Another new Elkmont report

Take a hair dryer on high speed, cool temp ( no heat) and blow it directly at the caulk at about a 45 degree angle to the roof. Watch the caulk carefully. If it is loose, it will flutter. When you probe it, if there is dirt under the caulk it is not sealed. Make sure if you remove it you go several inches into the properly sealed area on each end.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by rumbleweed

Take a hair dryer on high speed, cool temp ( no heat) and blow it directly at the caulk at about a 45 degree angle to the roof. Watch the caulk carefully. If it is loose, it will flutter. When you probe it, if there is dirt under the caulk it is not sealed. Make sure if you remove it you go several inches into the properly sealed area on each end.

I'd recommend replacing the caulking in the entire seem (at the very minimum), if you find any part of that seem to be loose. If one part of the seem is loose, that means one of 2 things, it either was not prepared properly (dirt or chemicals on either surface) or they used the incorrect sealer (or both). Either way, one must assume that the entire seem may be faulty. If it isn't loose now, it may soon will be. I say, "Do the job once and be done with it".

Judging by the reports that we have seen on the Elkmont, I would re-caulk the entire roof, if it were my trailer.....but that's just me. I wouldn't let the dealer do it either, unless I stood there and supervised the entire job, to be sure that it was done right.

I just thought of a 3rd factor that could be an issue. If the sealer is disturbed at a certain stage of the curing process, it could lose adhesion. Like moving the trailer...... My point is, if you re-caulk any portion of your roof, it's best to leave the trailer sit for the total recommended adhesion curing time of the sealer. That could be 1 hour or 24-hours on some sealers and 7-days on others. The total curing could take much longer but it is the "adhesion stage" that is important.. There are several different stages of curing and different sealers have different times. There is the "Skinning" stage, "Adhesion" stage, "workable" stage and finish stage on some sealants. It's important to read and follow the instruction on the sealant that you use. If it doesn't list the "Adhesion stage" I would call the manufacturer and ask.

Cochise, there's a bunch of plastic stripping on the roof and sides. They use it cover seams and on the edges. In my case the caulk had pulled away from these plastic strips. It still held ok on the aluminum panels, but when I found a loose spot (sometimes with a gap up to 0.5 mm between the plastic and caulk), I could usually grab it and peel off a long strip of caulk. Think I pulled out 20-30 feet.

Not sure what's going on, but I do know some plastics have a mold release agent that has to be washed off before you can stick anything to it.

And yes, my main leak was along the edge, close to the door. There was a slight depression there that allowed the water to puddle on the roof and get up over the caulk and into the gap between the caulk and plastic.

To check my caulk, I wear a leather work glove and lightly rub the caulk. If it pulls away, then out it comes.

[cochise]

I have been playing with some numbers on the Elkmont and I finally went under the trailer to verify. The axle is DEXTER torflex with a Max cap of 3500 lbs. BUT the sticker on the trailer says the GAWR is 3619 lbs, which is not much above but still?? It does instill in my some fear that TM has no clue what they are doing. No chain is stronger than the weakest link, so even if the wheels can carry 3600lbs the axle is only rated at 3500 lbs. I don't know but something seems not to be quite right here.

Apparently they can claim a higher GAWR because the wheel and tire weights really do not affect the axle weight rating. IOW the difference between 3500 and 3619 is the weight of the wheels and tires.

[ShrimpBurrito]

The entire trailer weight does not rest on the axle. You might have 500-700 lbs on the tongue, so that can be subtracted from the gross vehicle weight to determine the weight on the axle.

Dave

[cochise]

Originally Posted by brulaz

Apparently they can claim a higher GAWR because the wheel and tire weights really do not affect the axle weight rating. IOW the difference between 3500 and 3619 is the weight of the wheels and tires.

Ok... that may be it. Dexter does indicate the following: GAWR- The value specified by the vehicle manufacturer as the load carrying capacity of the axles in a system, as measured at the tire-ground interface. This includes the wheels and tires.

But should that not be lower than the 3500 lbs max cap of the axle? They are quoting the GAWR - Gross Axle Weight Rating. So if the axle is rated at 3500 lbs how can the gross rating be higher?

Originally Posted by cochise

The axle is DEXTER torflex with a Max cap of 3500 lbs. BUT the sticker on the trailer says the GAWR is 3619 lbs, which is not much above but still??

My '08 2720 Says A Max Gawr Of 3640 On It

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

The entire trailer weight does not rest on the axle. You might have 500-700 lbs on the tongue, so that can be subtracted from the gross vehicle weight to determine the weight on the axle.

Dave

ShrimpBurrito is exactly right. The GVWR is the weight rating of the entire trailer (including the tongue weight) as it would sit independently on a scale. This has to do with the forces that are imposed on the tow vehicle by the load that is pushing it. The tongue jack or trailer hitch carries ~450-600# of that weight and it does not effect the axle.

Your trailer would have to be over the GVWR to exceed the axle weight rating.

Where they really cut the corners close is on the tire rating.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by gocntry

My '08 2720 Says A Max Gawr Of 3640 On It

The weight rating that you get from Dexter is the weight bearing capacity of the axle (3500#). The 3640 includes the weight of the axle itself.