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Old 03-28-2013, 09:00 AM   #1
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SV261T floor repair/replace (from previous thread)

ref this old thread from last year...Surveyor SV261T

sself1219 & mattison09,
I wanted to update you guys on our floor. Not that there is much to update. Let me know if you have made any progress.

On the way back from our 2 wk trip last summer, some guy lost a bike off of his carrier. I missed the bike with the truck, but it struck the front lower corner cap of the camper, and damage 1 brand new tire. We did 1 more weekend trip with the damage patched, then took it it for insurance repair. That took longer than expected. By the time it got back, and I did some roof maintenance, it was getting too cold to do the floor job.

So, the camper has been tucked away, and I'm hoping to get going on the flooring after Easter.

I'm planning to remove the sofa, dinette seats, table, and fresh water tank. Then pull up all of the original lino, and survey the flooring. My biggest concern is not knowing if there are any floor joists, or if the entire floor is just 1 big laminated piece with no joists. Since the underbody has that black plastic sheeting, I can't see anything.

So, did either of you get anywere in the fall or winter?
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Old 03-28-2013, 10:37 AM   #2
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I might suggest that you try sending a PM to the members you're wanting feedback from. With posts they're back on page 7 in one day and easily missed.

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Old 04-04-2013, 01:26 PM   #3
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I never got around to doing anything about my floor, My bass boat wound up needing some work and it's been the priority with spring on the way. We're going camping tomorrow to boondock for the weekend and I've got a couple more trips planned this spring already so I don't know when I'll get the floor fixed. My soft spot is right up next to the wall under the dinette so at least it doesn't get walked on. Everything under the benches seems solid and there hasn't been any moisture in the camper all winter as it's been stored in my father's warehouse. Maybe when it gets too hot in July or August, i'll get it torn apart to see what needs replaced. There almost has to be some kind of joist under the floor as the decking wouldn't be nearly strong enough to hold the walls. Good luck, let me know if you decided to tackle this project in the near future.
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Old 04-08-2013, 01:42 PM   #4
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I finally found this repair from a guy that bought and reconditioned a 2000 model Rockwood Roo (same construction as our Surveyors). These are the best pics I've seen, showing that there are in fact 1.5" square tube joists in the floor, which are probably the same as the walls and ceiling on these ultralight models.
Also note the fine 1.5" steel tube support structure this guy welded in place underneath to support the new wood floor structure.

For my part, I finally got some work done last Saturday. Removed the jacknife sofa, table, fresh water tank, and dinette seats to completely open up the front end. Pulled back the original lino (which was no longer adhering at all). Not good. All dark with moisture, although I don't yet see any signs of mold. It's been in my dad's barn all winter, so this must be moisture form last season that could not escape, froze, then thawed.

I will get some pictures where things are now, and document my progress here.
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Old 04-08-2013, 01:47 PM   #5
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Thanks for the update, I look forward to seeing the pictures. We took our Surveyor on a 200 mile round trip this last weekend and all seemed well. I did find some moisture damage in the front drivers side storage right at the door that I think may be the cause for the soft spot at the dinette. I'm going to investigate that further this coming weekend and see if it's something I can fix with some caulk for right now until I have time to take it apart and fix the floor.
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Old 04-16-2013, 10:34 AM   #6
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Well, I cut around the main soft spot, as a rectangle about 16x32 inch. The top layer of wood is ¼" plywood bonded to the styrafoam insulation. The two 1/8" plys had delaminated, letting the top ply come right up. The remaining 1/8" ply came up in pieces by hand, with the last paperthin layer peeling cleanly from the foam.
My trim saw would only cut about 1" into the foam. I carefully perforated the remaining ½" with a screwdriver (being careful not to push too deep to the membrane). This allowed me to simply break out the small sections of foam.
What was once probably another layer of ¼" 2-ply plywood below the foam was badly deteriorated, and simply flaked apart by hand, easily exposing the water-barrior membrane below.
The membrane seems incredibly durable, which it must be to resist stones and debris on the road. But still be careful with it. From above, it is brown, no doubt from long-contact with the plywood.
I did not cut any further (no aluminum tubing exposed) for fear of the entire floor collapsing. I have a dehumidifier in the camper. We'll see how the rear dries out back there, now that the lino is gone, and the moisture has somewhere to go. Hopefully, the rear will not need to come apart.
I will be contacting a friend at a welding/fabricating shop to see about getting a reinforcing system welded in under the membrane. Right now, the only cross supports are the angle iron which holds the holding tanks (over the axles), and 1 additional pc of angle iron that runs across from the entrance door. That leaves about 7 feet of unsupported floor, plus the front pass thru storage.
I now see why both RV shops I visited gave me a no-quote.
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Old 05-22-2013, 04:18 PM   #7
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Steel frame is now installed, and the floor already feels significantly better. The entire floor used to visibly flex like a drum. Now it's held by the steel tube framework beneath. The tubing is 2" square cross-section of 1/8" steel. I'll be hiting it with rustoleum tonight before this humidity starts working it's magic. I know, worthless without pics. I'll see what i can do.
But it's 1 tube going across, just in front of the wheels/holding tanks, and another half-way between that and the front crossmember. Then 3 tubes running longitudinal from the holding tanks to that center crossmember, and 2 more running from that center crossmember to the front crossmember. He also added 1 crossmember under the rear bunkhouse.
I estimate I've added about 120lbs so far.
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Old 05-23-2013, 01:00 PM   #8
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That sounds like a lot of work but sounds like it made a big difference in the structural integrity of the camper. I look forward to seeing pics of your hard work.
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Old 06-05-2013, 10:17 PM   #9
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I'm made a lot of progress, as I've taken off work this week to get this project moving. I've decided to document the work in the main Repair Section.
Follow this link for details and pics.
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