No floor joists in 2001 trail-lite 30' tt!

Now you know why they throw the word "lite" into the name !

Jack L

Soren wrote: "A larger issue was that the trim at the very bottom of the side walls seemed to be designed specifically to rot the walls and floor. It is a right angle trim installed to wrap the lower edge of the sidewall."

As stated in my previous post the manufacturer actually never installed the caulking properly! Mine was never caulked from the factory!

Previous post.

2009 Rockwood Windjammers have the same floor problems, Manufacturers produce these to sell , not for people to use.

valhalla360 wrote:
Done correctly foam sandwich is a great option...

True, but it typicall requires one sheet on each side. Proper adhesive is key.

The new "high tech" alternative to plywood is Azdel composite panels. It works well in "shear" (like on a wall), but I don't know how well it works when "normal" stress (perpendicular to the face).

Lance touts their Azdel walls, but still uses plain old plywood for roofs and floors.

Is CampLite the only manufacturer to use aluminum floors ?

There are "joists" of sorts, inside the laminated panel. They are widely spaced pieces of light gauge aluminum tubing. I have a buddy that is still trying to hang on to his 2000 Trail-Lite hybrid. He installed steel bracing under the floor and welded it to the frame rails, to eliminate a lot of the really sagging areas. A larger issue was that the trim at the very bottom of the side walls seemed to be designed specifically to rot the walls and floor. It is a right angle trim installed to wrap the lower edge of the sidewall. Once the caulk loses it's seal, water is wicked into the gap and the rot damage is significant. I owned a matching 2000 Trail_Lite and was lucky enough to get rid of it before any of these issues became serious. You said you "aquired" the thing. If you are in it for little to no money, I would seriously think about getting rid of it before you plague yourself with what's coming when it comes to repairing the mess.

Done correctly foam sandwich is a great option...done not so correctly...

The problem you face is unless you eliminate the foam, the soft spots will remain. The larger floor is likely fine. You are feeling the upper layer of plywood flex as the foam has degraded under it. Just screwing a joist to the bottom layer won't do much of anything.

My son had the same problem with his Rockwood ultra light. It's gone and he said never again. Now it's 3/4 ton CTD with a FW and 5/8 plywood floor.

Yup, that is typical construction of an ultra-lite. That's the reason I bought a bigger truck and tend to shy away from an trailer with the word "lite" in it.

[img][/img]