Bulkhead issues?

[myersc]

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this problem with the bulkhead pushing up? Frame or axle issues? It's a1971 that I'm considering purchasing.

Thanks.

[buddy24]

I have the same problem with mine. Guessing it has something to do with the axel directly below

[chadvocate]

I've cut and installed a couple of new walls into our Sovereign whilst renovating it and we have brand new axles on it, and I'd imagine that our fuselage flexes a bit less than most with the spray foam insulation we put in. The problem in your image is something I ran into when I put a trim piece onto the face of a wall (in almost exactly the same place) that was too tight of a fit. I don't know if that one is original or not, but the fuselage flexes quite a bit going down the road and I would think vertical supports that are too tight would eventually damage the upper aluminum panels.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Chad

[Burnside Bob]

Originally Posted by myersc

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this problem with the bulkhead pushing up? Frame or axle issues? It's a1971 that I'm considering purchasing.

Thanks.

I don't think the bulkhead changed length, so what is happening is the ceiling is now closer to the floor.

How can that happen? The most likely answer is that the walls of the shell are not being properly supported by the plywood floor and/or the frame out riggers are no longer supporting the floor. Either or both conditions will permit the shell to drop resulting in what you have observed.

Deterioration of floor and out riggers seems to go hand in hand and is unfortunately all too common on older units, especially if they were stored outside or lived in full time. The root cause is moisture damage from leaks or condensation which rots the floor and rusts out the out riggers.

A consultation with someone in your area who has dealt with floor/out rigger replacement might be worth your time if you are still considering purchasing this trailer.

[chadvocate]

Solid point Burnside, didn't even think about that, but when we were replacing our subfloors they definitely had some sag going on, especially between the 2 main steel runners and the outriggers, so it would make sense that the things that would suffer the most would be vertical supports sitting right around where those main runners are.