Do i really need a TT with enclosed underbelly?

[zackyboy3rs]

Live in eastern NC. What does enclosed really mean or include? Just a single thin plastic lining?

[LarryJM]

DUPE

Larry

[LarryJM]

DUPE

[LarryJM]

Enclosed Underbellies are a two edged sword. IMO they are in general good since they allow running a lot of utilities such as wiring and duct work in a more protected and semi heated environment and that applies to water and holding tanks. Some one mentioned about the valves being exposed and I think you might find a lot of valves are in fact enclosed/protected in the underbelly. Mine are and have molded cover at the access point for the valves. However, enclosing the underside of a trailer allows for the manufacturer to short change you on the quality of what is installed/run in there and while additional insulation could be installed there, almost no manufacturers do that.

Somone mentioned about gas lines and I think there is a requirement that all fittings not be hidden so they can easily be visually inspected and here again most manufacturers pay no attention to ease of underbelly removal when they typically run those propane lines across the underbelly.

I took care of all my issues when I did a major redesign of my entire underbelly area. I was forced into this because of the need to do a major frame repaint early because of a poor factory job. You can see what I did and how I solved many of these underbelly issue by looking thru the following album and carefully reading ALL THE CAPTIONS since that is where the meat is.

CLICKY

Larry

[crcr]

oughtsix wrote:
Does everyone else with an enclosed underbelly trailer have their propane lines run OUTSIDE of the enclosed underbelly? I assume they did it this way on my Coachman Captive 265EX so if the propane line springs a leak the propane dissipates into the air instead of building up in the underbelly? All of the connections to the main propane line are also external to the underbelly which would make sense since connections are where leaks will most likely occur.

The external propane line makes it a real pain to remove and replace the corrugated plastic underbelly panels for sure!

my propane lines are also external to the underbelly.

[oughtsix]

Does everyone else with an enclosed underbelly trailer have their propane lines run OUTSIDE of the enclosed underbelly? I assume they did it this way on my Coachman Captive 265EX so if the propane line springs a leak the propane dissipates into the air instead of building up in the underbelly? All of the connections to the main propane line are also external to the underbelly which would make sense since connections are where leaks will most likely occur.

The external propane line makes it a real pain to remove and replace the corrugated plastic underbelly panels for sure!

[GaryWT]

I thought they all came covered now but I guess not. The polar package types are good for 28-32 degrees for a short time but your hose and dump valves are still outside. They will also claim the the trailer will tow better because of better air flow. Unless you are winter camping, it is probably not a big deal.

[crcr]

Everything is covered on mine, nothing at all is exposed. Don't underestimate the insulation value of the covering, plus the resultant enclosed air space. Double pane windows are an example of the same principle, that just works.

There should be a slight increase in aerodynamics with a smooth underside, tho the effect would be minor.

[jaycocreek]

Hides a lot of ugly, not to mention poor workmanship.

Only if you run over someone.:B

I think there's different degrees of not enclosed under bellies. Mine has nothing showing except the tanks and frame with all wiring etc enclosed. So I guess mine is semi enclosed rather than fully enclosed....

Quite perty under there.;)

[coolbreeze01]

Hides a lot of ugly, not to mention poor workmanship. Have fun.

[jaycocreek]

I also have owned both and don't see any difference in floor temps but our heat is ducted through the floor. The big difference in floor temps comes from skirting the RV.

I actually prefer not enclosed because of the ability to see leaks or problems arising. My water tank is enclosed with some form of cardboard and braced outside the cardboard but the holding tanks are not, there open.

[crcr]

I've owned TT's both with and without underbelly cover, and find that without, the TT gets much colder at night that the one with underbelly. I was surprised at the difference. I'm using electric space heater, not the ducted propane heater, so whether the underbelly is heated or not is not a factor. So I probably would not buy an RV without underbelly cover in future.

[kgarrett9999]

My travel trailer has an enclosed underbelly which is nothing more than corrugated plastic with some foam sealant around the various protrusions, but it also has a heat duct that heats it. I haven't read that section of the manual yet, since I've only had the trailer a week, but I'm guessing that it would protect against light freezes while camping as long as we are comfortable inside the trailer the pipes should be. Of course the water hose coming to the trailer is a different story.

[dewey02]

I think it is of more value to just keep pests and road crud away from your underside. I don't think there is too much insulation property there, although some TTs also pump warm air from the furnace into the underbelly, so that could be important if your FW tank is mounted below.

On our Starcraft 235 fb, all the tanks are beneath the floor. Without the coroplast, there are all the wire and fittings for tank monitors, etc exposed to road mud, slush and salt ( in winter). The underbelly keeps all that protected from the elements.

On the other hand, the underbelly keeps you from seeing what is going on, or from identifying any leaks...until the water seeps out of the coroplast. I pulled one end of my underbelly down and found my FW tanks were sagging quite a bit. I ended up taking the coroplast completely off and adding additional support to the tanks, then reinstalling the underbelly. If I hadn't peeked, I might have dropped my Fw tanks along the highway.

[Speedogomer]

I can see the benefit of keeping rodents out, or even late season camping to keep the trailer warmer on chilly nights. I wouldn't call it a necessity however.

My TT has a heated and enclosed underbelly, I slept in it in below freezing temperatures, and the floor still felt ice cold on my feet, and the heat still ran all night.