hard work, thank you for such an awesome video tutorial for me!!
Thank you for all the tips, we need to redo our new to us trailer. After searching many websites and videos, this the best one I've seen for details of what needs to be done. Your new floor looks amazing.
Wow that was awesome! Thanks. This is really helpful in helping me plan out my rotted camper floor repair. All my water came from a loose fitting on the back of the hot water heater.
This is great man, thank you for sharing your process, very cool of you to share this experience as a tutorial for others. Gives me more comfort that im able to do something for myself on a budget! Young, broke and trying to save money on living over this way lol
Hey man I must say that all that work was worth it, the camper looks great. Great craftsmanship I am a fan. I know who to contact when I'm ready to start on my Surveyor. Great job!
That floor has got to be rock solid now. Congrats on persevering, that is a tough job. I am looking at a used trail-lite and I will damn sure to look very closely at the floors.
We have an R-vision (non hybrid) and it is pretty leaky too, your video helped in our floor replacement. I'm going to file it under "if I would have known this going in, I would have never started" learning experience.
Great work Rick, thanks for the video! . We just purchased a 2004 with a soft floor. I was surprised how bad it was once I got in there and tore it apart! I am really debating replacing the vapor barrier on the bottom. It seems to me that once water gets in, there is no chance for it to dry out, especially if you have vinyl flooring on top. So I'm considering skipping the moisture barrier on the bottom, using marine grade plywood with an exterior stain/ water repellent applied to it. In my experience marine grade plywood does not seem to warp like treated plywood does. Then following your plan from that point. I have to wonder after reading all these posts from all of these people with rotten floors, if the design was bad to begin with. Our camper will be stored inside, and the only time the bottom will ever get wet is towing in the rain. The wheel wells do most of the protection. So i figure if the wood is treated or stained why care if it gets wet. Pontoon boats don't have a moisture barrier on the bottom of the wood, and they have much more exposure to water then the bottom of a camper. And yes I do know they rot out over time as well. Just throwing my ideas out there for people to comment on. Thanks again for sharing your advice and experience!
Hey man great video I have a 2006 starcraft 19ck basically the same camper and I'm redoing the floor this weekend and this gave me some great ideas thanks for the video.. good work!!!
Very informative video. We will be undertaking a similar project, although I hope it's not quite this extensive! Definitely helps to know what we might encounter!
Much to comment on. Remember tearing the complete back half off of one of those dodge chassis with camper back in the eighties. What a project. These things are a definite can of worms. Best thing to do is if buying. Calculate the desired use in time, usage over two years, then take away devalued condition and figure whether it is worth having. One can do a tent trailer or B&Bs a lot cheaper and no headaches when confronting these problems over the long haul. I you're going to buy one, do the investigation, considered time of use and then lick your wounds when it's time to sell,
I keep trying to figure something out and I decided to finally ask. Your lower layer of plywood was screwed to the chassis, but was it attached to the walls anywhere? Same question about the aluminum. We're they attached to the walls or the lower plywood or just floating? Your final width from my math is 2-3/4" plus your luan. Did you add 3/4" to.the rest of the trailer?
We have the same camper and our floor is soft in front of the sink. ( ours is where your fridge is) and left side in corner of U dinette. We only need to do the front half of floor. How thick was your original factory floor “ sandwich “ ? I want to replace front half then meet up to original floor then go over it all with luan and vinyl. We aren’t doing this until next spring, so we are getting our game plan figured out. Thanks for posting your video, it’s very informative.
Really good job. One thing I would suggest, foil backed insulation like that is supposed to be installed with the foil (shiney side) toward the outdoors. Probably too late now, but that's how the manufacturer suggests installation. Enjoy the new floor. You earned it, lol.
Awesome job. I have a Bantam Flier F18 and the floor was partially repaired They did an awful job and I am going to replace the whole floor as it is really spongy throughout. My only concern you did not address is weight. These trailers are made to be pulled by smaller vehicles(thus the name "Bantam") and that much/type material had to add considerable weight. If done again, what would you change to lighten the job? Any tips will be appreciated! Thanks.
Thanks. Although I sold the camper a couple of years ago, I can tell you that there is very little I would change. For the several years I owned and used it after the floor project, it still was performing without any issues. What would I change? I'd use tongue-and-groove flooring.
I am remodeling a 86 fleetwood the floor at first didn’t look that bad however upon a inspection I found the two by twos that go around the camper where the camper siding connects to the floor was all rotted out so I decided to start taking those out and just redo the whole floor but when I did that the nose of it sunk down like 6 inches do you have any helpful ideas that I can use to fix it right now I just jacked it up and put some two by fours on the outside and screwed into the studs to hold it up but it looks as if the outer edge is lower than the floor
Rick thank you for this video. I actually just purchased the same brand of camper and have moisture damage in the same area towards the front. You said you chased the leak since day one, can you share what you finally discovered was the issue so I can fix it before repairing the floor? Also, just to verify, belly liner, 3/4" plywood, 1.5" aluminum rails edge to edge screwed to 3/4' plywood, 1.5" foam then 3/8" plywood on top? Does this line up flush with existing floor as I don't plan on re-flooring the entire trailer (most parts are good).
Great video! I have a question. On the underpayment. You said you use staples. When you got the underlayment did you actually staple the bottom underpayment side to the floor? Underlayment to the floor underneath. Was thinking of using some kind of spray. adhesive.Thanks
I did not staple the black underlayment material to the bottom of the plywood. I wrapped the edges of the underlayment around the plywood and stapled that part to what would be the top of the plywood. I did not use any adhesive or fasten the underlayment to the bottom of the plywood in any way.
I'm bookmarking this page and adding it to my resource material when I tackle the floor of my 2001 R-Vision Bantam Trail Lite B21 in the spring. I was going to sell it but good used trailers (ours is great other then floor) are like gold nowadays. Your video is great help. What actual model is your trailer?
Doing almost the same thing to the Trail-Lite Bantam we bought recently. The bottom piece of plywood sits under the floor supports. Was that the same for you? Trying to figure out exactly how I’m going to separate the body and trailer frame to get the plywood between it.
I think I heard you say you put pressure treated wood on the aluminum rails? it didn't look like pressure treated wood though. I hope it wasn't, cuz pressure treated wood eats your aluminum away in a very short time. I learnt that from videos where people make floors and decks to walk on in aluminium fishing boats, and when they use pressure treated wood, it eats holes in their boats within the first year. Pretty crazy, and really good to know about, cuz who would think that would be an issue... Awesome video though, thank you for posting this.
Not everyone that does stuff knows what they’re doing… people use the three banes of a good job in a camper all the time: acq pressure treated, silicone caulking, and osb. Or they buy a new AC, tv, or awning but never replace their flaking roof membrane. But ya, PT doesn’t belong in boats, utility trailers, or campers.
You guys are awesome. I am so glad I came across this. Still wondering if I can cheat and just spray the hell out of the bottom of the trailer to fill in the empty spots in underlayment last owner left. There is some kind of foam isn't there?
Thanks for this video. I also have a hybrid R-Vision with slide out with a rotted floor. I'm not looking forward to doing this as the previous owner did a shoddy repair job where he just put plywood on top of the rotted floor. Will have to figure a way to also replace the floor under the cabinets, fridge and in the bathroom. The PO just cut the plywood around them. I'll also use aluminum square tubing instead of wood beams for extra rigidity. BTW, we might be brothers because I also own a TrailBlazer of the exact same colour!
This was an amazing repair and very informative. I have a couple questions. How did you run supports and new floor under the kitchen cabinets? Did you have to temporarily support the cabinets during this? Also, is there still a strip of the original floor panel under the exterior wall? Did you have to do anything to brace or support that section as the original portion under the wall would not go back to the main trailer beam. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Have you started your project? I'm about to tackle one on a 2007 Bantam Flier F18. I'm going to remove everything. I believe that is a better approach and less of a fire hazard when modifying the wall sag with welded supports. Its a lot of work and much cheaper that purchasing a new trailer!
Thanks a lot for the video. I'm about to tackle this. I've got lot's of water damage in my starcraft, also called Starcrap by Aussies. The water has come in from the front after a seam was opened up and it sat for two winters. I've ripped out a fair bit of the rotting sandwich, back to almost the door. I'll tackle more tmw. Looking at different videos I see most people use 2x4 or other wooden joists. I like the idea of the aluminum sq channel. I've found some 1" locally and I also found some more expensive 1.5". I'm wondering if I use 1.5" I could get away with less than 3/4 " ply on the bottom. Why did you use such thick ply on the bottom? 3/4" seems pretty heavy. Also it looks like your floor adds up to 2.5" thick? Seems like a lot more than the original? I might also hire on a welder to weld them to the outer aluminum frame of the original floor. Any advice appreciated, especially from someone who's been through this before.
I used 3/4 on the bottom because I didn't want any regrets after I finished. I would think that if you use 1.5-inch aluminum stock (maybe space it 12 inches apart?) you should be more than fine. Welding it to the perimeter is a great idea, too. Good luck!
What a tedious job. Good on you both. Question. Wouldn't it have been better to keep the good tin underlayment wherever it was ok, cut tidying up cuts where it was messy and then laid the tent floor like underlayment on top of it all? Just for a little more sturdiness? Also more leak proofing? I may have to do what you did. Ye gads. What a lot of work. The last owner of my trailer laid hard wood flooring without doing underlayment. I can see fibre board, insulation and broken tin underlayment from under the trailer. A few good rains/snow and the floor is going to rot all over again.
In case you're actually still monitoring this video, here's a question: are the aluminum crossbeams solid or tubing? It looks like tubing since I see some screws holding them down. If tubing, what are the wall thicknesses - 1/8"?
j am impressed and hopeful that I can try to repair the 2002 Thor Tahoe 22 ft Hybrid Toy hauler [hybrid means there is a foldout, flip out, popout tent bed that is the whole front of the trailer. I recently retired and survived 2 strokes. My plan [for over 18 months] was to Get an F250 SD CC FX4 Diesel, a Honda 4 x4 quad, and a nice camper and relocate from Texas to a 180 yo Ghost Town in the Inyo Mountains in CA,. I was surprised when loading the hauler that the wall and floor were separating, and the wheel well under the sink was destroyed from an old blowout the past owner forgot to inform me. i have been unwilling to just remove the cabinets, windows, floor, and the front flipping-out bed if is HEAVY, BIG, and I have no idea how to support it or anything. But if I am going to make it before the only road in/out of Cerro Gordo was washed out from the DV Flooding 3 weeks ago and once the snow starts they close the mountain til spring. I don't have the support you had, I Would love to talk with anyone who knows these foldout beds to share and maybe give me some safety tips. but i will sleep in the f250 if need be Before i am stopped again. 400 acres 9000 ft asl and 40+ abandoned silver mines 1100 feet under the private town is calling me to come help Mr Underwood rebuild the hotel, and the historic town.
I have a similar problem I am trying to fix now but I am confused where the supports are. My foam flooring looks just like yours in front of the sink. Do you just remove the foam and add new 2x4 to the existing underlayment?
The first time I replaced my flooring I added 2x4s. It did not work to my satisfaction. The second time I replaced the flooring, which is this video, I used aluminum square tubing instead. I only removed the original styrofoam in the front half, which is all my project needed.
Really appreciated your video. Because of it I am replacing my RV floor right now. I have a Trail Lite B17. I also had someone make me metal rock guard for the front. Just wondering if you chalked behind the metal and what kind of chalking you used?
Another question on the metal rock guard. When you bolted the top part did the carriage bolts go through just the fiberglass or did you reinforce it by putting some wood behind it to make it stronger. Appreciate the tips.
Great video. This will be my reference guide for when I begin my floor replacement on my Trail-Lite 21’ hybrid. I am curious as to whether there was any noticeable difference in the trailer weight before and after.
You're right; there's no doubt that it's heavier. But I have not weighed my camper either before or after the project. I know that I probably should, and whenever I go to sell it will. I haven't bothered to weigh it, though, because my tow vehicle can pull 11,200 pounds. The factory-listed dry weight of my camper is 2,800 pounds (VERY debatable on the accuracy of this). So, even when loaded and even after this project, I'm well within my comfort zone.
Awesome video brother!!! I am looking at doing a repair job on mine.. Thanks for sharing your story it helped me out a lot.. I also subbed to stay in touch with your other projects.. :) Thanks for sharing.. :)
Rick, I have a 99 Trail Lite similar to yours and live up in TC. Did you have water damage in the door and the sidewalls? Did you figure out where your water was coming from that caused damage? (Besides the tire blow out damage)
My water damage was only on the floor, not the sidewalls. On the floor, nearly all of the water damage was in the front corner on the door side. The leak was the corner right in that area, where the sidewall meets the front cap.
btw great vid. question is, do you have photos or vid of the actual crossing before you installed the plywood. want to see how its laid out. thanks or how showing each layer?
How did you get the crossbars under the sink/cabinets? Was there a 2x4 there originally that you pulled out and then slid the new crossbar in its place??
I need to give you a better response. I removed enough of the old flooring under the refrigerator so that I could install the 3/4-inch treated plywood underneath it. That allowed me to remove enough of the styrofoam so the plywood could extend across the chassis rail. I also had "carved" out the channels into the styrofoam for the aluminum cross beams when I had it all exposed.
Hello Rick. how many hours a day did you spend on this project. Also what is the length of time it took you to complete. 2weeks a month ect. I have a 21ft cub that i need to do this in but the full floor front to back. I want to have completed for Canada's camping kick-off victoria day long weeked. or as well call it may "2/4" eh
The amount of hours each day varied from as little as 2 hours to as many as 8. It was probably an average of 5 or 6 hours each day, so if I were to add it all up, I'd say it was about 80 hours total. I worked mostly on the weekends, with only a few weekdays and nights thrown in. It took a couple of months because of that. Also, I did most of the work myself, so if you have some help that ought to reduce your time on it. Hope that answers your question. Good luck!
@@jasonspellich2440 There was delam when we bough it used in 2007 (front bed panel and door-side sidewall toward the front), but we used Eternabond where the leak was and it has not gotten any worse over the years. (knock on wood)
@@Gr8LakesCamper most of mine is on the other side by the bathroom. Thankful I caught the front before it was an issue. Definitely one of design flaws.
Rick, Awesome video. Curious if you do any videos on how to fill and use the hot water tank and sanitized water tank on your Bantam? We are totally new to camping and after reading and watching videos, I'm not 100% on the Bantam hot water tank and fresh water tank. Thanks. Great video.
Thank Chris. I have not done a video on that topic. Mark Polk of RV Education 101 and the RV Geeks both have very good videos on how to sanitize your water system. Need to know how big your fresh water tank is (mine's 30 gallons).
question: why did you bother removing layer by layer of this old floor instead of just going under the frame and cutting out big chunks with a sawzall ?
Hey Rick, Thanks for this video. I have the exact same issue right now with an almost identical trailer. I didn't see or hear how you attached those cross members. I want to do the same thing and I am in the middle of the mess right now. Funny I fell thru the floor (tin or aluminum) once and the dog fell thru 3 times, lol. How is the underlayment holding up? I'd love to switch over.
The cross members were drilled through the plywood and into the chassis frame. The underlayment is holding up extremely well. The whole floor project has been performing wonderfully. Couldnlt be happier.
@@Gr8LakesCamper it still looks good and gave me confidence to do mine. Tow capacity is only 5080 so deciding between luan, foam, 3/8 ply, luan and 3/8-1/2 ply, foam, 3/8 ply, luan... in other words somewhere between what you did and what the factory did... anything i do should be lighter though as idiots before me covered floor w/ 3/4" and vinyl TWICE!
I went with 3/4 in tongue and groove on top of new 1/16" aluminum, which somehow, even at that thickness, still seems twice as strong as what they used.
omg i feel ur pain !!! we are currently in the process of lifting a totally glued floor in a 27 ft trailer 😢😢 overwhelming and exhausting!! serious water damage etc 😢
My best estimate is 40-50 hours. Some days it was only an hour or two. Other times it was a full eight hours. All depended on the task and the time I had available that day.
Redoing my roof right now because of the woodrot. The way they design cabinets is beyond annoying when trying to do floors or roofs. Have to basically gut a camper to fix it. I got annoyed and took a reciprocating saw to the roof screws. Just cut it right off the cabinets and filed the cut ends of the screws down to wood.
1-inch square aluminum stock, 8 feet long cut to length, from onlinemetals.com. Self-tapping metal screws through the aluminum, plywood and into the chassis.
He wrote this on his blog if that's what you'Re asking: 8x15-foot piece of ripstop silnylon, cut to fit, used as the weather barrier for the underside of the camper.
@@Gr8LakesCamper Thanks for monitoring this video. I figured it out. I had to remove the staples under the cabinet as well as the side brackets to get it out. For sure, that cabinet was built inside. If I hadn't removed the water tank to get a little space, I would never have gotten it out in one piece. I'm in the middle of taking out the floor which is basically an 'oreo' piece of hard styrofoam about 2" thick. But first I need to fix the underside at the the front of the trailer since it's all rotted out and pulled away from the floor. I need to replace with new 2x4.
Nice Job, I liked your GR8BLakesCamp Logo, did you draw this yourself? May I ask the year of camper and how did the original flooring receive so much water damage? Thanks.
I did not draw the logo. It's clip art, and added the "Gr8LakesCamper" text to it. The camper is 2000 mode year. The water got into the camper through the front corner, where the front cap meets the floor and sidewall.
Two questions (as I'm replacing the flooring in our travel-lite camper due to water damage)...did you dig out the flooring under the fridge? We need to take out the flooring under the kitchen sink/stove area but really don't want to take that cabinet out if at all possible. Also, why did you go with the aluminum supports as opposed to using the 2x4s? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Certainly appreciate you posting this video!
I also have a Trail-Lite and I, too, did not want to take out the sink/stovetop/refrigerator cabinet. So I cut out the bottom 3/4-inch of the styrofoam so a piece of plywood could extend under the frig and across the other chassis rail. I also chiseled out "channels" to extend the cross beams under the frig and across the other chassis rail, too. As for why I went with aluminum and not 2x4s, the 2x4 did not provide nearly enough support. They simply flexed too much when you would walk around on the floor. I bought five pieces of 1-inch square stock, 8 feet long, from onlinemetals.com for a little more than $100.
Rick Kessler awesome to know you were successful in digging out below the cabinet! That's all I have left-all the other flooring I'm going to take up is already out. Thanks for the feedback on the aluminum...I'm (obviously) a novice but I assumed the 2x4 would be more stable than the aluminum channels. Now I'll look into using those! Thank you thank you!
Rick Kessler we are now pretty deep in this project-super excited on how it's coming along! Soon we will be replacing the floor (as soon as we confirm all the leaks are stopped). Where did you get your aluminum tubes from? I looked at lowes and couldn't find them. And did you buy them at 8 feet then just cut them down? Hope you don't mind-i may have other questions as we start replacing the floor I would like to ask.
Don't mind at all! I bought them at www.onlinemetals.com (here's exactly what I bought: www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1193&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1271&top_cat=60 ). They came in 8-foot long lengths that I cut down with a hacksaw. Suppose you could use a jigsaw and a blade meant for metals, though. They have several sizes available. They deliver the pieces to you, but one of their locations was nearby so we just picked them up to save on shipping costs. They were about $23 each.
That is the correct way to replace a floor and install the woven vinyl product in an RV (even though it's a pain in the butt).
Nice job!
Thanks Mark and Dawn!
Where did you get your aluminum frame squares
www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm
RV Education 101® most campers that have floor rot will also have joist rot and/or wall framing rot as well. If thats the case, the correct way to replace the floor/joists is to de-couple the trailer body/shell from the frame and raise the body from the frame. There are other videos on youtube showing this. Essentially, remove or cut the screws holding your bottom plate/framing to the flooring (you have to remove the trailer nose cap and siding to access the screws). Once all screws are removed, slide a 10' or 12' long 4x4 or 6x6 through the storage doors - from one side to the other. Support each side with a high-jack/farm-jack or use floor jacks with wood blocking to account for the height difference. Jack the camper body up by 1 or 2 inches from the frame. NOW you can PROPERLY replace the trailer floor/joists, etc. Doing it this way would have sped this job up to be less that 5 days.
djbmw1 - any videos on doing that? I cannot find any. Thanks
I got myself in a pickle utility g a camper with water damage and watching your video twice gave me an idea of how I’m going to replace the floor. Thanks for making this video.
I will be rewatching some this video this weekend, when I get started on my camper. Thanks for posting!
Me too!
Great job!
Now will you come and fix mine?
I watched your video before I made the purchase of a worn out trailer and had to come back to rewatch. Definitely going the underlayment route. Thanks so much for the detail!
Great Job! I bought a camper 3 days ago and it has soft floors. I listed it and sold it today. I know now that was a job that even if I did the floor, it would have taken me forever and would have eaten all the profits. The buyer said he was handy.
Thanks you are A great guide for doing the floor over the right way
FRP for the walls for a win! Loved watching this and that is the first time in 10 years I have ever stayed interested in any one video (from anybody)! Great job to you and your son, and your wife for helping too :)
What a battle. I have a 37 footer I have to do this to. Thanks so much.
Thanks for the video help. I'm currently ripping out the original floor of a 2006 Rockwood Roo and this video really helped me understand what I'm dealing with that I didn't know before lol😅
the "underlayment" is called darco and is a waste of time because it actually TRAPS moisture under the floor if it ever gets even a tiny pinhole in it, which they do easily. Kinda like when folks cover their rvs or boats etc with a cover while outside, every time you take cover off it has promoted mildew, bug and bird nests etc. Next time (if you ever do this again) spray the plywood floor with truck bedliner spray and you'll protect it forever. No need for wraps. My advice is based on rehabbing and sales of over 300 trailers. The junk manufacturers use in construction is unreal.
Thanks for shearing . Do you spray with truck bedliner the top layer of plywood or the bottom layer? It is ok to use regular plywood 3/4 or 5/8 thick or it is better to use pressure treated plywood? What your opinion in this ? Do you spray after the plywood installation or before? Thank you for taking time to share.
Thanks for shearing . Do you spray with truck bedliner the top layer of plywood or the bottom layer? It is ok to use regular plywood 3/4 or 5/8 thick or it is better to use pressure treated plywood? What your opinion in this ? Do you spray after the plywood installation or before? Thank you for taking time to share.
@@eugenekalinowski17 use PT plywood and spray both sides before install. RV makers also space out floor joists way too far apart so I add "sister" joists to have more support also
So you’re saying, skip the black tarp, material and spray, both sides of pressure-treated plywood with bedliner and place it right on top of the campers metal floor joints?
That is one hell of an undertaking. I admire your tenacity.
Yes, it was. Wasn't expecting it to be when I first got into it, but that's what it became.
Great job. You built it back better than when it was built originally!
Mr. Kessler you do great work! I feel like your video has been the best with the floor repair.
Thank you!
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! Yes I'm shouting lol. This video is exactly what I have been looking for. I need to replace some framing and a lot of flooring on my 1984 Shasta. The underbelly is pretty shot just like your aluminum (mine is galvanized but holes rusted through it). This is the first how to floor replacement that showed the whole project even Ripstop Material. I feel like I am so much more equiped to tackle this. Thank you. From Mystic CT.
Thanks and good luck!
Way to go!! You Rock!! I’m going to start mine this next week; Mine will probably take longer than 14 days.
This will be my guide when I tackle my R-Vision 21' Bantam in April
Hoo boy. I gotta rotted-out bathroom floor from a shower leak. Dreading having to do all the work you did. But I sure do appreciate you showing me how it's done the right way. Thanks!
Sucks. But no other way to do it.
Sometimes you can get lucky and only have to replace the immediate layer of board under your tile or vinyl. I have a 18 transcende and I figured out if you go under the area you have to replace and remove your under guard whether it be the plastic coated cardboard or what ever they used and push up on that area if it's not mushy or wet it's only the top layer hopefully you get lucky like I have.
My exact camper with same flooring issue. Finally found the video again!! Now to start the hard work, thank you for such an awesome video tutorial for me!!
How much to fix I was scammed
Thank you for all the tips, we need to redo our new to us trailer. After searching many websites and videos, this the best one I've seen for details of what needs to be done. Your new floor looks amazing.
Thanks. We're still very happy with it. It's given our 17-year-old trailer a new lease on life!
Hello Rick, we feel that your video was the best! You were detail and to the point.
Thank you
Wow that was awesome! Thanks. This is really helpful in helping me plan out my rotted camper floor repair. All my water came from a loose fitting on the back of the hot water heater.
This is great man, thank you for sharing your process, very cool of you to share this experience as a tutorial for others.
Gives me more comfort that im able to do something for myself on a budget! Young, broke and trying to save money on living over this way lol
Hey man I must say that all that work was worth it, the camper looks great. Great craftsmanship I am a fan. I know who to contact when I'm ready to start on my Surveyor. Great job!
Thanks!
Oh the fun I can hardly contain my joy watching this lol rvs are such a gift from God to build your tolerance to suicide
That floor has got to be rock solid now. Congrats on persevering, that is a tough job. I am looking at a used trail-lite and I will damn sure to look very closely at the floors.
We have an R-vision (non hybrid) and it is pretty leaky too, your video helped in our floor replacement. I'm going to file it under "if I would have known this going in, I would have never started" learning experience.
Thank you for linking this video from our conversation at Drivin n Vibin. That woven vinyl looks intriguing...hmmm 😊
You're welcome and, yes, the woven vinyl is tremendous! Good luck on your project!
Best pretty detailed video on flooring. Thank you so much.
Sure am glad that I stumbled across this. No need to plan now just make it happen. Thank you!
Wow our 5th wheel is 18 years old and the floors are perfect. We do live in the desert so maybe that is a help. Nice job on the floors Looks great.
Thanks.
just bought a lil ol' something today, this materials list is perfect. so glad you shared this video!
Thanks, and good luck!
I just realized I left 4 sheets of luan plywood off my materials list. (sheesh)
Great work Rick, thanks for the video! . We just purchased a 2004 with a soft floor. I was surprised how bad it was once I got in there and tore it apart! I am really debating replacing the vapor barrier on the bottom. It seems to me that once water gets in, there is no chance for it to dry out, especially if you have vinyl flooring on top. So I'm considering skipping the moisture barrier on the bottom, using marine grade plywood with an exterior stain/ water repellent applied to it. In my experience marine grade plywood does not seem to warp like treated plywood does. Then following your plan from that point.
I have to wonder after reading all these posts from all of these people with rotten floors, if the design was bad to begin with. Our camper will be stored inside, and the only time the bottom will ever get wet is towing in the rain. The wheel wells do most of the protection. So i figure if the wood is treated or stained why care if it gets wet. Pontoon boats don't have a moisture barrier on the bottom of the wood, and they have much more exposure to water then the bottom of a camper. And yes I do know they rot out over time as well. Just throwing my ideas out there for people to comment on. Thanks again for sharing your advice and experience!
Thanks! Good luck with your project!
Hey Rick,
Thanks for the great video. I appreciate your wfforts to make it. Very informative!
Hey man great video I have a 2006 starcraft 19ck basically the same camper and I'm redoing the floor this weekend and this gave me some great ideas thanks for the video.. good work!!!
Thanks and good luck!
Very informative video. We will be undertaking a similar project, although I hope it's not quite this extensive! Definitely helps to know what we might encounter!
Much to comment on. Remember tearing the complete back half off of one of those dodge chassis with camper back in the eighties. What a project. These things are a definite can of worms. Best thing to do is if buying. Calculate the desired use in time, usage over two years, then take away devalued condition and figure whether it is worth having. One can do a tent trailer or B&Bs a lot cheaper and no headaches when confronting these problems over the long haul. I you're going to buy one, do the investigation, considered time of use and then lick your wounds when it's time to sell,
Thanks very much for sharing this video! You’ve given me the confidence to do ours. Well done and informative
Thank you and good luck
Glad I found your video, we have the exact same camper!
Thank you. I pass your area several times a week. 🙂 I am from the middle of the mitten.
Nice job dude! Many good ideas here and I like that you went with the aluminum joists.
Very detailed informative and interesting to watch. Great job
tony marino thank you
Great vid, I'm exhausted from watching it.
Thanks
I keep trying to figure something out and I decided to finally ask. Your lower layer of plywood was screwed to the chassis, but was it attached to the walls anywhere? Same question about the aluminum. We're they attached to the walls or the lower plywood or just floating? Your final width from my math is 2-3/4" plus your luan. Did you add 3/4" to.the rest of the trailer?
We have the same camper and our floor is soft in front of the sink. ( ours is where your fridge is) and left side in corner of U dinette. We only need to do the front half of floor. How thick was your original factory floor “ sandwich “ ? I want to replace front half then meet up to original floor then go over it all with luan and vinyl. We aren’t doing this until next spring, so we are getting our game plan figured out. Thanks for posting your video, it’s very informative.
The factory floor was about 2 inches thick total.
So your floor is about ¼in thicker than factory correct?
Hi Rick.! Excellent job. Greetings from Barcelona- Spain.
Really good job. One thing I would suggest, foil backed insulation like that is supposed to be installed with the foil (shiney side) toward the outdoors. Probably too late now, but that's how the manufacturer suggests installation. Enjoy the new floor. You earned it, lol.
Awesome job. I have a Bantam Flier F18 and the floor was partially repaired They did an awful job and I am going to replace the whole floor as it is really spongy throughout. My only concern you did not address is weight. These trailers are made to be pulled by smaller vehicles(thus the name "Bantam") and that much/type material had to add considerable weight. If done again, what would you change to lighten the job? Any tips will be appreciated! Thanks.
Thanks. Although I sold the camper a couple of years ago, I can tell you that there is very little I would change. For the several years I owned and used it after the floor project, it still was performing without any issues. What would I change? I'd use tongue-and-groove flooring.
Good record of the work for future owners.
I am remodeling a 86 fleetwood the floor at first didn’t look that bad however upon a inspection I found the two by twos that go around the camper where the camper siding connects to the floor was all rotted out so I decided to start taking those out and just redo the whole floor but when I did that the nose of it sunk down like 6 inches do you have any helpful ideas that I can use to fix it right now I just jacked it up and put some two by fours on the outside and screwed into the studs to hold it up but it looks as if the outer edge is lower than the floor
Super helpful, thank you for the video!
Rick thank you for this video. I actually just purchased the same brand of camper and have moisture damage in the same area towards the front. You said you chased the leak since day one, can you share what you finally discovered was the issue so I can fix it before repairing the floor? Also, just to verify, belly liner, 3/4" plywood, 1.5" aluminum rails edge to edge screwed to 3/4' plywood, 1.5" foam then 3/8" plywood on top? Does this line up flush with existing floor as I don't plan on re-flooring the entire trailer (most parts are good).
Great video! I have a question. On the underpayment. You said you use staples. When you got the underlayment did you actually staple the bottom underpayment side to the floor? Underlayment to the floor underneath. Was thinking of using some kind of spray. adhesive.Thanks
I did not staple the black underlayment material to the bottom of the plywood. I wrapped the edges of the underlayment around the plywood and stapled that part to what would be the top of the plywood. I did not use any adhesive or fasten the underlayment to the bottom of the plywood in any way.
I'm bookmarking this page and adding it to my resource material when I tackle the floor of my 2001 R-Vision Bantam Trail Lite B21 in the spring. I was going to sell it but good used trailers (ours is great other then floor) are like gold nowadays. Your video is great help. What actual model is your trailer?
New-to-us 2000 Trail Lite Bantam Hybrid C-21B we bought in 2007.
Doing almost the same thing to the Trail-Lite Bantam we bought recently. The bottom piece of plywood sits under the floor supports. Was that the same for you? Trying to figure out exactly how I’m going to separate the body and trailer frame to get the plywood between it.
I did not extend mine underneath the sidewalls. Hasn't been a problem.
Thanks. This is great. And yer not entirely irritating to listen to. Honestly.
I think I heard you say you put pressure treated wood on the aluminum rails? it didn't look like pressure treated wood though. I hope it wasn't, cuz pressure treated wood eats your aluminum away in a very short time. I learnt that from videos where people make floors and decks to walk on in aluminium fishing boats, and when they use pressure treated wood, it eats holes in their boats within the first year. Pretty crazy, and really good to know about, cuz who would think that would be an issue... Awesome video though, thank you for posting this.
Not everyone that does stuff knows what they’re doing… people use the three banes of a good job in a camper all the time: acq pressure treated, silicone caulking, and osb. Or they buy a new AC, tv, or awning but never replace their flaking roof membrane.
But ya, PT doesn’t belong in boats, utility trailers, or campers.
You guys are awesome. I am so glad I came across this. Still wondering if I can cheat and just spray the hell out of the bottom of the trailer to fill in the empty spots in underlayment last owner left. There is some kind of foam isn't there?
Thanks for this video. I also have a hybrid R-Vision with slide out with a rotted floor. I'm not looking forward to doing this as the previous owner did a shoddy repair job where he just put plywood on top of the rotted floor. Will have to figure a way to also replace the floor under the cabinets, fridge and in the bathroom. The PO just cut the plywood around them. I'll also use aluminum square tubing instead of wood beams for extra rigidity.
BTW, we might be brothers because I also own a TrailBlazer of the exact same colour!
Good luck!
Just bought an 03 C19... turns out this was done TWICE! Have to take up 1.5 in of plywood just to get to original floor!
This was an amazing repair and very informative. I have a couple questions. How did you run supports and new floor under the kitchen cabinets? Did you have to temporarily support the cabinets during this? Also, is there still a strip of the original floor panel under the exterior wall? Did you have to do anything to brace or support that section as the original portion under the wall would not go back to the main trailer beam. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Have you started your project? I'm about to tackle one on a 2007 Bantam Flier F18. I'm going to remove everything. I believe that is a better approach and less of a fire hazard when modifying the wall sag with welded supports. Its a lot of work and much cheaper that purchasing a new trailer!
Thanks a lot for the video. I'm about to tackle this. I've got lot's of water damage in my starcraft, also called Starcrap by Aussies. The water has come in from the front after a seam was opened up and it sat for two winters. I've ripped out a fair bit of the rotting sandwich, back to almost the door. I'll tackle more tmw.
Looking at different videos I see most people use 2x4 or other wooden joists. I like the idea of the aluminum sq channel. I've found some 1" locally and I also found some more expensive 1.5". I'm wondering if I use 1.5" I could get away with less than 3/4 " ply on the bottom. Why did you use such thick ply on the bottom? 3/4" seems pretty heavy. Also it looks like your floor adds up to 2.5" thick? Seems like a lot more than the original? I might also hire on a welder to weld them to the outer aluminum frame of the original floor. Any advice appreciated, especially from someone who's been through this before.
I used 3/4 on the bottom because I didn't want any regrets after I finished. I would think that if you use 1.5-inch aluminum stock (maybe space it 12 inches apart?) you should be more than fine. Welding it to the perimeter is a great idea, too. Good luck!
What a tedious job. Good on you both.
Question. Wouldn't it have been better to keep the good tin underlayment wherever it was ok, cut tidying up cuts where it was messy and then laid the tent floor like underlayment on top of it all? Just for a little more sturdiness? Also more leak proofing?
I may have to do what you did. Ye gads. What a lot of work.
The last owner of my trailer laid hard wood flooring without doing underlayment. I can see fibre board, insulation and broken tin underlayment from under the trailer. A few good rains/snow and the floor is going to rot all over again.
In case you're actually still monitoring this video, here's a question: are the aluminum crossbeams solid or tubing? It looks like tubing since I see some screws holding them down. If tubing, what are the wall thicknesses - 1/8"?
Im working on my 1978 venture
Im doing the front half of the floor first then the walls and then the bathroom area.
Good luck!
j am impressed and hopeful that I can try to repair the 2002 Thor Tahoe 22 ft Hybrid Toy hauler [hybrid means there is a foldout, flip out, popout tent bed that is the whole front of the trailer. I recently retired and survived 2 strokes. My plan [for over 18 months] was to Get an F250 SD CC FX4 Diesel, a Honda 4 x4 quad, and a nice camper and relocate from Texas to a 180 yo Ghost Town in the Inyo Mountains in CA,. I was surprised when loading the hauler that the wall and floor were separating, and the wheel well under the sink was destroyed from an old blowout the past owner forgot to inform me. i have been unwilling to just remove the cabinets, windows, floor, and the front flipping-out bed if is HEAVY, BIG, and I have no idea how to support it or anything. But if I am going to make it before the only road in/out of Cerro Gordo was washed out from the DV Flooding 3 weeks ago and once the snow starts they close the mountain til spring. I don't have the support you had, I Would love to talk with anyone who knows these foldout beds to share and maybe give me some safety tips. but i will sleep in the f250 if need be Before i am stopped again. 400 acres 9000 ft asl and 40+ abandoned silver mines 1100 feet under the private town is calling me to come help Mr Underwood rebuild the hotel, and the historic town.
I have a similar problem I am trying to fix now but I am confused where the supports are. My foam flooring looks just like yours in front of the sink. Do you just remove the foam and add new 2x4 to the existing underlayment?
The first time I replaced my flooring I added 2x4s. It did not work to my satisfaction. The second time I replaced the flooring, which is this video, I used aluminum square tubing instead. I only removed the original styrofoam in the front half, which is all my project needed.
Great video i really needed this with my camper
Really appreciated your video. Because of it I am replacing my RV floor right now. I have a Trail Lite B17. I also had someone make me metal rock guard for the front. Just wondering if you chalked behind the metal and what kind of chalking you used?
I did not chalk behind the metal.
Another question on the metal rock guard. When you bolted the top part did the carriage bolts go through just the fiberglass or did you reinforce it by putting some wood behind it to make it stronger. Appreciate the tips.
@@dsjjb1 I placed strips of plywood on the inside of the camper that I bolted through. At 6:08 you can see where I pojnt to it.
Great video. This will be my reference guide for when I begin my floor replacement on my Trail-Lite 21’ hybrid. I am curious as to whether there was any noticeable difference in the trailer weight before and after.
You're right; there's no doubt that it's heavier. But I have not weighed my camper either before or after the project. I know that I probably should, and whenever I go to sell it will. I haven't bothered to weigh it, though, because my tow vehicle can pull 11,200 pounds. The factory-listed dry weight of my camper is 2,800 pounds (VERY debatable on the accuracy of this). So, even when loaded and even after this project, I'm well within my comfort zone.
I would agree there is no need to worry on your part. I was just curious.
Awesome video brother!!! I am looking at doing a repair job on mine.. Thanks for sharing your story it helped me out a lot.. I also subbed to stay in touch with your other projects.. :) Thanks for sharing.. :)
Thanks and good luck with your project!
Rick, I have a 99 Trail Lite similar to yours and live up in TC. Did you have water damage in the door and the sidewalls? Did you figure out where your water was coming from that caused damage? (Besides the tire blow out damage)
My water damage was only on the floor, not the sidewalls. On the floor, nearly all of the water damage was in the front corner on the door side. The leak was the corner right in that area, where the sidewall meets the front cap.
what did you do about the lower walls at the floor? it looks like the lowest part of the wall has water damage.
Thumbs up that was a great job.
btw great vid. question is, do you have photos or vid of the actual crossing before you installed the plywood. want to see how its laid out. thanks or how showing each layer?
Sorry, but I don't have anything other than what's in the video.
How did you get the crossbars under the sink/cabinets? Was there a 2x4 there originally that you pulled out and then slid the new crossbar in its place??
R Sica I carved out channels into the styrofoam insulation long enough that the cross beams reached across the chassis rail.
R Sica Primarily from inside as the bottom layer of luan plywood was still intact. I used long drill bits, then chiseled the rest.
I need to give you a better response. I removed enough of the old flooring under the refrigerator so that I could install the 3/4-inch treated plywood underneath it. That allowed me to remove enough of the styrofoam so the plywood could extend across the chassis rail. I also had "carved" out the channels into the styrofoam for the aluminum cross beams when I had it all exposed.
It looks great, congrats! I hope I can hack this as well.
Thanks!
Hello Rick. how many hours a day did you spend on this project. Also what is the length of time it took you to complete. 2weeks a month ect. I have a 21ft cub that i need to do this in but the full floor front to back. I want to have completed for Canada's camping kick-off victoria day long weeked. or as well call it may "2/4" eh
The amount of hours each day varied from as little as 2 hours to as many as 8. It was probably an average of 5 or 6 hours each day, so if I were to add it all up, I'd say it was about 80 hours total. I worked mostly on the weekends, with only a few weekdays and nights thrown in. It took a couple of months because of that. Also, I did most of the work myself, so if you have some help that ought to reduce your time on it. Hope that answers your question. Good luck!
Did any of the welding sparks damage the membrane? Great job, this was a huge help!
Not at all. You couldn't see it in the video, but we used a flame retardant blanket as a shield.
How's it it holding up? I've got a 1999 model. Had a blow out in the same spot too.
GO BLUE!
Holding up very well. No issues at all. GO GREEN!
@@Gr8LakesCamper have you had any delamination issues? I was able to save the nose of mine with 6in eternabond.
@@jasonspellich2440 There was delam when we bough it used in 2007 (front bed panel and door-side sidewall toward the front), but we used Eternabond where the leak was and it has not gotten any worse over the years. (knock on wood)
@@Gr8LakesCamper most of mine is on the other side by the bathroom. Thankful I caught the front before it was an issue. Definitely one of design flaws.
How did you get lucky and find a young man to help? If that's your son, kudos for your parenting!
Actually, both of my sons helped a little bit on this project.
Excellent video and kudos!
Rick, Awesome video. Curious if you do any videos on how to fill and use the hot water tank and sanitized water tank on your Bantam? We are totally new to camping and after reading and watching videos, I'm not 100% on the Bantam hot water tank and fresh water tank. Thanks. Great video.
Thank Chris. I have not done a video on that topic. Mark Polk of RV Education 101 and the RV Geeks both have very good videos on how to sanitize your water system. Need to know how big your fresh water tank is (mine's 30 gallons).
question: why did you bother removing layer by layer of this old floor instead of just going under the frame and cutting out big chunks with a sawzall ?
Hey Rick, Thanks for this video. I have the exact same issue right now with an almost identical trailer. I didn't see or hear how you attached those cross members. I want to do the same thing and I am in the middle of the mess right now. Funny I fell thru the floor (tin or aluminum) once and the dog fell thru 3 times, lol. How is the underlayment holding up? I'd love to switch over.
The cross members were drilled through the plywood and into the chassis frame. The underlayment is holding up extremely well. The whole floor project has been performing wonderfully. Couldnlt be happier.
@@Gr8LakesCamper ive seen folks say no aluminum next to pressure treated plywood... what am I missing?
@@qrevere5546 After reading your question and doing a little bit of research, it turns out I likely made a mistake in not using untreated plywood.
@@Gr8LakesCamper it still looks good and gave me confidence to do mine. Tow capacity is only 5080 so deciding between luan, foam, 3/8 ply, luan and 3/8-1/2 ply, foam, 3/8 ply, luan... in other words somewhere between what you did and what the factory did... anything i do should be lighter though as idiots before me covered floor w/ 3/4" and vinyl TWICE!
I went with 3/4 in tongue and groove on top of new 1/16" aluminum, which somehow, even at that thickness, still seems twice as strong as what they used.
omg i feel ur pain !!! we are currently in the process of lifting a totally glued floor in a 27 ft trailer 😢😢 overwhelming and exhausting!! serious water damage etc 😢
Pain the rear, but totally worth it!
Rick Kessler ya i cant wait til its done..we are gutting emtirely..right now its to the bones!!! so frustrating between beginning and end tho lol
Thanks! Appreciate the video
I’m curious how many total labor hours it took over 14 days. I’m about to take on my trailer floor.
My best estimate is 40-50 hours. Some days it was only an hour or two. Other times it was a full eight hours. All depended on the task and the time I had available that day.
Redoing my roof right now because of the woodrot. The way they design cabinets is beyond annoying when trying to do floors or roofs. Have to basically gut a camper to fix it. I got annoyed and took a reciprocating saw to the roof screws. Just cut it right off the cabinets and filed the cut ends of the screws down to wood.
Nothing like Some loving care on your RV great job!!
Thank you
What size square tubes did u use for cross beams and what holds them in place from moving thanks
1-inch square aluminum stock, 8 feet long cut to length, from onlinemetals.com. Self-tapping metal screws through the aluminum, plywood and into the chassis.
@@Gr8LakesCamper cool thanks man I got camper like yours my floor is bad wanna replace it
Rick, what was the name of that barrier underlayment you used under your plywood?
Sorry, but I never did get the name of it.
He wrote this on his blog if that's what you'Re asking:
8x15-foot piece of ripstop silnylon, cut to fit, used as the weather barrier for the underside of the camper.
I think it is this material: www.recpro.com/105-wide-rv-underbelly-material-coated-black/
Maybe I missed it, but how did you attach the new aluminium cross members?
Self-tapping screws into the chassis frame
what would the original joist spacing be? 16" centers???
The factory original had only once cross beam in the center of the unit. There were no other ones.
How in the world does the front cabinet come off? I'm in the middle of doing mine, and I'm afraid I'm going to break something taking it out.
If I remember correctly, I had to slide on my back under the cabinet and remove several screws.
@@Gr8LakesCamper Thanks for monitoring this video. I figured it out. I had to remove the staples under the cabinet as well as the side brackets to get it out. For sure, that cabinet was built inside. If I hadn't removed the water tank to get a little space, I would never have gotten it out in one piece. I'm in the middle of taking out the floor which is basically an 'oreo' piece of hard styrofoam about 2" thick. But first I need to fix the underside at the the front of the trailer since it's all rotted out and pulled away from the floor. I need to replace with new 2x4.
Nice Job, I liked your GR8BLakesCamp Logo, did you draw this yourself? May I ask the year of camper and how did the original flooring receive so much water damage? Thanks.
I did not draw the logo. It's clip art, and added the "Gr8LakesCamper" text to it. The camper is 2000 mode year. The water got into the camper through the front corner, where the front cap meets the floor and sidewall.
What model rig is that? I just bought a Trail-Cruiser too.
2000 Trail Lite Bantam
Good job! Well done
"WOW"
Great JOB!!!
How did you seal the ripstip under the trailer to the existing ripstop?
cclippert flexseal tape
What size aluminum barshould are those
Good Job!
What is "woven" ?
Two questions (as I'm replacing the flooring in our travel-lite camper due to water damage)...did you dig out the flooring under the fridge? We need to take out the flooring under the kitchen sink/stove area but really don't want to take that cabinet out if at all possible. Also, why did you go with the aluminum supports as opposed to using the 2x4s? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Certainly appreciate you posting this video!
I also have a Trail-Lite and I, too, did not want to take out the sink/stovetop/refrigerator cabinet. So I cut out the bottom 3/4-inch of the styrofoam so a piece of plywood could extend under the frig and across the other chassis rail. I also chiseled out "channels" to extend the cross beams under the frig and across the other chassis rail, too. As for why I went with aluminum and not 2x4s, the 2x4 did not provide nearly enough support. They simply flexed too much when you would walk around on the floor. I bought five pieces of 1-inch square stock, 8 feet long, from onlinemetals.com for a little more than $100.
Rick Kessler awesome to know you were successful in digging out below the cabinet! That's all I have left-all the other flooring I'm going to take up is already out. Thanks for the feedback on the aluminum...I'm (obviously) a novice but I assumed the 2x4 would be more stable than the aluminum channels. Now I'll look into using those! Thank you thank you!
You're welcome and good luck.
Rick Kessler we are now pretty deep in this project-super excited on how it's coming along! Soon we will be replacing the floor (as soon as we confirm all the leaks are stopped). Where did you get your aluminum tubes from? I looked at lowes and couldn't find them. And did you buy them at 8 feet then just cut them down? Hope you don't mind-i may have other questions as we start replacing the floor I would like to ask.
Don't mind at all! I bought them at www.onlinemetals.com (here's exactly what I bought: www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1193&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1271&top_cat=60 ). They came in 8-foot long lengths that I cut down with a hacksaw. Suppose you could use a jigsaw and a blade meant for metals, though. They have several sizes available. They deliver the pieces to you, but one of their locations was nearby so we just picked them up to save on shipping costs. They were about $23 each.