Hi,
So I took the day off work today to get some real work done on the
Caravel.
I dropped the belly pan to get a look at the "soft spot" around the battery compartment. Sure enough the wood was very rotten in the whole back 3 feet of the trailer. The frame has some perforation in it as well in this area....bring on the welder.
To make the repair "easier???" I removed the back couch, and bathroom - VERY difficult getting the shower / toilet unhooked form the pipes!!!!
Thought I was stuck when I tried to get the shower out of the trailer door - I had to fight to get in out; I was beginning to think that perhpas they built the AS AROUND the shower! However, patience and a past summer job with a moving company allowed me to get in out eventually.
Had to rent a U-haul to bring the AS to the weld shop as I don't think my tow vehicle is up to the challenge (Hyunda Tuscon - V6). The owner's manual say's that the gross combination weight is 6600lbs, while the max towable weight is 2000lbs - with e-break. The clincher was that the tongue weight is stated as 150lbs. I tried to meaure the tongue weight with our "human" weigh scale....it stopped moving (crushed) at 370lbs...mmmm
At any rate, the
Caravel is at the shop and the tech said that he wasn't sure how he would fix it - but that he would get creative an make it as good as if not better than before - for my sake, I hope he's is right and cheap
Last thought..... WIth the shower out of the back end, the trailer looks so much bigger. I hate the thought of changing anything with the trailer - seeing that it is virtually unchanged inside and out since manufacture, but I thinking of the options, because let's face it, that shower is almost too small for humans.
I'll keep you updated,
Julison