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Old 11-09-2021, 02:25 PM   #1
3 Rivet Member
 
1972 25' Tradewind
fort lauderdale , Florida
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 206
Flooring install questions

It's been a while,


I'm still working on my FOREVER frame off and getting ready for my flooring install. I'm getting my hardware together and looking back at my pics of the flooring removal and had a few questions:


1. Why are some of the horizontal frames lower than than the longitudinal? They then had to install a 5 to 6 in wide "scab" on top of that lower horizontal to level the floor.


2. Why are some of the seams where the plywood meet on a frame offset with the elevator bolts on one side and some are directly down the middle?


3. Lastly, with the elevator bolts only on one side at "some" seams, what keeps the other edge of the plywood (not held by elev bolts) from "pooping up"?


I will add, my floor was level and only had a few spots of rot when I ripped it out, just curious about the thought behind the install.


I've attached a few pics and drawings showing the frame horiz lower and my flooring during removal.


thanks in advance
Eric
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Old 11-10-2021, 11:05 AM   #2
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1976 Argosy 24
1961 28' Ambassador
1968 26' Overlander
Lakewood , Colorado
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Posts: 481
Hello... I believe if you were to check that the lowered crossmembers are 48" apart. The idea is to lay a board (5/8 ply) on that x-member and then glue and screw the mating plywood edges to that board. I like some kind of modern construction screw and usually "stitch" the seam with up to 10 screws per side. The elevator bolts then go through the whole sandwich and can make a nice strong joint. At times Airstream's quality could be very spotty when it came to how many fasteners and where they ended up. I always use considerably more than the factory did. I like to use shims under the full height x-members to give the floor a little more support as needed. It seems as if the years and trailer lengths varied quite a bit and I have seen some very questionable factory work. It's fun to make it better. Hope that helps...
Good luck, Mark D
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Old 11-10-2021, 12:33 PM   #3
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1972 25' Tradewind
fort lauderdale , Florida
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 206
Cheers Mark,


A little update. I asked a naval architect here at my office and one of his comments was "the reason they factory put elev bolts on one side of the seem was so the mated flooring plywood could expand and contract" Not sure if that's the case, but sounded good
BTW, there were no extra screws or glue in the "scab" piece where the 2 sheets of ply meet, when I removed it. Good idea though.


thank you
Eric
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Old 11-10-2021, 01:07 PM   #4
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1966 22' Safari
1955 22' Flying Cloud
Fredericksburg , Texas
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Eric, when we installed the new subfloor in the 55, the butted sheets landed on a crossmember. We used elevator bolts along the end of one sheet. On the end of the other sheet we installed #20 biscuits about every foot or so. We glued the biscuit into the end of the non-elevator bolted sheet and slipped it into the slot at the bolted sheet without glue. This held both sheets in the same plane and allowed a tiny bit of expansion if needed. We still have bolts at the crossmembers where there’s no joint. The floor is covered with Marmoleum. No issues yet. Just a thought. Good luck
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Old 11-10-2021, 01:40 PM   #5
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1973 27' Overlander
Tucson , AZ
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I just removed a section of my subfloor. The edges of the sheets aligned differently on the frame/cross-members. One edge is centered (or mostly covering) the frame and secured with elevator bolts. But the other edge of the 4X8 sheet is just short-of the frame and is secured to the adjacent plywood sheet using corrugated metal joint fasteners. This is true for most of the sheets in my trailer.


Hope this helps.
Laura
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