[monocoque]

Originally Posted by sluggo

After reading all the threads on here I could I still found myself kind of looking for the project airstream.....well today I happened upon a 73 25 tradewind...From what I gather here and not to interupt your thread I should remove the entre belly pan and inspect, is the belly pan something I should try to salvage or just replace??? guess I got something to work on now.

At least you bought your trailer knowing what you were in for. Obviously I was a naive buyer, probably stupid, and should have done the research on how to inspect a trailer in advance of my purchase. I have also been lucky to have had many opportunities to tow this trailer back to the trees it was sitting under. The PO is a close friend and believe it or not I still have a standing offer to rescend the purchase!

That being said I really like this trailer, for some reason, and I really enjoy working on it in my spare time. I wasn't really looking for the easy way out in the first place. In fact several close friends strongly suggested I should purchase a trailer I could use immediately and wouldn't require any work. Instead I decided to take a path of greatest resistance...come what may! Sort of like Ahab I'm pursuing this white (silver) whale to the end...I even tossed my pipe overboard. I haven't regretted that decision....yet. This is a great forum and as you can see there are a lot of really friendly folks here willing to share their experience and give support along the way.

Concerning your question. This is my first trailer and I don't have a lot of experience just a bit of curiosity. I first noticed a section of rotten floor and some rust on the frame and began inspecting it further. Obviously my initial inspection has grown to eventually include the entire frame. I suggest not getting in too big of a hurry. Work as slowly as possible, deliberately, step by step. Take lots of pictures and keep a notebook of key information.

Inspect the frame first without removing anything. If you suspect rust damage from a visual inspection without removing anything gradually begin removing the banana wraps one at at time. Remember to label everything because you'll eventually have to reverse your moves. As rock climbers understand don't climb up something you can't climb back down! Good luck!