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pedwards2932
Senior Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2020
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Posts: 338
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Topic: Trip Damage and Delamination Posted: 05 Jul 2021 at 7:25am |
I glued up the last bit and it seems like everything is solid now.....not perfect maybe 90%. I am looking into how to fix the front corner where all this started. They cut the under railing at that point so there are no screws holding the last 6" of rail. I am going add a piece of 90 degree steel and screw it to the frame to support. Will add pics when I get it done.
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chasl
Newbie
Joined: 04 Mar 2021
Location: New Mexico
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 30
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Posted: 07 Jul 2021 at 6:47am |
Your 90% is likely better than it was new. You could open a pod restoration business : )
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cl
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campman
Senior Member
Joined: 26 Mar 2021
Location: La Salle, MB
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 209
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Posted: 07 Jul 2021 at 7:16am |
+1 to chasl!
Nice to see someone do these repairs and document them for the rest of us. Not that I would wish this on anyone of course, but it is a good reference.
Andy
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Andy and Laurie
'16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg
'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
Red-Green
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pedwards2932
Senior Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 338
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Posted: 09 Jul 2021 at 1:54pm |
I was able to finish this section of the repair. Came out pretty good. I had to get some paint for touch up and found that was not easy. Forrest River gave me the paint code but no one here was able to mix it. I had to go thru the folks that mix it for FR.....$50 for a pint.
What you will find on the lower railing is FR used very little caulking on outside edge to avoid clean up. This is another issue as to why it didn't hold up. Next up is fixing the other side
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pedwards2932
Senior Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 338
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Posted: 09 Jul 2021 at 1:56pm |
Just for general information when cleaning up the sealer I found using charcoal lighter fluid for clean up worked really well. Lacquer thinner is too strong on the decals.
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chasl
Newbie
Joined: 04 Mar 2021
Location: New Mexico
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Posts: 30
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Posted: 09 Jul 2021 at 2:06pm |
Great work
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cl
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pedwards2932
Senior Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 338
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Posted: 15 Jul 2021 at 10:15am |
Okay got it done. Fixed the delamination then resealed. When I put it together I used stainless screws and washers for extra holding power. The holes tend to distort the aluminum from tightening which is why I used the washers. FR had not put a screw in the last bit of the under railing which is why it let go. Honest to goodness they use some of the crappiest plywood I have ever seen.....looks like luan underlayment. I still have to fix the crack in the fiberglass....should be an easy fix...hope the paint I have matches.
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pedwards2932
Senior Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2020
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Posts: 338
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Posted: 15 Jul 2021 at 10:21am |
Just an aside here. I used to be a boat dealer and there was a wide variation in quality of boats.....usually price dependent. We still would see problems with even the priciest boats just not as many. The stuff I have seen on this trailer wouldn't have happened even in our cheapest boats. Quality control seems to be non existent. I would assume FR doesn't get sued enough to change their behavior. I am sure this isn't just a FR problem probably occurs across the board. I think I got what we used to call a "Friday quitting time trailer" or a "Monday hungover trailer" Ok off my soapbox.......
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campman
Senior Member
Joined: 26 Mar 2021
Location: La Salle, MB
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 209
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Posted: 15 Jul 2021 at 12:55pm |
I am impressed by how well you repaired and finished it. I know you said your background helped out but you have documented and put together a great reference here for us...thanks again.
Andy
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Andy and Laurie
'16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg
'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
Red-Green
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lostagain
Senior Member
Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Online
Posts: 2587
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Posted: 15 Jul 2021 at 1:34pm |
You are never going to see trailer companies get sued for the results of inferior workmanship on their RV's. Despite the recent price increases for new smaller end trailers, the cost of litigation exceeds the value of the trailers. The defects of some products, such as cars, lead to serious personal injuries; however, it is pretty rare that anyone ever suffers a serious injury as a result of a partial wall delamination or a leaky plumbing line.
The only realistic hope for product improvement is market pressure, but that isn't going to happen given the realities of the RV market's price sensitivity. No one wants to pay the price for quality and manufactures have little incentive to build quality. Perhaps, some foreign competition would help as id did in the automotive and consumer electronics industries.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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