Soft floor

2015Columbus · 07-24-2018, 08:32 PM

We have a 2015 320 rs Columbus fifth wheel. We noticed a spongy floor in the center of the camper. Talked to our dealer and was told to contact Forest River. That they would do a better job repairing. We contacted FR and was told to have our dealer contact them. Thought we could do it directly. Any recommendations. Would like to have it repaired before it gets worse. Our dealer told us that the 2015 models had this problem because they used a thinner wood to save on weight. Really didn’t want to do the job.

rsdata · 07-24-2018, 08:44 PM

find a repair only RV service center... not a dealer...

amxpress · 08-06-2018, 09:23 PM

Stay on the dealer to contact the factory. They are familiar with soft floors and know how to properly repair them.

alsdas88 · 08-08-2018, 02:18 PM

My 2014 has soft floors. I am good with home construction, so I am going to apply some good fixes that will not damage the interior of the coach. I don't need to be replacing floor coverings at this time. Disappointing they used such poor quality materials on such a critical part of the unit...the floor.

ajaxzcars · 09-02-2018, 08:09 AM

I have a 2015 375RL with a soft floor. Went to Middlebury Indiana to the factory to see if my floor could be fixed. Talked to a manager and since I am the second owner no luck, I need to repair with a third party and pay for the repair on my own. There was over ten trailers waiting to be fixed. Talked to a line worker and he said the floor is a Styrofoam wafer and all the trailers will have a soft floor with wear. So if you are the original owner book your repair. I found some x Columbus workers in Shipshewana that fix the floor and they can do it in one day, will keep you posted. I asked the manager if this is a design problem he said no. the engineers approved it. He also said it is a random issue he said two friends bought two trailers only one has the soft floor, the trailer that was used more often.

ajaxzcars · 09-06-2018, 07:37 AM

Fixed my floor 375RL. Work was done by Shawn Severe in Shipshewana his phone number is 260 316 7688. They removed the belly pan from the trailer. Glued and screwed half inch plywood to the floor from the bottom. Installed 18 angle iron braces under the floor. The braces are actually supports for water tanks. Three guys did it in 6 hrs not three-five days that the factory wants. The three guys are actually x Columbus workers. No need to remove the floor from the inside and the floor now feels great. Sad they did not do this when they made the trailer. Shawn said they do all repairs to trailers, change roofs, and even change side walls if required. His team was great to deal with. So if you are the original owner call Columbus and get in line, if you are a second owner call Shawn. By the way if you floor is soft in will only get worse.

cryptopivot · 03-23-2020, 01:27 PM

I sure wish I would have taken a picture of what I discovered. I may at some point go back in there to take a picture of what I had to repair.

My floor was soft in a 2013 Sierra 31FK which has NEVER had a leak and is in immaculate condition, nothing has every been spilled on the floor. After cutting my belly pan and removing the insulation barrier, it was obvious that the manufacture had done a few things wrong.

1. Cut vent hole in area which the tongue and grove existed without using any support.
2. The wood floor joist was not connected all the way across and served zero purpose..

Due to the bad floor joist location and construction the tongue and groove broke over a period of time making the floor even more spongy in that area of the floor.

I was able to fix this issue by attaching a metal bracket to the metal crossbar members, thus giving the unconnected wooden joist something to lay on.

I also placed a 1 inch by 1.5 inch strip of wood under the floor seam (tongue and groove) and screwed along both sides of the seams. BE VERY CAREFUL doing this, so not to go up through your floor. I measured the thickness of both the flooring and the 1inch strip and was careful not to sink the screw very far into the support strip.

This has resolved my issue and allowed my OCD to focus on something else for a while.

I will also ad that I was rather happy to see the type of wood used on the Sierra 31FK in comparison to the floor type I had in my old 2009 Flagstaff. Real wood vs Cardboard/foam.

A picture would say a thousand words and I don't want to go back in there to take it. Depending on the interest in my response, I may do so anyways.

Love and Light!

2013Colombus · 05-12-2020, 03:31 PM

I have a 2013 Columbus 320RS. The floors went soft and continued to get worse. Contacted the Columbus factory and was told they would not fix it since it was long out of warranty, even though I am the original owner. Took it to Shawn Severe in Shipshuwana, IN. Him and his guys fixed it in one day by supporting from underneath by welding in 20 supporting rod across the I-beams. They did an excellent job. His company is Severe Custom RV and Restoration. I would very highly recommend him and his crew.

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