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Old 03-02-2017, 11:12 PM   #1
Broncos91604
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Lightbulb Just bought a used 3124 king. Bad news...

Hello everyone. We ended up with a new to us TM, first time we've ever seen one. We knew it needed some work and definitely updated but we were excited. Flash forward to last Friday night when storms started rolling through our area. My wife and daughter go outside to close it back up, this is when things went south. They finally got it rocking to close up and that's when most of the fiberglass peels off one side of the top. Rotten wood laying everywhere. This was the same side a previous owner had used a window AC on. After reading what it costs to repair and deciding we could probably get a brand new camper for that price, we've decided to work with what we have. The "tub" that all of the important parts are in is in great shape. Do you guys know of anyone that has turned that much into a full size camper? I can see it in my head, just looking for some ideas. Sorry for the long post.
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Old 03-03-2017, 05:57 AM   #2
bheisser
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this blog discusses how to rebuild a trailmanor
http://trailmanorrepair.blogspot.com/

what your are asking to do is eliminate the two top shells,, and build something on top of the bottom portion?
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Old 03-03-2017, 06:15 AM   #3
Shane826
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Sorry to hear about your TrailManor...

I don't know if the bottom shell would support an upright camper. Keep in mind the upper shells are supported by the lift arms which are connected to the torsion bars which are connected to the frame, the lower box doesn't support any of that weight. The lower box is made of the same foam/aluminum sandwich as the upper shells. If you do attempt this you're probably gonna have to frame everything from the floor; don't try to stack onto the lower box walls. But I don't even know if the floor would support that kind of weight, either.

That said, several people have replaced the rotted wood in the shells. The info is out there. It's no small job but I don't think it would be any less work to build an upright camper on the TM frame.

Did you insure the TrailManor? May be best to make a claim, they will probably total it due to wind damage. Take the money and run!
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Old 03-03-2017, 08:06 AM   #4
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You did not say what year but I suspect it is pre-2003 and wood framed. In those wood rot can be a real problem. Might be better off to claim storm damage and let the insurance company total it.
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Old 03-03-2017, 09:12 AM   #5
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It's a 99 model and we only had it for about a week when this happened. Wasn't from the storm, just from the already rotten wood. We still haven't decided which route to go yet with this. Unfortunately, this time of the year in WV it's either thunderstorms or cold and snowy lol. Hopefully the weather breaks soon.
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Old 03-03-2017, 11:28 AM   #6
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Ah. I assumed it was extra windy; we had a ridiculous wind storm here a couple nights ago.
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Old 03-03-2017, 12:29 PM   #7
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If I am reading you correctly, you lost one sidewall of one shell. Assuming the "fiberglass" (it is probably aluminum, by the way) came off cleanly, and didn't rip or shatter, this may be a do-able project. The thing that is working in your favor is that the wall is flat, as opposed to the roof, which has fancy curves and bends. It won't be a fun project, but I bet you could cut new frame members out of wood or (better) aluminum U-channel and/or square tube, and put them in place as you remove the old rotted members.

I'll be brave and suggest that if you decide to go with wood, you might even consider pressure-treated wood, so it doesn't happen again. After cutting each piece, you might want to seal all surfaces to confine the preservative.

If you lost the "fiberglass" siding, you can buy aluminum sheets and cut them to shape. RV repair places use a lot of this stuff, pre-painted and ready to go. It would probably be a bit expensive to buy it through a repair place, but if they can get it from a supplier, so can you.

I'm thinking that a repair would be easier and cheaper than building a whole new top section from scratch.

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Old 03-03-2017, 12:43 PM   #8
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I may be mistaken on the siding, I do apologize lol. It's got me frustrated because I can't get nice enough weather to dig into it a little bit. We absolutely love the idea behind the original design and would love to keep it that way.
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Old 03-03-2017, 01:22 PM   #9
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Photos of damage would be helpful, if you can get some. Weather may prevent that, but any pics are better than descriptions, most of the time.

Very sorry this went south so quickly!
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Old 03-03-2017, 02:31 PM   #10
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Ok, I can do that tomorrow
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