Potentially bad situation

[AmericaOverland]

I'm in a bit of a bind here in southeast Texas. I'm going to Elgin, near Austin in less than two weeks, maybe a lot sooner if I have a solution.

I have a hybrid travel trailer, the worst mistake I've made in buying a travel trailer. The foldout door leaks in water because of a break in the seal, near where the hinge starts. It happened because the dang factory cut the bed foldout door edge trim a little too long towards the seal, so when it would fold up, the end of that edge would gouge into the seal and bend, cutting out a chunk of the seal and letting water in. I tried to fix it by cutting that edge shorter like it is on the other side and putting some caulk in the part of the seal that was gouged out. Turns out it was the wrong caulk...

Now, I have water damage in the wood behind the sofa bed where the leak it, and mold in the storage compartment...

I also sprung a leak in the back right corner of the roof where the sealant failed, and I tried to fix it, but the yahoo at HD didn't know his sealants... It just came apart like rubber in places, and like cake icing in other places. I just scraped all this off, and I need to go into town and pick up the stuff that will let me chemically strip this stuff off without damaging the rubber roofing, before applying the right sealant.

I posted this here in TTs because I'm wondering whether I need to trade this off and cash in my ENTIRE life savings in order to start fresh and RIGHT for a used travel trailer weighing no more than 2700-2800 lbs dry. I will NEVER buy another trailer from a private individual again.

[AmericaOverland]

Not a TJ, an LJ. An LJ pulls 3500 lbs. I think a TJ is limited to 1500 lbs because of the shorter wheelbase. My trailer weights somewhere around 2700 lbs dry, so that gives me 800 lbs between myself, fuel, water, and personal items. It does real well, as I have the proper hitch equipment to make driving stable and safe. I don't carry much with me, nor do I need to.

[Jayco254]

Buying a new trailer though the odds should be against it leaking, after all I went through with mine there is no promise that they won't leak. Just you will have a warranty, but it can be tied up a while for repairs depending on how bad the problem is and how long it takes to fix. Just mentioning this since you're full timing and that is your home. Do you mean TJ or YJ Wrangler that sounds like an awful heavy load for one of them. Do you mean a WJ Grand Cherokee or XK Commander? They have a heavier towing capacity.

[PAThwacker]

AmericaOverland wrote:
Oh, forgot to mention - yes, full-timing with my Jeep LJ. Only vehicle I own, as I'm completely on the road with no land of my own.

I really have no idea how you are fulltime RV'ing in a 3500lb rated unlimited TJ. You only have 300lbs or so of actual clothes, gear, or whatever you need to survive.

[AmericaOverland]

Oh, forgot to mention - yes, full-timing with my Jeep LJ. Only vehicle I own, as I'm completely on the road with no land of my own.

[AmericaOverland]

Imagine two PCV poles with a medium-duty tarp, one pole hung on top of the foldout door lip and the bungees attached to the center grommet and the frame underneath. I made it 8 ft wide and had the bottom pole extend about 3 inches below the hinge. When I go, I can roll up the cover and stow it in the compartment (while the tarp is 8 ft wide, the poles are a bit shorter than that so it will fit).

I did find out after climbing up there and looking closely at the door seal that it's toast. You can see the side edge of the door from above! I went to the local RV store to get them to attempt to order a new seal from the factory, as none of what they have or what I found online matches what I'm looking for, shape~ and dimension-wise.

[rbpru]

Well, good luck with your adventure. Without photos it is hard to be specific but leaks can be stopped.

A different RV is no guarantee of no leaks, either now or in the future. When hauling a house down the road it is hard not to vibrate a few seams loose eventually.

As pointed out previously; for some maintenance is shear drudgery, for others it is just part of the game.

[PAThwacker]

AmericaOverland wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
... and can go on your trip.

THEN, you can start saving to buy a new TT in the future.

Actually, I'm a full-timer, living on the road from faire to faire.

Full timing with a jeep?

[AmericaOverland]

I went ahead and resealed the rear of the roof, and I see now that I also need a complete new rubber seal for the fold out. There is a sort of a pucker where I didn't see it before just how bad it is. It is pulled back so far that water can run right down the top. I have to cut a piece off and take it to the RV store in the hopes that Forest River will still have it. Forest River doesn't have much of anything else proprietary, not even freshwater tanks if you ever break one.

Meanwhile, yesterday, I came up with an idea that might look a bit better than just running a giant tarp over the top. The foldout, being on a slanted wall, has a lip that redirects rain to the sides of the door. I can take two poles and attach a tarp along the top and bottom edges to the poles, and hang the top pole over the lip with the bottom pole going down just past the hinge, and bungee the center side grommets to the frame underneath. That way, the wind doesn't flap it right off, and the bungees pull down the pole onto the lip, keeping it there, but I have to be careful not to break the caulking seam that lines the intersection between the wall and the lip. At least, that will keep it dry as much as possible while I figure out what to do.

Of course,I'm not going to drive down the highway with it on, which means I have to drive only on dry days, so the pole(s) doesn't end up going through someone's windshield and killing them.

[AmericaOverland]

toedtoes wrote:
... and can go on your trip.

THEN, you can start saving to buy a new TT in the future.

Actually, I'm a full-timer, living on the road from faire to faire.

[AmericaOverland]

rbpru wrote:
Based on what you say I would not be in any hurry to get into any new deal. If your hybrid did not leak would you still trade it?

Chasing leaks and drying out wet spots can certainly be very annoying but is it any more annoying than taking on more debt?

That is exactly the thing I'm trying to avoid, going into debt... I've got a friend coming over to see if there's anything he can do with that foldout door. The problem is, I'm having to clean and reseal the entire rear edge of the roof on the trailer for the second time in three weeks. My knees hurt badly from scrapping for the last 3+ hours, and I'm not even finished. I already spent about 3 hours getting the major stuff off, but now, I'm getting deep under the dumb railing trim that just holds water when it rains.

Spending money on the travel trailer is never an investment for the aforementioned reasons, and neither is spending money on a house. You've got house problems that are on a magnified scale, financially speaking, and you are subject to asset inflation in booms, where the tax rate can go up as the cost of housing goes up, but hardly comes down and you have to fight the city or the county to get your taxes reassessed to reflect post-boom values.

I'm hoping to avoid the situation of having to get another trailer for a while longer if we can just get the foldout door to STOP LEAKING! It's looking bad...

[colliehauler]

toedtoes wrote:
Why not go to an RV shop and ask them what sealant(s) to use. I would never expect someone at Home Depot to know about RV repair. You'll end up spending a lot less money and can go on your trip.

THEN, you can start saving to buy a new TT in the future.

This is what I would do as well. Find out how to fix it correctly from a RV service tech, not a Home Depot salesman. What ever you buy will have to be maintained. New or Used.

[mrgreetis]

I agree with smkettner and all. My TT is in a storage lot and I check it monthly for any snow, rain, etc. issues. If you fix your problem (the causes of the leaks) and then clean up as mentioned, you will be many dollars ahead. If you can't fix yourself (or don't know a friend who can assist while you learn) getting it done by a dealer will definitely be cheaper than losing money if you sell.

After that make sure to stay on top of inspecting as also mentioned before. Your hybrid will last for years if taken care of.

[tibbitts]

You'll get more useful replies if you post some pictures of this problem.

[time2roll]

toedtoes wrote:
Why not go to an RV shop and ask them what sealant(s) to use. I would never expect someone at Home Depot to know about RV repair. You'll end up spending a lot less money and can go on your trip.

THEN, you can start saving to buy a new TT in the future.

+1 for this. Get to at least two dealers for an estimate to repair the seal properly. With one side correct it should be fairly easy to explain how you want it done right. Mold clean up is easy once the leak is stopped.

Then trade it off after a couple more seasons and the Jeep is paid.

Do not cash in your life savings. Real emergencies may still come your way. This is not one of them.