Visit our Popular Forums

pago cruiser · 07-08-2016, 11:12 PM

It took about 2 weeks after bringing the MH home (after being at a friends house with some killer cats for some Mechanical work) before they found a way in. Put traps out Monday night and then had to travel for work a few days. 3 of the 4 traps I put down were successful as of uesterday (Thursday) am. Dang.

Did a search, and there are a few threads on "the usual suspects" of how they are getting in for some trailers; but none that I could find for our ... legacy coaches.

Anybody want to chime in?

The first I found is at the wall to floor joint down by the drivers feet: there is a gap there almost 1.2 inches wide and maybe 5-6" long. The factory filled this hole with...
wait for it...
carpet.

I have since screwed a 1.5 x 1.5 x 1/16" steel angle over the hole.

The second I found appears to be under the toilet floor, around the fender well. Not sure that if the floor were in place they could get through it; but I had to rebuild the floor to put on a new closet flange for a new toilet. I currently have metal duct tape over the hole until I can finish that project.

The third I found was at the wiring entry point for the 12V fuse box located in the hinged access hole just aft of the engine cover. Actually found a dead mouse in this box during an inspection of the MH after we had got her home. Running down the freeway from Phoenix to Tucson in 100F weather, that box must have been 150F. Too bad I can't get them all to go into the little box... then just drive around and cook em...

Any other locations/entry points found and fixed?

garypk · 07-09-2016, 06:10 PM

I can tell you some other places I have found em. In the ceiling of the cab.behind overhead front cabinets under engine AC compressor. Completely clogged dash vent hoses with acorns. Any time you park where the critters are around they will find a way in. Keep trapping.my po was lazy &used poison. Took awhile to find all the dead ones. Whenever it's not in use i leave glue boards around.

pago cruiser · 07-09-2016, 10:26 PM

"...they will find a way in."

That's what I would like to prevent. As all the RV's of the sam emodel in about the same time frame were made about the same, I'd bet that the 3 holes I found are valid for most 94-98 Land Yachts. So I'd be willing to bet that any holes anybody else found/patched are also probably valid on ours. And prolly yours. With participation, that's the neat thing about a forum; shared info.

There are only so many holes/voids/access points. It's not like they can eat through metal or fly.
Yet.

BarnacleBill · 07-09-2016, 10:48 PM

I found two holes in the" firewall" up front that electronic wiring goes through. Pluged them with steel wool and plumbers putty.

Another place is where the hoses from the engine enter the house to the water heater. Back in the right rear wheel well. This was a big hole and a nice rodent freeway. I filled it with spray fome insulation.

pago cruiser · 07-10-2016, 07:38 AM

Our local ACE suggested the type of spray foam that you use around windows in walls. I've used it in that application with success.

How long ago did you fill the holes, and how has it held up? My concern is that the stuff dries so rigid, does it crack and fall out after awhile because of all the MH vibration/movement? How much time is "awhile"?

As I think about this... can they, or will they eat it? Don't know how it would work on bigger holes, but I was thinking using some Sikaflex 221, the same stuff as I am using on the roof. Another option might be silicon based sealant? I would not think they would eat that but I wish I knew for sure before I start using a couple tubes of it...

We are out in the high hills around Tucson, and mice and rats are ubiquitous. If I put out 5 traps at night, I will catch 4 or 5; using different sized traps for each. Sometimes the peanut butter is gone without the trap springing; and sometimes the trap is just GONE. I assume the little buggers are using them for building material somewhere...

The thing is, I can ALWAYS do this. Put out traps, catch em, toss em back into the desert about 100 yards away. Next day. Next day. Next day. There seems an inexhaustible supply around here...

I wish I could purchase a little turret mounted rodent killer, with a laser sight and automatic and 24/7 tracking and killing, say with a air powered pellet gun to limit the range and damage in case the auto-aim fails. . Stick a couple of these things under the coach... then all I have to do is pick up the bodies every couple days.

Bet I could sell a million of these... Hmmm....

garypk · 07-10-2016, 11:43 AM

[QUOTE=pago cruiser;1818393]Our local ACE suggested the type of spray foam that you use around windows in walls. I've used it in that application with success.

How long ago did you fill the holes, and how has it held up? My concern is that the stuff dries so rigid, does it crack and fall out after awhile because of all the MH vibration/movement? How much time is "awhile"?

As I think about this... can they, or will they eat it? Don't know how it would work on bigger holes, but I was thinking using some Sikaflex 221, the same stuff as I am using on the roof. Another option might be silicon based sealant? I would not think they would eat that but I wish I knew for sure before I start using a couple tubes of it...

We are out in the high hills around Tucson, and mice and rats are ubiquitous. If I put out 5 traps at night, I will catch 4 or 5; using different sized traps for each. Sometimes the peanut butter is gone without the trap springing; and sometimes the trap is just GONE. I assume the little buggers are using them for building material somewhere...

The thing is, I can ALWAYS do this. Put out traps, catch em, toss em back into the desert about 100 yards away. Next day. Next day. Next day. There seems an inexhaustible supply around here...

I wish I could purchase a little turret mounted rodent killer, with a laser sight and automatic and 24/7 tracking and killing, say with a air powered pellet gun to limit the range and damage in case the auto-aim fails. . Stick a couple of these things under the coach... then all I have to do is pick up the bodies every couple days.

Bet I could sell a million of these... Hmmm...
You might be on to something.....maybe 1 of those carnival bb machine guns.

cazual6 · 07-10-2016, 03:50 PM

Here are three links that will/may add to your solution:

This is the direct link to your problem.

Here is the full article.

Here is from the bloggers mouth.

I hope this helps.

DaveFL · 07-10-2016, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarnacleBill

I found two holes in the" firewall" up front that electronic wiring goes through. Pluged them with steel wool and plumbers putty.

Another place is where the hoses from the engine enter the house to the water heater. Back in the right rear wheel well. This was a big hole and a nice rodent freeway. I filled it with spray fome insulation.

Incorporate the steel wool or bronze wool with spray foam will make it harder for them to chew though.

All failures of finish in a house is left to the painter

AS used the carpet guy.
Covered spaces that should have been sealed spaces made by plumbers, electricians and installers of fixtures.

Mice can squeeze through if you can get a pencil in, had one get in by way of the electric shore cord, plastic door has an over sized opening.
Closet cabinets in bedroom back corners have been cut to fit the rounded rear corners, take out the drawer, use a flashlight and see if you can see the light in the trunk area.
Drivers wheel well at the base of the steering column had large hole covered by carpet.
The three flushing water lines under the bed, go through the floor, three 0.5in pipes don't need a 2 inch hole. Under the carpet drivers side bedroom floor to wall a built up section is the track for wires and pipes and is protected but not mouse proofed where they go down to the tanks.

pago cruiser · 07-11-2016, 10:08 PM

Great responses guys. Thanks.

Cazual6 - I wish the "Two men and a farm" anecdotes about the Irish Spring bar soap ended a bit more positive. Bottom line: it might have been effective. I had also seen, and forgot about the Bounce dryer sheets - but wow! 60 sheets in a 35' RV? Peppermint idea was also good; may try that one.

DaveFL - thanks for the detailed locations; just what I was hoping for. I have eyed the raised floor section in the bedroom on the drivers side, as there were pipes going into that area from the bathroom remodel currently underway. Guess I'll pull it this weekend and see.

To make this more useful, I'll post some pics of the holes and solutions. Maybe with some more input, we could identify and solve most of the easy ingress areas.

djarrett · 07-11-2016, 10:30 PM

I use Fresh Cab Botanical Rodent Repellent:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...t-4-pack/68443

If you like the smell of the mountains, the balsam fir smell is extremely nice in the trailer and we've had it in our Airstream for a year and haven't seen a rodent (knocks on aluminum).

oirase · 09-29-2018, 10:52 PM

I bought a 1994 land yacht 35 diesel pusher recently and have battled mice constantly. We live rural so rodents are common. Two days ago 4 sticky trap were messed up and 1 was missing, I found behind the tv cabinet in the cockpit with a bushy tailed wood rat attached. I knew I had a big hole and I found it. I crawled under the front driver side ahead of the wheel and sat up with my back against the inside of the fender. Directly in front of my face was a group of large wire looms coming out from under the dash along the firewall a bit to the right of the driver. This space was wide open into the cabin and probably large enough for a adult cat to crawl through. There is no evidence of any tampering to the unit or wiring so I conclude this is how it left the plant, which would explain the abundance of rodent paraphernalia left by the former owner. I repaired by screwing about a 6 inch square of hardware cloth over the opening and spray foam over that. Set the mouse traps again to night so we will see if I have solved the problem or did airstream leave more holes.

gloran · 11-19-2018, 08:27 AM

When I had removed the two night cabinets on each side of the bed, there were large holes by the tail light wiring wide open with direct access to the ground. Their was all kinds of nesting materials, if you remove the drawers you can check.

oirase · 11-20-2018, 08:30 AM

Thanks I'll take a look there today.

Mike1997 · 11-20-2018, 07:19 PM

Might have everyone beat with best rat location........attached is a photo of the air filter from my diesel Airstream. This was found during routine service on my trip to Montana 1 year after purchase. It sat in storage over 12 years in a tobacco barn in North Carolina.

Needless to say I got lots better gas mileage after the rat home was removed!!

On the diesel models the air intake is on the left rear just above the power cord plug. Highly recommend putting a screen over this area similar to those used on the frig vents.