The sag on the floor of our trailer is getting worse. The repair shop quoted us over $3k to repair it but at this point we are not sure what to do. We bought it new in August 2006 so it's out of warranty. We are not ready to stop camping but we have had so many problems with the trailer that I'm afraid to repair it and then have something major break again (this would be the 2nd major repair in 2 years). I told my husband we should just continue using it for shorter trips until it dies then get rid of it. Has anyone out there had a problem with sagging floors and if so what did you do about it?
Campers For Life
'05 Aerolite Cub 23TT
'06 Ford Expedition
Equalizer Hitch
The super ultra-lites like Aerolite has a floor that is basically a sheet of styrofoam, with a thin sheet of plywood bonded to the top and bottom, with aluminum frame only around the parimeter. It's basically unsupported, and when new it has some "give", but as it ages or suffers any moisture damage it will get soft.
They are selling used for right around $9000.00 at dealers...so it may be worth it to have the floor reinforced with wood and plywood sheets on top...but certainly not at $3000.00!
My posts shouldn't be taken for factual data. They are purely fictional, for entertainment purposes and should not be constituted as actually related to scientific, technical, engineering, legal, spiritual or practical advice. Amen.
I have a 2007 23TT that had a couple of soft spots. For the one in the bathroom (floor easily flexed in front of the throne), they pulled up the vinyl flooring, overlaid new plywood, and recemented the vinyl. It's a tiny step up, but it's right at the transition strip in the doorway so it's not really a big trip hazard.
The seals at the bottom of the entry door went bad and the floor got soft enough that the step ripped out. My dealer pulled the door and frame, peeled back the vinyl and replaced the plywood. Reinstalled everything and sealed it well.
This whole job set me back about $800.
I'd ask your repair shop to consider something more like a Band Aid than major reconstructive surgery.
Mike Butts
DW+DD+DS+Camping Poodle
2013 Sunset Trail 29SS, 2004 Ford Expedition 5.4L with H.D. Tow Package
2006 Ford F350 SRW Diesel
Thank you all for your posts and suggestions. It never occurred to us to do an overlay and that might be a much cheaper repair. One question though: part of where the floor is soft is b/w the kitchen and the slideout. Won't the slideout hit up against the plywood?
Hi, I just saw your poat. We have the same. 2004-2005 Aerolite 23TT. Bought new on close-out. Not very popular style - floor plan. We love it. Recently, we found water in the forward driver side compartment. That small door hatch into the forward area. Realized that the floor does not completely meet the walls. There was a gap there. Water dripped in from the front bed gaskets. Now, we are finding soft spots by the sink. That is where the coolers usally ride. We are wondering if we have travel/weighted issues or water damage. It is at Camping World in Tallahassee. We have done warranty stuff with Aerolite before also. We bought extended warranty. We'll see how this plays out. Always fun. We wrote the president of Thor/ Aerolite on another issue. We'll post with updates. Good luck.
I have a good friend who actually had some water damage near his fridge on the same trailer. He got the usual "left arm and first born son" quote to do the repairs and he ended up going to another dealer (who was a little more innovative) who suggested an "overlay". The damaged area was topped with a sheet of 1/2" marine grade ply wood then carpeted to match the rest of his trailer. There is now a raised area running from the kitchen back to the rear bunks that looks perfectly natural and the floor is solid. Just something to think about. I think he got the job done for less than a thousand. Not cheap but far better than investing half the value of the trailer. In their case the trailer is a 2000 model so it would have been MORE than the value of the trailer.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
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