We have an 1997 Aerolite 25rdb TT. It is an ultra-lite. It has not moved in a few years. We used it for storage of extra stuff. I decided to clean it out and get it going again. I started emptying it out and discovered that it had apparently leaked thru a roof vent. Gunk had pooled in one of the lights. I also discovered that the floor in the front end had gotten very soft. We had previously repaired a leaky bathtub fixture. We had to cut an access panel in the sidewall because the access hatch for the tub was on the side of the tub and the hookups were halfway up the wall. I thought we had fixed the problem but there must have been another leak somewhere. I am trying to decide if we should attempt the repair or just junk it. I know the Aerolite (especially our era) TT have a bad rep for floor and frame problems. My question is...does anybody have a well documented floor repair/replacement video for guys that have some at best average repair skills. Or should we just junk it and try to get a decent older TT.

What type of floor exists in the original Aerolite?Even if you have the older style plywood over joists rather than a composite panel, there will be a lot of work. Typically, the bad flooring needs to be removed and that means fixtures have to be removed. Hopefully the fixtures can be reinstalled but not everything comes out nicely. Another wrinkle is that the usual method of TT building means the walls are installed onto the floor. When I repaired my floor, I was able to remove a few bad areas underneath the walls by cutting and grinding fasteners out and was able to slide a new flooring sheet underneath the wall. A grinder, a reciprocating saw and a nail puller became my good buddies. Other than those challenges, replacing plywood decking is easy. Composite panels are a lot more work. There is also a good chance that a long term leak situation has entered frame and roof areas. More work for sure but also doable.There are a few pictures in my restoration thread. The "Cowboy/Hilton" link in my signature.

That sounds like a LOT of water damage. Personally, just from your description alone, I wouldn't mess with it. Get a new camper and save yourself a long time of misery rebuilding it. And you most likely will have to completely rebuild it before it's over, investing time and money that could be used elsewhere.Nah! Remove anything salvageable, Ebay it, or yard sale it, and use the remainder of the camper for a chicken coup. Get a new camper and enjoy! (Unless you REALLY want a long term project to tinker with!)

Junk it. But will that cost you anything? If so and your going to a dealer, use it for the trade, they will either take it off your hands and deal with junking it (no cost to you) and might even give you a couple of bucks.

I would clean it up and trade it in. I finally gave up trying to repair our previous camper, found one we liked at a dealer, let them deal with it and never looked back.Now, instead of fixing stuff, I can piddle around and improve our camper.And go places without worrying about it falling apart.

As a hobby I rebuild trailers, and from experience I can tell you that what you can see is only a small part of the problem. The damage will extend way further than you can see. If you are handy and have the tools, knowledge, patience and space to take on a major rebuild go for it... It can be rewarding challenge. Otherwise I would just sell it as a project or for parts, or just trade it in.

Replace/repair aerolite floor or junk it? | Good Sam Community

eichacsj
Explorer
Feb 10, 2017
Junk it. But will that cost you anything? If so and your going to a dealer, use it for the trade, they will either take it off your hands and deal with junking it (no cost to you) and might even give you a couple of bucks.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Feb 10, 2017
That sounds like a LOT of water damage. Personally, just from your description alone, I wouldn't mess with it. Get a new camper and save yourself a long time of misery rebuilding it. And you most likely will have to completely rebuild it before it's over, investing time and money that could be used elsewhere.

Nah! Remove anything salvageable, Ebay it, or yard sale it, and use the remainder of the camper for a chicken coup.

Get a new camper and enjoy! (Unless you REALLY want a long term project to tinker with!)
westend
Explorer
Feb 10, 2017
What type of floor exists in the original Aerolite?

Even if you have the older style plywood over joists rather than a composite panel, there will be a lot of work. Typically, the bad flooring needs to be removed and that means fixtures have to be removed. Hopefully the fixtures can be reinstalled but not everything comes out nicely.

Another wrinkle is that the usual method of TT building means the walls are installed onto the floor. When I repaired my floor, I was able to remove a few bad areas underneath the walls by cutting and grinding fasteners out and was able to slide a new flooring sheet underneath the wall. A grinder, a reciprocating saw and a nail puller became my good buddies.

Other than those challenges, replacing plywood decking is easy. Composite panels are a lot more work. There is also a good chance that a long term leak situation has entered frame and roof areas. More work for sure but also doable.

There are a few pictures in my restoration thread. The "Cowboy/Hilton" link in my signature.

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Replace/repair aerolite floor or junk it?

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