post #9 has a cad drawing that illustrates how mine is put together...with the exeception of the rear curbside corner. the bannana wrap wraps OVER the exterior skin in that area. if the molding isn't completely sealed, water can (and apparently, HAS) poor right in there and saturate the plywood. I didn't find any c-channel...looks just like the drawing. with the bannana wrap off, you're staring right at the edge of the plywood. this is only the back 2 or 3 feet of the trailer though....I've read other posts that imply that there might be some in different areas in different years/models of trailer.
couple of things that concern me about the plastic flooring idea are the fact that it may not be as rigid as the plywood...may have too much flex. And...what if water does get in there from a leak from above? where will it go? Maybe we should keep the campers parked a tad nose-high, and any water that gets in there will roll out the back. seems inevitable that some water is going to get in there someway, sometime.
You can do all the bolting by yourself, if you use elevator bolts you set them with a hammer driving the shoulder or tang (depending which type you use) into the wood then go below and tighten them, I am about half way through mine and haven't had a problem yet (other than all the up and down). I am using a 1/4 drive ratchet to avoid overtightening the bolts (only twisted one in half so far). Good Luck.
You can do all the bolting by yourself, if you use elevator bolts you set them with a hammer driving the shoulder or tang (depending which type you use) into the wood then go below and tighten them, .
so, are these the same thing as "carriage bolts"? I've seen the term "elevator bolts" on many of these threads, and never knew exactly what they were, but what you describe sounds like what I know as a "carriage bolt".
The term elevator bolt is rather archaic, they used to be used exclusively for attaching grain buckets to grain elevators, hence the name. Some have smaller heads about the size of carriage bolts only they are flat on top and have cleats protruding from the bottom to grip the work surface, the other type have a larger head and a shoulder underneath like a carriage bolt.
I am not using any washers, the factory didn't so I didn't see the need, when I get all the floor in I'll go back and bend the protuding end like A/S did. Judging from the amount of trouble I had getting the old ones off I don't forsee a problem with them working loose. I'll be going now have to put some more floor down.
Your 1973 and mine do seem to be different. Mine is a 31' Sovereign. It looks almost like the drawing along the back of the trailer where the floor sits over a cross member and is bolted like the drawing. There is a c-channel part, though, that covers the edge of the plywood more like the drawing in post #8. Once I get around to the sides, though, there is no metal frame member under the plywood except at the ends of the outriggers (again a bit like #8). Sadly there are no bolts along the side even to the outriggers. There are only screws down into the plywood. They may be long enough to extend into the bottom of the c-channel but, if so, not by that much. I think that the bottom of the c-channel may come in further and be about even with the inside of the u-channel (I will have to have a closer look). Can you get the belly wrap to go under the outside skin? I am going to have to check and see how mine is set up back there. This area is where the worst floor damage was and that could explain a lot if mine is the same as what you describe.
I have been giving some thought to ways to get water out of the walls without it getting into contact with the floor panels. I will post if I come up with something that seems workable. My driveway where I currently have the trailer parked has plenty of slope to let the water drain toward the back. It drops about 9" per 8'. In fact the back of the AS is jacked up about 3' in the air so I could get it level to work on.
Elevator bolts are almost the same as carriage bolts. The principle difference is that they are flat headed instead of having a crowned head like a regular carriage bolt. The idea is that they will pull into the wood so that the head is flush with the surface more like the head of a flat-head wood screw. You probably have some of these somewhere in your current floor assembly.
Leonard,
I know I can use elevator bolts as you suggest for the floor to frame connections. Again I originally hoped I would not have to take off all the belly wrap and banana wrap. I do get tired of all the up and down though. What can one expect with bolts with a name like elevator?
Ok, then. that explains the "elevator bolts". I do remember seeing those flat heads countersunk into the plywood, now that I think of it, when I put in some new finish flooring a couple of years ago.
about the "c" channel: I'll have a closer look at my service manual when I get home tonight. I did look last night, and didn't notice any mention of it. They have 2 exploded diagrams of the chassis; one for single axle, and one for tandem axle...which means you have to do some extrapolating, as there was more than one lenght single axle trailer that year, and many tandem axles. anyway, the diagrams consist of the frame, and all the stuff attached to it, such as axles, tanks, and so forth. The "u" channel and hold down plates are shown, as well, but the detail is not good..they don't call it "u-channel"...can't remember exactly what they call it. but I didn't see anything that looked like the "c channel" that many have reported.
One interesting blurb I came across was a description of how to replace a damaged section of flooring. they weren't specific as to location, but basically described what was in your diagram. cut out damaged piece, make 4" wide support splices out of plywood, and glue n screw 'em 2" inside the cut edge of the non-damaged floor, then glue n screw replacement floor on to the other 2" section of splice. so...whatever that's worth. i can't imagine how a piece of flooring would become so damaged in the center of the trailer that it would require such replacement, but "whatever".....
that belly wrap on the curb side wouldn't have fit under the skin. I can't remember exactly why, but I do remember thinking that same thing, and saw that it wouldn't work, so I put it back the way it was, and just sealed the molding really well w/ vulkem. also the seam around the battery box. In fact, the fitting issue may have had something to do with that battery box, now that I think of it. It was hard enough to get it to fit back in there the way it was.
This thread is giving a lot of good info...which we need because one thing has lead to another and now we have a bit of the floor cut out for repair. It is basically where the hot water heater sat, which apparently leaked at some point and rotted a hole right next to the wheel well (under our side gaucho) and along edge of trailer. I am attempting to get a picture on here soon to better explain. The repair area is running from one crossmember to the next lengthwise and about 1/2 foot into middle from the side of the trailer. Part of our problem is that a portion of the plywood that runs under the sidewall is still in wonderful shape and is not wanting to budge from the channel. The rest of it is cut away because there was no sidewall or channel, just the hole where the hot water heater slides in. Once I post pic maybe you all could help figure best way to patch w/integrity, but for now here are ???:
Ours is 5/8" plywood - local Home Depot does not have 5/8" in. finished on one side, not on other (don't know what grade that is). Where do you get it? Don't have router to cut thicker plywood.
Elevator bolts - where can you get these?
Thanks for now,
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Leigh (IB Aluminated)
"When a great ship is in harbour and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, author of ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’
"When a great ship is in harbour and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, author of ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’
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i can't imagine how a piece of flooring would become so damaged in the center of the trailer that it would require such replacement, but "whatever".....
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