Well we were going camping... Until....

[mudman1959]

My wife came in the other day from our 2002 Amerilite 21 Mb and said the floor near the bed was soft. Well several hours later I found that I am now involved in a complete floor replacement from the forward wall to almost the kitchen. I found that the lower edge of the front of the trailer metal siding had come loose and the plastic protection covering this area was not placed correctly. Well after several years with the past owners it took on water and destroyed the floor. So now I will have to replace the forward lower wood support beam and the side beams going back about seven feet on both sides. All of the floor joists going back about 6 feet, and of course the floor itself. I have found that the floor joists are 1 1/2 inch square furring strips laying across the frame. Not much insulation either, it's about 2 inches thick and unfaced. I might change this out to foam insulation under this area. From what I have read on here several others have had this same issue with the Amerilite, sounds like a design flaw. Guaranteed not to leak when I get done with it as I am going to wrap the front area with a thick plastic covering with a sticky back under all of the metal. And of course lots of silicone sealant. I will post some photos soon... Lee

[mudman1959]

Well no photos... I got so involved in the repair that I forgot to snap a few. The trailer now has new floor joists and outside support beams and the new floor is down. It's nice to stand on a floor that does not sink on you. I had to remove everything from the trailer tongue and wedge the shell of the camper up away from the frame to be able to slide all of the replacement framework into place. I was able to get the new floor joist framework in as one piece and secured it to the original joists which I cut off about four feet back from the front of the trailer. I scabbed them together by attaching two pieces of 1 1/2 inch square wood furring strips to either side of the new and old joists which made a strong joint. The replacement floor slide in fairly easy and is now screwed down to the joists, now to seal everything and run 3 1/2 inch screws in from the bottom of the new replacement side support beams up into the existing framework for the walls. Reassembly of the metal siding should be pretty straight forward with new screws and lots of sealant. Maybe we can still go camping next week...... Lee

[YellowXterra]

Glad to hear you got things going your way

[mudman1959]

Still not completely finished with it yet, I was able to get the carpet squares done and the trim back on. I put a metal threshold over the linoleum and carpet edge. Now to get the water tank back in and hooked up then the night stand cabinets and the bed frame. I am replacing the bed topper board with a 1/2 inch board since the 1/4 inch board was to flimsy and extending it about 6 inches to support the mattress. The outside of the trailer is all buttoned up and put back together just in time for the weather to change to rain. So maybe yet before winter shows its head we can go camping one more time... Lee

[mudman1959]

I found some more damage to the floor by the entry door area. Pulled up the linoleum and the floorboard under it was all wet. Not sure where the water came from and the insulation was completely soaked. I am planning to seal the wheel well area with undercoating. Well several hours later the insulation is replaced, the bad flooring was removed and the new flooring put in. I had to add several pieces of 1 1/2" square furring strips for additional support for the new floor and it is now covered with carpet. Sealed everything with silicone sealant and Thompsons spray on water seal, in hopes to slow down any further water seepage. Not too sure if this is a design flaw or maybe the trailer was not maintained over the years... I did a check of the rest of the flooring and so far I have not found anymore soft spots. Defiantly going to keep a eye on this! Lee

[KristinU]

Congrats on finishing the project! Now you can get back out camping :)