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Originally Posted by nitty
Let me see if I understand this correctly. The wood flooring sits on top of the frame. Then the channel to which the sides are attached sits on top of the wood with bolts through the wood into the frame. So when the wood rots it leaves an unsupported gap between the channel and the frame??
My first reaction is that this sure seems to be a bad design. Am I missing some nuances here that would indicate this to be a good design???
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i've asked myself that many a time. why on EARTH would the central piece to this trailer be wood? i'm guessing cost, weight and strength are the main reasons.
my trailer, like mark's had SO much rot around the sides that i pulled most of the floor out by hand! then took a screw driver and brushed out all the left over junk between the body and the frame. if you look at one of my pics, you can see how i've supported the original mounting locations with new plywood squares, just to keep the shell from dropping any more. i have 2 nice dents in the back where i didn't have these in before i drug the silver pickle home, and now i have to repair the exterior skins. it's also a good idea to support the body to keep it from flexing, but i tell ya, after i got all the bolts cut that held the shell to the frame, there is so much flex in the chassis, sometimes i wonder if that's totally necessary. the ribs and shell are one of the 3 main structural components (the other 2 being the frame and the floor).
the debate continues on shell on or shell off... but if your floor and belly pan were in the condition mine were, shell-off is probably the way to go. if i were just going to replace a few sections of floor, i would have left the shell on.
i know when i put this back together, i'm going to do everything i can to protect the plywood from the elements! good luck!
jordan