Under belly issues

jannjim · 10-28-2019, 06:49 PM

I was reading another thread about storing the fiver on its leveling jacks during winter and one of the replies went into the issues someone found they started removing the belly panels to check things out.

"If you store for several months inside a building you have a perfect opportunity to work on the under belly of the camper, and believe me, once to start removing the panels you'll find lots of small details that need attention, i.e., insulation adjustments, securing the auto level device, zip tie & wire loom, lubricate the bare metal slide mechanisms, tightening straps on the water tanks, and adding additional belly panel supports. Do it now before the problems pop up next season."

Before I dig into mine, wondering how common these issues may be???

dward51 · 10-28-2019, 07:12 PM

Removing the coroplast underbelly is a real pain. Most are one large single sheet (come on a long roll from the factory). I would advise against it unless you have to in order to actually fix something.

Before you pull it "just to check" I would invest in a inexpensive endoscope that plugs into your cell phone ($30'ish on Amazon). You can then snake that up through a small hole or gap in the underbelly to look and see if major surgery is necessary.

After having pulled an underbelly off of our TT (not a 5'er), I will say this. I finally gave in and just cut the old underbelly out in sections and bought a new replacement underbelly as a single piece on a roll from Lippert. When putting it back on, it was much easier with the axles off (I was also replacing the springs as I had one that had flattened some so I needed to drop the axles anyway). I would presume the same will be true for a 5'er as that long single sheet of underbelly is very unwieldy.

Once you open it up, you may find a real Pandora's box of "might as well" issues, but that depends on brand/model as some are worse than others. I would think a 5'er might be better than a lower priced travel trailer.

All that being said, if you have a covered location, that is the way to do the maintenance no matter how deep you have to dive into the trailer.

jannjim · 10-28-2019, 07:23 PM

good point if you have a one piece underbelly cover...I haven't looked under mine real hard yet but this is what CC says we have "4’ x 6’ ABS, ribbed, removable underbelly panels for easy access into the underbelly"

dieselguy · 10-28-2019, 08:58 PM

My 2016 Silverback has the 4' by 6' (or some dimension close) plastic panels and not the one piece chloroplast sheet running the length of the underbelly. You have to remove a handful of screws at each joint running widthwise of the fiver as there is a 2X2" above that so the screws have something to hold to. They are a bit challenging getting back up inside the I-Beams, but patience will prevail. Leave the ones that have plumbing running thru them ... or at last I would.

SilhouettePenny · 10-29-2019, 10:04 AM

The Cedar Creeks don't use single sheet coroplast underneath, 4x5' plastic panels are installed using 2x2" wood supports from left to right. Any Creeker who has worked under there will tell you that an additional 2x2 needs to be added to each panel. I found that 1x3" boards were easier to install after cutting my panels on a table saw to a dimension of 2x5'. This makes it much easier to bend each panel for re-installation and simply seal the seam with HVAC tape. Now I can remove a small section for dump valve service without having to remove them all.

Additionally, if you can get the rig up on jack stands and remove the wheels/tires, then using a mechanics creeper allows you to prevent so many small issues that tend to pop up when your traveling.

Iwannacamp · 10-29-2019, 10:33 AM

I would think you could cut, number, remove in sections, add some furring strips, reapply the chloroplast and seal with super tape or Eternabond tape maybe.

Feel Swift · 10-29-2019, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jannjim

I was reading another thread about storing the fiver on its leveling jacks during winter and one of the replies went into the issues someone found they started removing the belly panels to check things out.

"If you store for several months inside a building you have a perfect opportunity to work on the under belly of the camper, and believe me, once to start removing the panels you'll find lots of small details that need attention, i.e., insulation adjustments, securing the auto level device, zip tie & wire loom, lubricate the bare metal slide mechanisms, tightening straps on the water tanks, and adding additional belly panel supports. Do it now before the problems pop up next season."

Before I dig into mine, wondering how common these issues may be???

They market the covered underbelly as better insulation, better aerodynamics, etc.

What it's really for is to hide the shoddy workmanship, eliminate the need for properly securing wiring and other items like water tanks, so on and so forth. It's also a good place to dump the trash from the build right before they lower the floor onto the frame. If you're lucky you'll also find an assortment of hardware, wire nuts, screws etc. and maybe even a nice set of dykes that you can use later.

SilhouettePenny · 10-29-2019, 10:48 AM

Absolutely NO chloroplast on any campers unless it's covered in mildew and other green growing organics.

And No coroplast under the Cedar Creeks either.

But I did in fact find some dykes side cutting pliers, an assortment of screws and enough extra wiring to help with future projects.

If your slides squeal when you move them then it's definitely worth removing the underbelly to grease the 2x2" square tube supports for the slide rooms. They are not lubricated from the factory and over time the noise will convince you to take a look.

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