New floor installation: skin resting on frame

[AleyaJean]

Hello!

I'm about to slide in my new floor and have found several spaces where I'm unable to wedge the floor in under the c channel because the rib has sunk to the frame. Anyone else encounter this? It came this way, the old floor was rotted out in several places and just compressed down. Any thoughts on how to deal with this? I can't really lever it up. Photos to come!

[thesignlady]

Yup, I had the same problem with mine. You'll need to lift the shell up a bit. The way we did it in ours is we used 2 truck box cargo bars, the kind you twist and it tightens and a clean length of 2x4.

You will be doing this from inside your trailer, find a sound area of floor nearish to the side you are trying to lift (or even put a thick board down as bracing) and here's where you need 4 arms...hold the 2 by 4 to the ceiling (it's to protect from denting or puncturing your interior panels) and twist your cargo bars until you are pushing the shell away from your floor, once you have created a bit of space below your C-channel use a wide putty knife and a big hammer to encourage your new floor in.

I have heard of others using bottle jacks and lumber posts as well.

Good luck

[Belegedhel]

What condition is the frame in? This is sounding like (yet another) shell-off candidate.

good luck!

[AleyaJean]

Woot!

Brace and jacks it is. I have 4 jacks I've yet to install and I think they will work.

The frame is in great shape, now that I've angle ground, rust converted and primed the whole thing.

Photo is of what the inside looks like right now.

[thesignlady]

Wow your girls naked...before you get your floor in round out the outer edges and seal them with something. Rounding off the corners will help whatever you seal it with last longer ( in my experience at the sign shop paint and sealers fail at the sharp edges first) It will also help reduce surface tension so any moisture that makes its way can wick its way over the edge

[madpiper]

We have the same problem and have been afraid to jack the shell up inside causing more problems without removing all the roof interior panels. We used brown paper to draw a template of the curve (replacing front floor only where damage is) and then removed the old OSB floor. It was really hard digging the rotted sections of the floor out of the c channel but with time and patience we were successful. Then went to Lowe's and purchased a cheap piece of luan to cut and fit where the floor needs to be replaced. We then purchased two sheets of Nylo board and and added 1&1/2 inches to the template outer edge where the floor tucks into the c channel that the luan template indicated we needed floor to tuck into the c channel Before cutting the nylo board we checked and rechecked the fit of the temporary luan template because the Nylo board is very expensive. Where the bolts came thru the ribs and joined the outriggers we notched the Nylo board to slide past these critical structural joints that weren't disturbed when the old floor was removed. I hope I'm doing this right, we have never owned a travel trailer before and if it wasn't for the forum wouldn't even know where to start.