Sagging Outer Walls/Compromised Interior Cabinets

Jay,go for it!! I've been retired for a while and LOVE to take on projects such as yours.I know you know you can do it. It's not a money thing for me but self satisfaction and kind of a glory thing too. You know what I mean.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
It's kind of like guys who have a hobby of restoring car...you don't find too many restoring a 80's vintage K-car...because...why would you?

I am restoring a '95

Because down here, if a fault in an ECU or BCU causes the car to run limp home open loop, you might as well send it to the crusher.

Everything "depends"

They've had electronics in cars even in Mexico for more than a few years now. Now it may not make a lot of sense to spend $2k on a $1k car.

Of course, they don't have complex computer systems in 2006 vintage run of the mill travel trailers and I brought up 80's vintage K-cars which no one wants.

It's kind of like guys who have a hobby of restoring car...you don't find too many restoring a 80's vintage K-car...because...why would you?

I am restoring a '95

Because down here, if a fault in an ECU or BCU causes the car to run limp home open loop, you might as well send it to the crusher.

Everything "depends"

jayfraze wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
Another option if you want to do flipping...

It seems the word "flipping" is throwing off some posters. If I were intending for this to be my full-time job with profit-per-hour-invested calculations - it would be asinine. "Flipping" was clearly the wrong word choice.

This is a hobby, plain and simple. I enjoy the problem-solving and fixing. At best, I intend to recoup my costs and pay for a summer's vacation. Nothing more.

Hope this helps.

Even as a hobby, you are far more likely to recoup your costs by selecting a project that makes more sense financially.

It's kind of like guys who have a hobby of restoring car...you don't find too many restoring a 80's vintage K-car...because...why would you?

valhalla360 wrote:
Another option if you want to do flipping...

It seems the word "flipping" is throwing off some posters. If I were intending for this to be my full-time job with profit-per-hour-invested calculations - it would be asinine. "Flipping" was clearly the wrong word choice.

This is a hobby, plain and simple. I enjoy the problem-solving and fixing. At best, I intend to recoup my costs and pay for a summer's vacation. Nothing more.

Hope this helps.

Another option if you want to do flipping...rather than go for damaged 5yr old trailers, look for 50-60's trailers. There seems to be a nostalgia boom, so they might have some resale value. Plus they are relatively simple and solid construction that should be easier to repair.

Similarly, airstreams are always way overpriced, so there is a lot more margin for turning a profit...though you will have to learn the specific construction methods but shouldn't be too hard for a handy guy.

Buying a 14yr old low value, nothing special trailer and doing a complete rebuild is just crazy.

Wow, I never knew that they built lightweight frames like that! Looking back at the first pic, I'll bet what I'm seeing under that splice plate isn't a tear, but the lip where the edge is rolled to stiffen it.

Here's a pic of what I was trying to describe earlier:



What you're looking at is the front edge of the slide in my 2008 Terry. The project at hand was to replace the floor in the slide which had begun to rot out due to a leak in the exterior trim. The carpet in the slide has been removed, and you can see where the beveled edge of the slide floor now sites on the remaining carpet that needs to be removed.

With the interior fascia trim removed, I screwed a 4x4 block to the front framing on each side of the slide and used a bottle jack to raise the slide in the opening so I could get under there and get that carpet out.

This is what I was thinking for you as a way to support that wall when you are rebuilding the floor under it. The easy way would be to screw a 4x4 to the exterior but then you have to deal with holes in the fiberglass, that's what made me think of removing a window and putting a support there that you could jack against. What ever you do will have to be on the exterior, there's nothing left to jack against inside.. :)

Now that you know the frame is good, nothing left to do but to do it! Post back pics once you get into it so we can all share in the fun!

wing_zealot wrote:
That plate on the frame is not a patch/repair. That is a splice plate, straight from the factory. I'll bet there is one just like it on the frame on the opposite side of the trailer.

When I saw the first plate, I slowly backed away figuratively speaking. But you're right, there are four plates just like the diagram shows on page 8 of the document you shared. Two behind and two in front of the axle section. It's clear this is an transparent factory practice.

It may not be the preferred frame choice by many who have voiced their opinion here, but it's clear this is a factory made situation.

Thanks, wing_zealot, for sharing your knowledge!

Gdetrailer wrote:
...
The answer is NO, the actual frame under that reinforcement plate BROKE...

Showed the guy a picture and he still can't figure it out.

wing_zealot wrote:
That plate on the frame is not a patch/repair. That is a splice plate, straight from the factory. I'll bet there is one just like it on the frame on the opposite side of the trailer. It's a "C" channel frame made up of two or more sections on each side and spliced together with splice plates and huck bolts. See example

By the way, those pre-punched holes aren't there to save weight. Those have a folded innerward edge, they are for strengthening the frame so it doesn't fold over in the middle like folding a slice of bread.

The prepunched holes will "STIFFEN" this cheap frame somewhat, "strengthen" however is a real stretch of anyone's imagination.

Those prepunched holes in fact made an extremely weak spot where the highest stress would end up (at the axle and spring mounts).

The prepunched holes ARE a typical "feature" of "light weight" trailers. Punch out enough holes and use thinner material and you can easily save a couple hundred pounds of weight..

Manufacturer KNEW that this would be an issue and then placed that afterthought of a reinforcement plate to span a badly placed prepunched hole.

That plate DIDN'T do its job, did it?

The answer is NO, the actual frame under that reinforcement plate BROKE.

Can it be "fixed", sure, but it will never be as good as a properly designed frame whether it be an I beam, heavy "C" Channel or even a full boxed frame without all of those holes.

For the money and time, OP could buy the proper new steel have his Father weld up a far better frame from scratch.. But then you you still have the rotted out "box" to deal with..

So, why bother with such a messed up trailer, OP is going to put considerably more time (labor) and materials in this than what they could conceivably ever get out of it. But, hey if you like "giving" your time away, go for it, myself if I couldn't recoup enough money out of my work to earn a living I don't bother messing around with junk this far gone..

I know from my current TT, I worked every evening after work for 3-4 hrs on it plus full day on Saturdays (10-12 hrs) for 9 months, that is 1080 hrs and mine was in far better shape with a perfect frame.

If I was doing this to flip or make money and at the low end of what you would expect to be paid per hr of even say $10 for a yard laborer I would have to get $10,800 plus the materials of $5K out of my trailer.. Yeah, $16K!!!

If the OP was able to manage to sell this trailer for say $6K and they spent $5K on materials they would have a mere "profit" of $1K BUT, they would be working for nothing, that is not a profit when you consider the man hrs it will take.. In my case of 1080 hrs, that $1K leftover for labor is like working for a job paying you $.93 per hr!!

NINETY THREE CENTS PER HR!

I don't know about you or the OP but my "time" is worth far more than $.93 per hr.

That is the cold hard reality of a depreciating asset.

Even IF the OP could whip this into shape in say 100 hrs (unrealistic for this much damage) that would be like getting paid $10 per hr and now days that is nothing to live on.

Listen folks, used RV trailers are a dime a dozen, it was given to the OP because it was not worth sinking money or time in it.

OP can make more money quicker and with very little labor just by selling off the used parts, shouldn't be much more than a couple of hrs of work to remove everything of value and sell it.. Then burn the box and take frame to a steel scrap yard..