Corner Seperation - Page 2

Cynical · 09-19-2018, 06:58 AM

Thank you so much Larry! Your pictures look very familiar for sure! Did you end up repairing both side of the aft wall or just the street side that was pulling away?

What do you think about my idea of adding a support bar off the back to provide a handhold/pull point that is supported by the side structure directly, as well as the back wall. It may look a little weird, having a long towel bar looking thing off the back, but I don't care so long as I don't have to worry about setup causing excessive strain on the joints back there.

Looks like those bag seals will be the first ones I replace also, they are pretty chewed up, have duct tap in several places and I detect that lovely smell of mildew, yuck.

**Larryjb** · 09-19-2018, 07:23 AM

At the moment I don't think a grab bar and re-inforcement should be necessary. If you find that you are having to pull hard enough on the shell to raise it that you are concerned structurally, then your torsion bars need adjustment. You should be able to lift the shell with one hand.

The other rear corner had been repaired with rivets by a previous owner. It's not as pretty, and makes removal of the edge trim difficult.

Cynical · 09-19-2018, 10:12 AM

I will re-evaluate post repair and may try to adjust the torsion bars also. I do find it odd that my torsion bars for the rear shell are skinnier than those for the front shell, when the rear shell has the added weight of the A/C to compensate for. I will play with it, but if it comes down to easier to open or easier to close, I will go with close since that could affect my ability to leave when I need to.

More to come on this.....

Cynical · 09-23-2018, 01:06 PM

I answered my own question about replacing the wood: YES! As I was looking deeper into the curb side of my rear shell, I realized a previous repair had taken place, with an "L" bracket added to the inside to brace the side and rear walls. While this kept the 2 pieces together, they actually made the problem worse in the way they did the repair.

First, the screws they used were too long and poked tiny little holes in the outside skin. Then they used so much silicone, (pic 1 and 2) it made a real mess, not to mention blocked off any possible drainage holes so no wherre for the water to go! The wood on the curb side was soaking wet mush (pic 3). Turns out it is a 1x3 about 13" long, there only to provde a backing for the travel catch on the outside, you know the one that notoriously pulls out. Went back and removed the street side wood (pic 4) and replace both with 1x4 PT, just removed a little more styrofoam for it to fit.

Had a bit of a fight to get everything to line up and go back in place, but after a couple days of pushing and pulling, I finally got it. In the process I have discovered I have an issue wth the curbside positioning/locking bar for the rear shell in that it does not catch. the hole bolt pulls right out with a little motivation. Judging from how much water damage was on the side wall, I am guess it might be the same story there, but that is another day.

**Larryjb** · 09-23-2018, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynical

Turns out it is a 1x3 about 13" long, there only to provde a backing for the travel catch on the outside, you know the one that notoriously pulls out.

Thank you! This has been a long standing question for me, what the corner latches screw into. Now the question of the day, can this wood piece be easily replaced?

You have now delved into the corner structure far deeper then I. I look forwards to what you will have learned from this.

Cynical · 09-24-2018, 07:25 AM

Easily replaced yes, although gaining access requires a good deal of disassembly and pulling the outer skin away from the sides. I would not have done so if mine wasn't pulled apart on it's own.

I put a coat of exterior paint on the wood, hoping that will extend it's life some going forward. Learned WAY more than I ever intended about how the whole thing goes together, but why not, just makes me more confident for future repairs.

Thanks to all who helped along the way!!

G&KEllis · 09-25-2018, 05:17 PM

We rebuilt the back corners on our 3023 2 or 3 years ago I do not know if the pics and posts are still available. but we ended up ripping Deck boards they were the correct thickness.