Tearing down an RV safely

Nope, shouldn't be any surprises. RV's from that era were pretty simple. Sounds like you are good to go. Make sure your tetanus shot is current, as there will be 50,000 staples trying to get you.

Nv Guy wrote:
Nope, shouldn't be any surprises. RV's from that era were pretty simple. Sounds like you are good to go. Make sure your tetanus shot is current, as there will be 50,000 staples trying to get you.

Tetanus shot is up to date.
I have already had to deal with many, many rusty staples.

What is the purpose of taking it apart?

Yep, definitely watch out for those staples! ;)

My approach to scrapping travel trailers has typically been to strip out the interior cabinets, windows, and appliances, and then tear off the ends from the outside with the sides braced. Once that's done, I just pull out the brace(s) on one side and let the walls collapse to the side so the rest of the tear down can be done at ground level. My favorite tool for the job is a sawzall with a demolition or rescue blade that cuts both wood and metal with ease.

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Yep, definitely watch out for those staples! ;)

My approach to scrapping travel trailers has typically been to strip out the interior cabinets, windows, and appliances, and then tear off the ends from the outside with the sides braced. Once that's done, I just pull out the brace(s) on one side and let the walls collapse to the side so the rest of the tear down can be done at ground level. My favorite tool for the job is a sawzall with a demolition or rescue blade that cuts both wood and metal with ease.

That is basically my plan. Just want to make sure I have removed the energy sources.

The main energy source remaining is gravity. Pay attention to that and all should be well.

DrewE wrote:
The main energy source remaining is gravity. Pay attention to that and all should be well.

That is the biggest one that worries me. My hope is to be able to direct those forces in a controlled manner.

swimmer_spe wrote:

DrewE wrote:
The main energy source remaining is gravity. Pay attention to that and all should be well.

That is the biggest one that worries me. My hope is to be able to direct those forces in a controlled manner.

If you use my method, make sure the side braces are long enough to keep you clear of the falling walls when you pull them out. If the area you're working in will be hard to clean up, putting down a heavy duty tarp first will help.

If removing roof mounted items, lay a sheet of plywood down to spread your weight on the old trailer.

I remove everything held by screws first. I use a cordless drill and remove every screw I can find and throw those in a container. Then pull out those items held by the screws, using a flat pry bar or two, and cutting away any sealing putty. If you can pull or peel off aluminum sheeting before tearing apart the frame, do so. All the aluminum can be recycled. Also the copper tubing and wiring.

During any demo, I try hard not to swap out tools too much. Use the drill as much as I can, then prybars & hammer, last comes the sawing. Too easy to lose tools in the destruction.

Post some pictures as you proceed please.