Is it a nightmare to get into the underbelly

[Skyliner]

Pull the coroplast. You'll be amazed and disgusted by what you see under there.

I saw the following on last camper:

1. Brake electrical lines hanging on the coroplast and not secured anywhere

2. Other electrical lines from battery to converter panel in rear with few mounts to secure them and most were run across the coroplast.

3. All tanks (fresh, black, and grey) poorly secured. 2 small tack welds made on thin strap. Couple welds already failed and fresh tank was ready to fall off. I used angle iron hardmounded with self tapping bolts and threaded rods to reinforce tanks and existing mounts so they would never fall off. TOO MANY INTERNET HORROR STORIES ABOUT WATER TANKS FALLING OFF. <--just google them!

4. Check all gas lines since you are under there. A squirt bottle filled with soapy water (use dishwashing soap) doeos the trick. I had 3 areas where propane was leaking out and redoing the fittings with some gas pipe dope did the trick!

5. Great time to run inverter wiring, heavier battery wiring (going to 4/0 cable from front batteries to rear bank and inverter in rear on my trailer) <1% loss with this cable based on 50mp usage.

6. Great time to install a macerator pump and/or wiring.

7. Great time to run electrical for rear hitch and install a proportional brake controller on the fifth wheel to run the electric brakes on the ATV trailer pulled behind it.

8. Great chance to make sure that new camper you just bought doesn't have plumbing incorrectly routed....too many stories of grey water going into black tank.

9. Great opportunity to take your camper to local welder and have new perches welded on axles and axles lifted for extra clearance for us Colorado back country campers.

I use aluminum channel across to secure any coroplast that I split in half to secure them width-wise. Wood will eventually rot.

I also will spray undercoating on all exposed metal under camper to protect it from rusting and prolong its life.

If you can weld, feel free to tidy up the substandard welds Lippert is known for.

Check brake wiring for chaffing....had some on last camper that was causing intermittent loss of braking.

Excellent opportunity to place heating pads on your tanks, and some self-regulating heating cord wrapped around all drain lines and other water lines.

Finish up by insulating the heck out of everything. I am considering having a ton of foam sprayed in there so it not only insulates but also secures things a bit better.

[KenHwy61]

I took my underbelly off to add a second fresh water tank and was also dismayed at what I saw. While I didn't have anything as bad as tanks falling off, I was surprised at the sloppy workmanship. Wires loose everywhere, one duct crushed and split, trash left behind, holes cut into floor much bigger than needed, etc, etc. Like others have done, I took the opportunity to improve everything I could. I posted a few pictures of some before and after of the wiring and the redoing of the ductwork. I now have 100% PEX tubing (no more braided at all) and insulated the water lines. and The structure quality of my trailer is top notch and now the rest underneath looks as it should. It should be pretty trouble free from now on.

[Swift 2]

I found that a couple of 1"x4" boards work well to form a "T" to hold the corrugated black plastic up while I screw it back up. Takes 2 or 3 " T's to get up even. My C is only a year old and it has been opened up twice. Once because the little insulation that was there was totally soaked from driving in the rain, hanging down on the axel from the weight of the water. Once you open the bottom you will have a lengthy job ahead of you fixings things that should have bee done at the factory.

[EastlakeRoo]

I agree with everyone that the underneath workmanship is less than sub par. I had to take down my underbelly because birds had found a way in their to nest. Had little birds running up and down the trailer under the floor. The sound was crazy. What a friggin mess that was to remove all nests from inside there. Found there was a hole in the frame of trailer that was giving them access to the underneath. Blocked that off and no more problems. What a nightmare rolling around the entire underneath of the trailer chasing birds out. Wasn't hard to remove the panels. Just took out the screws used and the panels dropped down.

[itat]

Does anyone have any pics of how the Coroplast is secured to the frame? I have some Horst Miracle Probe tank level indicators that I'd like to install. Based on what everyone here is saying I may want to investigate how well everything is secured underneath, especially the tanks.

[KenHwy61]

It is secured to the bottom of the frame rails with self-tapping screws and a thin strip of metal to hold the coroplast. Very simple set-up. With a good cordless driver you can have the bottom off quickly. I have my bottom off right now to add a second fresh water tank. I plan to buy new coroplast panels and install it in sections for easier future servicing.