Fixing exterior wall corner - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

Mountainboy · 12-21-2011, 09:02 PM

I just bought a 22' tow lite Breeze ( non telescopping ). My first priority is to fix the front corner. The walls fiberglass skin edge is no longer under the moulding at corner. the wind could peel it off or water can damage wall. Anyone have a fix? see pic.

sam · 12-21-2011, 10:37 PM

I don,t know how to do this. Perhaps you could call JR repair(HiLo) repair in OHIO. You might find a local RV shop that could advise you with the picture you took. All trailers get quite a jarring on the roads we travel. Do a search on the internet and see if anyone has done this repair. I agree you don't want to ignore the problem and get water intrusion. RV shops can offer a slight reduction in rates because they are looking for work in the winter.

campthewestcoast · 12-21-2011, 10:48 PM

Mountainboy,

I would repair that corner by removing the old trim, wrap the corner with enterbond tape, and cover the tape with a larger piece of aluminum angle iron (painted white) to hold the fiberglass together. I would then reinstall the original trim over the top of the aluminum angle iron and calk around everything with Sikaflex 1A.

It appears the original aluminum angle iron piece under that corner was not large enough to hold.

robobd · 12-22-2011, 07:25 PM

I would first remove the angle from the corner to see why it is not staying where it should be. most corner pieces are screwed on and then a strip of plastic covers the screws that hold on the corner trim. a good idea by campthewestcoast is to apply a single seamless strip of etrnabond under the corner trim,make sure it is clean before you apply and seal to the fiberglass skin, I would then apply the original trim back on, only if the area that it covered was of sufficient size to support the trim(I.E.not narrower than the edge of the trim)then cut excess of etrnabond off, an run a narrow bead of caulk down the seams of the trim, smoothing down the excess caulk and reapplying the trim cap/screw cover. I hope my two cents worth is worth at least 3 cents to you. best of luck with your breeze, it looks very cool!

sam · 12-22-2011, 09:53 PM

Hats off to our forum members for the great advice!! Sounds like you could order the externabond from the internet aand do this repair yourself. Amazon seems to have the Externabond tape. Compare prices. Would love to see pictures of the inside/layout when you have time. Take pictures of the steps involved in your repair. Years ago we hada Palomino Popup,It had two long hard sides. The corner split and my Hubby did the repair. Replaced the wood and used dscrews and Sheet metal on the exterior(what else would you expect from a sheet Metal Fabricator). Our dealer was impressed and asked him if he wanted more to repair. No!! was his reply. My sister has had the popup for years and the repair still is good. You can dothis repair!!

campthewestcoast · 12-22-2011, 11:36 PM

We just purchased Externabond tape from Amazon for $55 per roll - a couple of weeks ago.

Mountainboy · 12-24-2011, 06:51 PM

Anyone know of a place to buy wider trim? Plan to remove all exterior trim and after applying the Externabond tap -- install the 30' of new trim that covers the skin edge at least a half inch wider overlap. I just e-mailed J&R about the trim. The only challenge I can see at this point mybe across the top on the side where the awning attaches at top of wall at roof edge - assuming that I don't find something else under old trim.

robobd · 12-27-2011, 09:48 AM

you might try Bonnell extrusion, at 219-474-5136 or 770 252-7243
they ar a aluminum frame and angle specialty company, I don't know if this helps, but it might get you on the right track with who can or who has what you need.

campthewestcoast · 12-27-2011, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountainboy

Anyone know of a place to buy wider trim? Plan to remove all exterior trim and after applying the Externabond tap -- install the 30' of new trim that covers the skin edge at least a half inch wider overlap. I just e-mailed J&R about the trim. The only challenge I can see at this point mybe across the top on the side where the awning attaches at top of wall at roof edge - assuming that I don't find something else under old trim.

If you do a search for RV salvage yards in your area, you would save alot on shiping cost if your local rv parts house does not carry it. It may be a fun treasure hunt.