Bouncing bathroom

[dianalynn]

We have a 1972 Overlander. The Overlander sat for about 5 years before we bought it. (we live in NW Iowa) When we took our first trip with it, things seemed a little "loose" inside. As in some things didn't stay put on the trip. It wasn't too bad though. We now have had it 4 years, and things get thrown all over the place. Bathroom doors are open, things are on the floor. We store some things in the tub, and they have been know to come out of the tub even on a short trip. It is horrible. I have read about the "bathroom breakaway". I told my husband that is probably what we have. He took everything off the underneath and checked it all out. He says that everything looks good from that standpoint.We have put new shocks on it also. We have not however looked down from the top. We do have to redo our bathroom, as the tub and sink do not work. When we do that we will look down from that vantage point. The other thing that has now happened is, on the floor between the kitchen and bedroom, it has sagged from that point back. Obviously this isn't good. After all that, HELP! Anyone else have that going on? If so, what did you do to fix it?

[Crackerman]

You need new axles.

Shocks do nothing on old, tired collapsed axles.

[A W Warn]

I agree, new axles are in your trailer's future.

ps:
To check - jack up the trailer while watching wheel movement. If the wheel moves 2 to 3 inches downward it's ok. Less movement means the rubber torsion rods inside the axle have hardened so they have no flexibility to allow the movement.

google search torsion axles and read up on the subject.

[CBWELL]

Tire balance and inflation pressure are also contributing factors to trailer bounce and problems of drawers and doors opening while on the road. Also having your hitch set up correctly and using the correct weight of WD hitch bars helps reduce bounce. Tow vehicle suspension also has some influence on the problem of bad things happening inside while on the move. Check for rear end seperation by standing on the rear bumper and lightly jumping up and down to see if there is any seperation. All of the above can combine to cause the problem that you have. Definitely check the axles for proper movement.

[dianalynn]

Thanks for the replies. We put new tires on it when we bought it, and had them balanced. So the next thing we thought it could be was the axle. Your replies just confirmed that.

[Belegedhel]

If you are riding on the original axles, then you are well overdue for new ones. The rubber rods in them don't last for more than about 25 years.

The sag you mentioned sounds like a bigger cause for concern. Could very well be a broken main frame rail. You probaly won't be able to inspect without removing some of the belly pan.

An easy way to check for rear-end separation (which you also likely have), is to step up on the rear bumper and gently bounce up and down on it. the frame and body should move together. IF you see your frame rail moving independently of the body, then you have the dreaded (and very common) rear end separation. You should also look into whatever hatches or cabinetry you have in the rear of the trailer and check the condition of the the subfloor. Typically it is rotted away.

good luck!

[dianalynn]

Belegedhel, thanks for your thoughts. Crap, a broken main frame! What would that entail? taking it all apart??

[Crackerman]

Typically a broken main frame does a lot more then just sag.

Crossmembers that are broken loose of the main frame let the frame "roll" outwards, giving an unsavory condition that looks like sagging.

Also, broken outriggers can do the same thing.

You will find more damage to the outriggers just forward and rearward of the tires, and same with the crossmembers.

The easiest way is to drop the belly pan and inspect. You can also jack things back into place and reinforce/replace/ weld new structural components in without taking the subfloor out and body off. (Fire watch is important)


It's a ton of work, but much easier than. The alternative.

As far as rear subfloor rot, you have a built in water leak at the storage compartment. Removing portions of the bathroom is very hard to do without mostly gutting the trailer.

[Belegedhel]

Originally Posted by dianalynn

Belegedhel, thanks for your thoughts. Crap, a broken main frame! What would that entail? taking it all apart??

If you have broken frame components, the minimum you will have to do is drop at least part of the belly pan. This isn't rocket science, just a matter of drilling out some pop rivets and gasping at all the scary crud that falls out as the pan drops.

Repairing rear-end separation is much more of a project. Basically the whole pbathroom will have to be disassembled and removed, the subfloor removed, and the lower interior skins, banan wraps and belly skin removed to give you access to the bolts that secure the shell to the frame (through the subfloor).

good luck!