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Hey Jim,
Tail sag is a condition where
the frame of the trailer is stressed and the whole rear of the trailer bends
with it causing the sides of the wheel wells to bow out or wrinkle the side
panels aft of the wheelwells. This condition can be found in any trailer that
has had a lot of rough terrain towing or has been modified to carry added weight
in the rear. The condition seem to most notably affect early 70's trailers
greater than 26 feet.
The condition you describe sounds more
like frame separation. This is a condition where the bolts that hold the plywood
deck to the frame have either pulled through rotten sections or the bolts
themselves have corroded away. Another condition that occurs is that a leak in
the rear window, panels or door causes the plywood to warp giving you the gaps
that you see. To check for frame separation, have someone stand on the rear
bumper compartment and bounce up and down, if the shell stays and the bumper
goes down creating a gap, you have frame separation. There is a chance as there
was in my '66 Trade Wind that it is only warped plywood, however the fix is the
same and is quite involved so if you check and find that you have frame
separation, be prepared to remove the bath room back to bulkhead
wall.
If Nick Novia is out there he can tell
all about it. He's in the process of repairing his 68 Safari.
Let us know how you make out Jim.
Later
WAM
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