"Shocking" discovery in my AF
Began some simple maintenance on the TC today. Removed the bottom cover to replace the plywood and found some issues. The frame holding the rear of the fresh water tank was damaged. ...
Forum Discussion
"Surprisingly its held up like this for almost 10 years. Must be stronger then most think"
You have to be kidding! How many years has this electrical issue, bent frame, broken welds, and leaking been a happening fact?
Hardly strong enough! The TC sits on it's bottom which is on the bed of the truck when on the truck and bouncing on the road so there's no force tearing the bottom of the TC apart then. However, take the TC off the truck and there's no support for the bottom and that's when the constant static force pulls the structure apart. This is clearly demonstrated in the OP's picture showing the sagging frame that's supposed to be supporting the water tank. The frame members aren't bent/spread apart from overfilling the water tank as was suggested. It's simply too weak to support the tank with normal filling and the terrible tack welds used surely doesn't help! Using 1/8" bottom cover to support the insulation and whatever pushing on it is insane and CHEAP beyond reason! 1/8" wood laying flat struggles to only support itself. Now the OP is learning the rest of the story as to his TC's design and construction!
Terrible design since the 1/8" wood is only attached to an occasional aluminum frame member and by what? Some type of flathead screws that the head's underside taper would be more than the 1/8" thickness of the wood? Screws that leave the heads lower than the 1/8" wood and thus hit the bed of the truck and cause rusting? Staples thru the 1/8" wood and into the aluminum frame, like that will hold anything? ??? No wonder the thin wood rots as it would leak water between the attachment points etc with any flexing at all and rot the wood from the inside. ALL TC's are not built this way by far, aluminum or wood framed, and taking off the skin tells you what's really there. You can learn so much by going to a repair place and seeing what's really under the "purdy" hiding skin covering. It tells volumes!
10 years old and as an example: $25,000 paid when new and what's it worth with a bent frame, broken welds, and the bottom rotted etc? NOT MUCH at all! Lost $2000 to $2500 each year of ownership! Get a quote to repair the TC and you'll weep!
BTW, notice the lousy fit of the foam insulation! Like it's going to do much insulating at all and especially when wet. They also use the poorly fitting foam to support the inside floor between the frame members. DUH! A 1/8" thick flimsy bottom under the foam will surely help, NOT! Be careful where you step!
Going to be fun to replace all the wet lousy insulation from the bottom, fix the welds and bent frame as more tack welds will break, correct the sidewall pinched liquid line/lines and electricals, and then put a new real bottom cover on and seal it so it doesn't leak again. No wonder the OP would like to turn his TC over the do the gobs of work required! I sure don't blame him!
Much of the same type of issues the salesman who sells 3 lines of TC said they have run into so it's not an old or isolated problem and the OP is not the virgin. Several threads on the various forums telling of tanks in AF's falling thru the floor. Check it out!
You have to be kidding! How many years has this electrical issue, bent frame, broken welds, and leaking been a happening fact?
Hardly strong enough! The TC sits on it's bottom which is on the bed of the truck when on the truck and bouncing on the road so there's no force tearing the bottom of the TC apart then. However, take the TC off the truck and there's no support for the bottom and that's when the constant static force pulls the structure apart. This is clearly demonstrated in the OP's picture showing the sagging frame that's supposed to be supporting the water tank. The frame members aren't bent/spread apart from overfilling the water tank as was suggested. It's simply too weak to support the tank with normal filling and the terrible tack welds used surely doesn't help! Using 1/8" bottom cover to support the insulation and whatever pushing on it is insane and CHEAP beyond reason! 1/8" wood laying flat struggles to only support itself. Now the OP is learning the rest of the story as to his TC's design and construction!
Terrible design since the 1/8" wood is only attached to an occasional aluminum frame member and by what? Some type of flathead screws that the head's underside taper would be more than the 1/8" thickness of the wood? Screws that leave the heads lower than the 1/8" wood and thus hit the bed of the truck and cause rusting? Staples thru the 1/8" wood and into the aluminum frame, like that will hold anything? ??? No wonder the thin wood rots as it would leak water between the attachment points etc with any flexing at all and rot the wood from the inside. ALL TC's are not built this way by far, aluminum or wood framed, and taking off the skin tells you what's really there. You can learn so much by going to a repair place and seeing what's really under the "purdy" hiding skin covering. It tells volumes!
10 years old and as an example: $25,000 paid when new and what's it worth with a bent frame, broken welds, and the bottom rotted etc? NOT MUCH at all! Lost $2000 to $2500 each year of ownership! Get a quote to repair the TC and you'll weep!
BTW, notice the lousy fit of the foam insulation! Like it's going to do much insulating at all and especially when wet. They also use the poorly fitting foam to support the inside floor between the frame members. DUH! A 1/8" thick flimsy bottom under the foam will surely help, NOT! Be careful where you step!
Going to be fun to replace all the wet lousy insulation from the bottom, fix the welds and bent frame as more tack welds will break, correct the sidewall pinched liquid line/lines and electricals, and then put a new real bottom cover on and seal it so it doesn't leak again. No wonder the OP would like to turn his TC over the do the gobs of work required! I sure don't blame him!
Much of the same type of issues the salesman who sells 3 lines of TC said they have run into so it's not an old or isolated problem and the OP is not the virgin. Several threads on the various forums telling of tanks in AF's falling thru the floor. Check it out!
