Just bought a 75 Rear Bedroom
Sovereign.
There are some ominous signs of beginning rear end separation, but the price was right. Also plans for the immediate future are just as a stationary guest trailer so it is not going anywhere and rear end separation is not an issue right now. I would like to prevent any more damage however.
Pulling the rub rail there was a fair amount of rust flakes and less so some rotted wood I cleaned out of the rear end joint above the bumper/ storage compartment. Looking at the floor from the inside, the floor appears solid next to the rear wall except for about a 4" section which I can easily stick an ice pick into. If I put the left side of the bumper up and down there is a little play maybe 1/8" none on right side.
I have sprayed some rust neutralizer into the crack and will seal it up with Vulkem. I will also use some penetrating epoxy wood preservative around the rear floor edges. I think this should prevent further damage. Any other suggestions?
If sometime down the road I decide to get the trailer road worthy are there any fixes short of tearing the rear end apart? How about some kind L cross section tie in that starts on each rear wall and rear wall and is riveted into the body ribs and bolted into the floor?
The floor does seem quite solid although there is a slight drop off aft of the rear axle. One axle mounting fish plate does have a bend to it. When I towed her home the trailer was crabbing slightly. I assume I have the original axles. The curtains were replaced in the 80s and ready for replacement again and the Suburban furnace also looks like an 80s.
There is not a ding on the body although the solar film in the windows has bubbled. The awning canopy is gone but the A&E or Carefree hardware is all there.
The belly pan is largely intact although there are 2 suspicious areas of banana skin corrosion in which the aluminum has completely corroded in a straight up and down line, like a drip line. One piece was completely loose from the connection with the belly pan and I was able to see the frame which has a lot of rust but the frame and adjacent outriggers seem solid.
But what could have eaten up the aluminum? The trailer was originally in Florida, perhaps exposed to salty air. The trailer was titled in New Mexico in 1990.
Linear Mode
