structure repair

[wmoquin]

recently picked up a 1996 Tow Light 21 foot with some damage where the lift cables attach. any suggestions on how to repair ? see attached pics.

 

[PopRichie77]

Sorry to say there is no easy fix. The wood is rotted out from water leakage. That side will have to be opened up, windows out, all siding off and wood replaced. There may be similar damage on the other side. Hope you are DIY person as you will have to figure out how to replace the wood and make the structure sound again.

 

[rayrays13]

All I can say is open it up slowly, replace the boards and put it back together. It is a yucky job but you can do it, just take your time. Nothing that man built can't be fixed for little money. It sucks but the reward are high. Been there done that. Goodluck , Ray

 

[Rolff]

Sorry to say there is no easy fix. The wood is rotted out from water leakage. That side will have to be opened up, windows out, all siding off and wood replaced. There may be similar damage on the other side. Hope you are DIY person as you will have to figure out how to replace the wood and make the structure sound again.

PopRichie
My '95 that is like yours is curling under forward of the door and pulling away from the door frame. I was hoping I would be able to cut into an Inside wall, since it is water damaged anyway, and make the repairs from there. You are saying that the only way to fix it is to remove the windows, door and the siding from the outside?
As always thanks for your input.
Ralph

 

[PopRichie77]

Ralph,
I haven't personally done this but others have, the wall isn't very thick, but the bottom rail is wider, so doing a small repair from the inside might be possible. Be sure to put 2x4s under the ends to hold it up and give it a try, if it isn't possible, then the siding has to come off.

 

[Rolff]

Rich,
As always thanks! It almost seems warped so I will make a small incision next to the door and see what I can see. That way I can frame around the door to cover it. I am happy that I live in low humidity climate and won't find black mold in there like some unfortunate folks. The weather in SLC is beautiful this week so I may get a chance to look at it. I'll take photo's when I do.
Good luck with Hurricane Sandy. You don't deserve it after that terrible storm last year.
Ralph

 

[sam-HILO]

Repair

When we did our classic repair we put 2x4s on the outside at each corner. This took the weight/slack off the cables as we knew we would be at the repairs for some months. Do you put 2x4 on the inside or outside when repairing a towlite? Just want it to be clear for those who have major repairs to do.

 

[PaulS-HILO]

I had to rebuild the whole door side wall after i purchased my 1996 TL same as described in first post. tear it all apart an used the blue treated wood for my rebuild project also.

 

[Rolff]

I had to rebuild the whole door side wall after i purchased my 1996 TL same as described in first post. tear it all apart an used the blue treated wood for my rebuild project also.

Thanks Paul - I keep hoping for some good news. I don't have anyplace to work on it during the winter so I will be doing it in the driveway next spring. Although if next spring is as mild as this fall has been I could start in February. We just pulled out our last tomatoes yesterday. Usually they are done by the 10th of Oct.

 

[GoAgain]

Repairs

Hello everyone!
I have recently purchased a 24' towlite, and enjoy camping in it. However, I found that the aluminium roof has small holes in it. Any suggestions as to sealing them?
Philippe

 

[hilltool]

Philippe-

Welcome to the world of Hi-Lo. You will find a great deal of information on this topic from the people on this forum. To start, however, I would go to the search function and put in "roof repairs". You will find a number of posts and discussions and, if diligent, whole folders of photos detailing other's efforts in this endeavor. Reading those, first,may help you narrrow down your questions.

There have been others with holes in the aluminum roof- I have one (aluminum roof) and have not had the issue, yet, but it will, no doubt, emerge at some point. You will get advice from people to check for water damage and it is good advice. You may have to remove inside ceiling panels etc to get a good look.

Also- letting everyone know what year your camper is will be of some help. Good luck. You will find much advice here.

rick

 

[jcurtis95]

Hello everyone!
I have recently purchased a 24' towlite, and enjoy camping in it. However, I found that the aluminium roof has small holes in it. Any suggestions as to sealing them?
Philippe

Philippe,

I would do as Hilltool suggested, do a search on roof repair. I know I have just gone through that and have several posts with pictures. It sound as if you have what I encountered; electrolysis. I had a total of 45 holes in my roof and went through extensive but not difficult steps to correct the problem.

What about the interior? I thought I was home free until I opened it up this summer and the ceiling panels have begun to deteriorate and that is my winter project. I fixed the leaks but the damage was done already and as the adjuster told me a couple of weeks ago, regardless of hop much I dried it out, once moisture gets in there, it is held inside due to the elastic surface on the ceiling panels and the repaired holes in the roof. Now, I will have to remove the skin of the ceiling panels and allow it to dry for about two weeks with heat and fans. Then I will have to put Luan over the existing wall panels and paint the ceiling.

I am attaching pics of some of the holes I found on my roof. Do they look familiar? There are two of us who just finished roof repairs this past spring and you will find GaryK and jcurtis95 posts on the steps we took.

I hope this helps. Good Luck.

Jerry Curtis
2406 T

 

[Rolff]

I find it amazing that they made that mistake. My roof is a dimpled as a golf ball from a Montana hail storm.

 

[GoAgain]

Thank you HillTop and jcurtis95 for the information. Pictures you provided are very similar to what I have. Although there is no evidence on the inside panels of water damage, I know that the walls have gotten wet is spots when my wife tried to replace some screws and realized they were rusty. I will do as you suggested and look at the suggested sites. BTW, the trailer is a 2001.
One more thing, do you use a special grease to grease the rollers on which the cables that raise and lower the top half roll on? At least on mine, the rollers are not metal.