What happened?

[Kdawn]

We just got back from our first camp with our 65 gt. we just went a 20 minute drive away... When we got home and I opened the door this is what I found....



Yikes!!! How do I fix? Just screw it back on ? Or do I rebuild or reinforce?

[Belegedhel]

I'm guessing that the woody looking stuff lying on your gaucho is what used to be the front face and doors to the compartment above the seating, correct? So now for the questions:

Is this part the original piece or something you or a previous owner replaced?

You say this was your first trip with the 65 GT, did you just buy it, or just complete rennovation work?

The question I immediately ask is "what else is wrong (that may have contributed to a harsh ride that shook your interior apart)? How old is your axle? What are you towing with? Do you have a weight distributing hitch? Are your wheels balanced? Do you notice rivets popping out anywhere else?

Just screwing or riveting the part back in place may not last very long if you have a systemic issue that will just shake it loose again.

Good luck.

[azflycaster]

How was that attached? From the pictures I do not see any screws sticking out of the board frames. It almost looks like duct tape across the top of the opening, say it isn't so...

[Kdawn]

Thanks for the input and questions..
We haven't done any renos yet just curtains, the po replaced the latches on the cabinates and they wouldn't open well. Thought it was the latches, maybe was because it was already starting to falling down.
I followed behind when we towed her out, pretty bumpy ride. She was checked out at can am 2 years ago, by po. We tow with a 99 Dakota with an equalizer hitch.
I will have to look closer but no duct tape. Any more ideas would be great

[ventport]

I wonder if your weight bars are way too stiff, or if a WD hitch is needed at all. I tow a 21 foot 64 Avion and do not use a WD hitch. I tried it with one but didn't see the need, and it pulls just fine with my 06 Trailblazer EXT.

[Kdawn]

I know the axles haven't been replaced in last 20 years.... I have all the repair records till 1990 . Before that ???
The cabinet looks original- matches all the rest. It looks to be screwed at the top.
Doesn't seem that any rivets have popped.

[Belegedhel]

There are several threads on the forums that describe how to evaluate if your axle needs to be replaced. I seem to recall that one easy way is to jack up your trailer and watch the wheel as you lift it off the ground. The arm of a healthy axle should have ~3 inches of travel. If it is dramatically less than that, then maybe your axles of lost their "bounce", and your cabinets are being exposed to every bump in the road.

[purman]

could be a combination of axles and or WD and or Just 40+year old cabinet getting bounce around for 40+years. Check your axles, there are threads here on how to check them.

[HowieE]

It most likely feel just from age. With that said there are thing that will accelerate aging. Over pressurized tires, dead axles, over heavy WD bars, heavy TV springs.

A few years back I say a brand new Bambi that had come up through Quebec to Battle Harbor Labrador and ALL of the interior cabinets were on the floor when the got to Battle Harbor. That clearly was the 1,000 miles of dirt road that cause everything to give way.

As for repair I would thing you should remove the door from the hinges reglue and square up the the wooden frame and maybe add some corner blocks to the frame for strength. Remount the frame with new screws close to the locations of the old and a few new screws and you will get another 25 years out of her. Remount the door.

[Kdawn]

Awesome suggestions. Thanks for repair info.
Axle question- we are hoping to to a shell on Reno in 2 or 3 years.. We won't be putting a lot of miles on her before that, basically going to very close campground once a year... Could we wait till the Reno to redo the axles?

[Kdawn]

Here's a photo of the axles in march

[HowieE]

Are your axles springs or torsion. If they are springs there most likely is no problem because they do not loose strength over time, they just brake all at once. If they are the spring type you only have to replace the springs and not the axles. A simple job.

If torsion you can look under the trailer and get an idea of the condition. The trailing arm has a downward angle towards the rear when new. If shot that angle will be upwards.

That trailer looks new.

[dwightdi]

From the picture, the rubber torque axles have taken a set. Replace them and put on new factory shocks. It is not that big a job and will insure your other work does not get destroyed. The Equalizer W/D bars (in my mind) are way too stiff. Either have someone machine them down or go to a lighter weight hitch. Do not over inflate the tires on the trailer or the TV. Take it a little slower on rough roads. The forces encountered are greatly increased by higher speeds.

[purman]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

From the picture, the rubber torque axles have taken a set. Replace them and put on new factory shocks. It is not that big a job and will insure your other work does not get destroyed. The Equalizer W/D bars (in my mind) are way too stiff. Either have someone machine them down or go to a lighter weight hitch. Do not over inflate the tires on the trailer or the TV. Take it a little slower on rough roads. The forces encountered are greatly increased by higher speeds.

Andersen hitch would be great for this because it is finite adjustable and has built in sway control.

[Kdawn]

Great advice I guess I have to investigate a bit!
It is a great trailer for its age! We found on this first trip all the plumbing is leaking- facets , p traps cracked. I think the shower has floor rot, it's pretty bouncy there!

Can the axles wait? Max 2 years? My hubby won't have time or budget till then. And we would like to do all big fixes at once, pex plumbing, flooring and reconfigure the floor plans, polish seal etc.
I'm sure the list will get longer. Plus we hope to have a newer tv by then.

[AldeanFan]

Your renovations should be done in the following order to avoid having to do things twice:

1) Seal the trailer - any water that enters will damage whats there now, creating more work later, and will damage any work you do in the future. Sealing is an ongoing process, i try to check my seals, seams and the inside for leaks quarterly.

2) Axels and brakes - unless you are towing only very short distances you need to have good axels or you will be damaging the trailer. I would hate to build new cabinets for my trailer then shake them apart because of bad axels. If you are moving the trailer at all you need brakes and lights for safety.

3) Floor/Frame - like the foundation of a house this is the foundation of the trailer, if you build a cabinet on a bad floor you just have to pull it out later to fix the floor.

4) Major systems, Plumbing, electircal and appliances. I found it easiest to do this all at once since I had to remove the beds and part of a cabinet to run plumbing and electrical wire. this was also a good time to install new floor covering since I had furniture removed.

5) Decor/polishing - again, no point in making it pretty if you can't tow it or keep the interrior dry.


If the floor is solid and the axels useable you can always use the trailer as an aluminum tent until you get the plumbing fixed (we camped with no plumbing when the water pump quit and used a bucket to flush the toilet, and had some non working interrior lights for a while)

[Kdawn]

Good list! Makes sense! The po replaced the fuse box and added converter. Repaced exterior lights .New toliet and water heater and pump. Another po repaced the fridge and awning.the floor rot is minimal and everything but furnace works.

We have tightened all the plumbing we could-ie-new hoses to old pipes. Replacing the taps is another quick fix we can do.

Its in very good condition other than the fallen cabinet . We sould be able to do close camping trips with it as is for the next 2 years and then the big overhaul.. That's the plan

We will be able to reuse a lot. Stove is in mint condition. My husband wants to change the floor plan to better fit our family of four. We looked at a carvel layout with rear bed, really liked that !Maybe a bunk over the front gaucho. And replace the dark cabinets with light custom made ones( more storage) he is a finishing carpenter so easy to do. My father in law is a mechanic. And brother in law is an electrician . So we will have lots of free labor