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Old 06-29-2015, 09:04 PM   #1
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Soft Spot in the Floor-FR Palomino

We have a soft spot in our bathroom floor.
This trailer is 3 yrs old.
At first we thought it could be carpenter ants-but not so.
We had a F.R. tech look at the floor and he said it was a failure on the sub floor.The cause was the big stretch(4 ft.) between the supports.
The sub floor is said to be Luan and not very thick.
The question is-has anyone else experienced this on an F.R. product?
Thanks-The Boss
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Old 06-29-2015, 10:54 PM   #2
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My son is currently replacing the floor on a keystone for that very reason.
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:18 AM   #3
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We have a soft spot in the floor in front of the sink area in our 2010 Sierra 355QBQ 5th wheel. I've talked to others with similar campers to mine and they have mentioned the same.
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:21 AM   #4
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Do you know if you have a wooden plywood floor or if it is one of the lightweight foam floors used by FR?
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:24 AM   #5
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I don't know for sure. I haven't ever heard about a foam floor. I always assumed it was wood.
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:33 AM   #6
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FR uses the foam floors to cut down on weight. It is a sandwich product with thin sheets of luan on either side of the foam core. The floor generally cannot be fixed and needs to be replaced. It is possible to cut out the section and replace with wood but the foam floor is rather thick. Could be 1". You need to replace with a like thickness for the floor to be smooth.

Try to do a google search for foam RV floor repair/replace. I am sure there are posts on forums that show this product.

Good luck.

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Old 06-30-2015, 09:36 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boss Hoss View Post
We have a soft spot in our bathroom floor.
This trailer is 3 yrs old.
At first we thought it could be carpenter ants-but not so.
We had a F.R. tech look at the floor and he said it was a failure on the sub floor.The cause was the big stretch(4 ft.) between the supports.
The sub floor is said to be Luan and not very thick.
The question is-has anyone else experienced this on an F.R. product?
Thanks-The Boss
You opened up a (Can of Worms) by asking (On a F/R product)! All F/R Units do (NOT) use the same (Type/Makeup) of Floors,ask about (1) type at a time or this will be a (Runaway Train)! Your unit is (Vinyl/luan/Foam/luan) floor makeup? Youroo!!
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:37 AM   #8
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It had been soft since we purchased the unit new. I just assumed some support beam or bracing needed to be placed in between to give more support.
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:40 AM   #9
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We have just dealt with it. I figure until I fall through it, I will just enjoy it while I have it.
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:40 AM   #10
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That is still a viable option at this point also. You can always get under there and install some wooded cross beams. No need to have a weld shop do it.
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:42 AM   #11
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We have just dealt with it. I figure until I fall through it, I will just enjoy it while I have it.
I think you need to be a bit more pro active on this. Falling through is not a good option. Hahaha.
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Old 06-30-2015, 09:51 AM   #12
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I have always been pro active on our camper. Seems like working on it is continual. I just replaced all of the ventline vent seals and screen frames and screens. The heat and UV rays has made them hard and brittle. A friend of mine have had their camper for 10 years and have only put tires on it and replaced the battery and nothing else. Makes me scratch my head in wonder. Do others do the same as I or not.
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Old 06-30-2015, 10:03 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by youroo View Post
You opened up a (Can of Worms) by asking (On a F/R product)! All F/R Units do (NOT) use the same (Type/Makeup) of Floors,ask about (1) type at a time or this will be a (Runaway Train)! Your unit is (Vinyl/luan/Foam/luan) floor makeup? Youroo!!
Boss Hoss this is the type of Floor in your unit! Youroo!!
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Old 06-30-2015, 01:52 PM   #14
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Our floor went soft about 2 years in. Talked to our dealer who worked it out with the factory. Factory replaced it - (several thousand $). We had to pay 'transportation' - about $700. Got new carpet & vinyl out of the deal - probably because it was easier. Some of the cabinets needed some re-screwing/alignment upon return. Our foam "must have had some large air bubbles that compressed". 4 years later. No problems with the new floor.

Some friends of ours had a similar problem, but didn't pursue it with FR. Hey just bought some plywood and 're-surfaced' their whole floor - right on top of the 'old' floor. worked for them. (had to be rather slim plywood to allow for clearance on low cabinets, though!
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Old 06-30-2015, 01:55 PM   #15
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2013 Gazelle G-215

Ours went to the factory in 2012, the year we bought it, for extra bracing because of soft spots by the bathroom door. They removed the gray tank and added some reinforcement. It was soft where 2 floor panels seemed to meet. Last year we noticed in August that the entire bathroom was real soft and when I put a small hole in the underbelly, it was wet. Dealer could find no leaks anywhere but said the floor was real bad. The worst he had ever seen and could not fix it there and have it be right. The unit went back to the factory (out of warranty) and they fixed everything at no charge. Factory rep told me it was built wrong from the beginning and they found other spots they repaired too. I could tell they removed and replaced all of the bottom trim around the unit and found lots of extra sealant in places it wasn't before. They fixed the bathroom by dropping the black tank, removing the rotten luan on the bottom (foam and top luan were OK) and replacing it with 3/4 plywood and resealed everything back up. They also had it open underneith for about a week with fans blowing to make sure it was dry. The only cost I incurred was picking it up at the factory because I wanted it home before anymore salt got on it like the first factory trip. So far so good. I did seal a few more things under there myself just to be safe. Ours is a Gazelle with the rear bath and the slide that has the couch, no dinette. The dealer and factory were very good and corrected the problem. In general though, I have grown very suspicious of these floors and would rather have the extra weight and real wood under my feet. With the 3/4" under the bathroom, I can tell the difference that it is now more solid than the rest of the coach. I am tempted to put a piece under the main walking area just for the added stability. Our 20 year old pop-up had just a 3/4" floor with no plastic underbelly and it was as good as the day it was built. Good Luck.

Steve
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Old 06-30-2015, 03:10 PM   #16
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Soft Floor

Quote:
Originally Posted by OKI Marine View Post
I don't know for sure. I haven't ever heard about a foam floor. I always assumed it was wood.
We have a '04 FR Surveyor and I had a rot problem in the head and in front of the main door. I was surprised to find the floor was wood/foam. Not just foam but styrofoam.
Best of luck.
Paul
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Old 06-30-2015, 05:14 PM   #17
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We have a Rockwood 8282ws and there is a soft spot in front of our fireplace. We are having the dealer fix the problem under warranty.
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Old 06-30-2015, 06:30 PM   #18
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Thanks All.
I wasn't aware that it was that big of a problem.Live and learn.
F.R. may well get this back at the end of the season.
Again-Thanks.
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Old 06-30-2015, 06:57 PM   #19
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Yep. Big problem. I just cannot understand why they put that stuff in a floor that people walk on. I guess the weight is a huge thing to avoid so people can tow these units with smaller vehicles.

Good luck to you.

Vin.
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Old 06-30-2015, 08:13 PM   #20
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You most likely have the foam laminated floor used on lite and ultra lite products through out the industry. You are experiencing foam compression. The bead board foam ( same material as a foam cup ) is breaking down and compressing under your weight. This is VERY common in these units. Bracing under the floor will not help. It's the foam compressing not the whole floor sagging. It's a complicated and expensive repair. Mfrs. need to install more floor joists in the high traffic areas of these trailers like in bath door and in front of kitchen sink. A mistake is made when these floors are cut open and the bonding of the flooring is weakened. Other than the feel of softness the floor is dependable. It's still glued and bonded. Take a styrofoam cup and pinch hard on the foam on the side of the cop and you will see it compress.
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