What are common areas of deterioration in 5th wheels over time while full-timing

[kc8qvo]

What are some common, if there are any, areas of deterioration in conventional 5th wheels over years of full-time use?

My question is outside of the usual tires subject - I realize most rigs come with poor quality tires, and further any tire can dry rot over time and get flat spots.

Floors that have vents in them from what I have heard are common "weak spots". What about the fiberglass deteriorating? Slide seals? Are there any adhesives in the manufacturing processes anyone uses that loose their hold over time? What about materials and rotting?

Have any of you had to do any repairs to your rigs because of anything deteriorating? What deteriorated and how did you go about fixing it?

On a similar subject - has anyone had to re-do the plumbing in their rig? How hard was it to access everything?

 

[GR 'Scott' Cundiff]

I hear lots of people with new rigs talk about slide problems so that's an area to think about.

On our 2007 I've had to replace some of the bulb seals on the slides.  Also, I've recaulked the entire rig.  That was part of dealing with a leak over the rear picture window.

Carpet is a frustration - but the very nature of camping and the smaller floor area it gets dirty and wears faster than you might expect.  I replaced the main floor area with Alure laminate.  Looks great and much easier to keep clean.  I left the slide carpet.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[kc8qvo]

Yeah that is all good information.

Further, how hard is it to change the flooring? I've noticed all the slide portions overlap the main floor. If there is linoleum there now and I wanted to do carpet later in the living area, or the other way around, is that very difficult to re-do? Is there much else to the slides with how the materials overlap to consider?

 

[kc8qvo]

On our 2007 I've had to replace some of the bulb seals on the slides. 

That is an interesting point. I was discussing those seals with the dealer yesterday. They do a pressure test, so they say, to see how "tight" everything is. We couldn't get in to any of the units that deep to see how the seals were done on different models. All the units we looked at were with all the slides locked out as they would be in-use, not pulled in for transport. When you replaced yours - what was the procedure? Were they fairly easy to get to?

 

[JFN]

Furniture is crap and breaks down quickly. we bought ours used, the Original owner lived in it with 4 kids while he built a house for a year. I don't know if they are all the same but the motorhome I sold had the same problem. We have a sliding door that separates the bedroom from the rest of the rig if we don't secure it while traveling it will hop off the track. That's it so far.

 

[kc8qvo]

Furniture is crap and breaks down quickly.

Do you think that is a function of everything being "light weight" so as to not weigh down the unit?

 

[GR 'Scott' Cundiff]

Steve, the way I did the flooring wasn't all that hard, but it was hard on my legs, knees, and back!  Not to drive traffic to my blog, but I did a post with lots of photos (http://pastorscott.com/travel/project-installing-laminate-flooring-in-living-room/) on the project that might be helpful to you. 

The bulb (or D) seals were a challenge on my rig because they were put in place by a couple of hundred staples.  I understand that some rigs have them on tracks - I imagine they are considerably easier to replace.

 

[Stephen S.]

Do you think that is a function of everything being "light weight" so as to not weigh down the unit?

In anything but the high end RVs the furniture is basically on the same level as the boxed furniture you buy at the Dollar General and put together with a screwdriver and a hammer.    Good enough for your dorm or the first apartment after leaving the parents, but not something you will be handing down to your children.  :

 

[kc8qvo]

Steve, the way I did the flooring wasn't all that hard, but it was hard on my legs, knees, and back!  Not to drive traffic to my blog, but I did a post with lots of photos (http://pastorscott.com/travel/project-installing-laminate-flooring-in-living-room/) on the project that might be helpful to you.

Scott - thanks a bunch for sharing. I read your whole article. That was a very good write-up. To continue on that tangent, of sorts, you mention in there that the carpet on the slides you felt was more of a necessity because of the way the lip, or overhang, was with the main floor. Further, you state that it is also there to block outside air. Can you elaborate on that? Do you by chance have any pictures of how the fitment is between the slide and the main floor under the carpet lip? Is there not any type of seal there?

You say your slides are designed to tip up a few inches. Where does that tipping occur? Is it designed in any manner that will allow the slide floor to press/seal against the main floor/body as it is dropped from the tipped position to the in-use, locked out, position?

In regards to the floor substrate - I see yours is chip board/OSB and there are vents in the main floor. Have you had any issues with this and weakness of the floor in those areas? Are the vent holes reinforced underneath at all?

The bulb (or D) seals were a challenge on my rig because they were put in place by a couple of hundred staples.  I understand that some rigs have them on tracks - I imagine they are considerably easier to replace.

Good info.

 

[GR 'Scott' Cundiff]

Scott - thanks a bunch for sharing. I read your whole article. That was a very good write-up. To continue on that tangent, of sorts, you mention in there that the carpet on the slides you felt was more of a necessity because of the way the lip, or overhang, was with the main floor. Further, you state that it is also there to block outside air. Can you elaborate on that? Do you by chance have any pictures of how the fitment is between the slide and the main floor under the carpet lip? Is there not any type of seal there?

You say your slides are designed to tip up a few inches. Where does that tipping occur? Is it designed in any manner that will allow the slide floor to press/seal against the main floor/body as it is dropped from the tipped position to the in-use, locked out, position?

In regards to the floor substrate - I see yours is chip board/OSB and there are vents in the main floor. Have you had any issues with this and weakness of the floor in those areas? Are the vent holes reinforced underneath at all?

Good info.

Steve, if you lift the leading edge of the carpet on the slide there is a bit of outside light that can be seen.  Mine has some insulation under the carpet, but right along the edge, where it ends, is where you can see some light. And, yes, when the slide is extended it sits down on the floor nicely.  I don't understand the engineering, but when you start to bring the slide in there s a nice fluid motion in which the leading edge lifts just a bit before the slide starts coming in.  At first we were worried about it possibly dragging on the laminate but, because of that motion, it doesn't.  (We still toss some throw rugs under it, just in case.)

We've had no issues with the mail floor being weak anywhere, including around the vents.

 

[JFN]

Do you think that is a function of everything being "light weight" so as to not weigh down the unit?

Yes I do.

 

[steveblonde]

You get what you pay for - bottom line