RE: [VAL] Re: rear separation (longish)

["Peter Ryner" <pryner@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Louis and Patty,
I re-attached my shell myself a few years ago, but didn't address the real
problem - the weak frame.  Two years later it separated again but this time
it tore the aluminum around the rear door and I lost the door in the
process.  I had beefed up the attachment bolts around the back of the
trailer so it tore higher rather than pulling the old rusty bolts out like
yours probably did.  I took it to the factory and they fixed the frame with
stiffeners and reattached the body.  Well worth the cost!  As Patti said,
they didn't have to remove anything from inside the trailer.  They did cut
two access holes on each side of the rear access door to get to the area to
re-attach the body.  When they finished, they patched the panel and it looks
like the trailer was built that way from the factory.

If you want to do the repair yourself, please take the time to re-inforce
the frame or you'll be wasting your time and money.  The factory has the
kits available.

If it has been separated for some time, the floor is probably rotten around
the edge too.  I don't know if they can fix that problem without removing
some of the rear bath.  When I fixed mine, I took out the toilet, the lower
trim around the tub, behind the toilet, along the back and under the sink.
I did a total interior remodel and the water heater was bad so I also took
the beds and closets out.  I cut the bad floor out along frame channel and
pieced a new floor in.  I didn't have to remove the tub as the floor was
fine under it.  It did get close though.  I thought the floor was good under
the toilet, but after I removed it I found a lot of dry rot.  As I tore it
out the damage kept growing in all directions.  It stopped just in front of
the tub but went all the way back to the corners.  Luckily, my separation
was almost exclusively on the curb side so the wood was fine behind the
toilet all the way to the corner of the trailer.  I couldn't find the right
thickness of plywood for the repair as I believe the original is really 3/4
inch thick and I couldn't find real 3/4 inch plywood.  I used the closest
thing I could find, put penetrating epoxy on all of the original wood in the
corners and added a layer of epoxy over the entire repair to raise it to the
same level as the original plywood.  I also sealed the new wood with
penetrating epoxy so the wood will probably not rot again.
Feel free to contact me off list if you have any questions.
Pete