QuestionHi, i just purchased a 1990 Thor 5th wheel it has a previous very badly done
repair to the whole front bedroom area. It was leaking so i took off the siding
and front skin and all the inside paneling was rotton too. Also remove some
ceiling area. Found that the complete wood frame is rotton 70% of it anyway.
My questions are 1: Should i weld a metal frame in place of the wood
frame??
2: what type of insulation do i put in the walls and front?? they had none in
the old repair area.
3: One side is ok the other has bottom half of siding rough shape but
reuseable the top half (old repair) is just the fibertype skin no wood left. Can
i frame it and use a good 1/4 or 1/8" plywood then laminate this skin to it??
4: the front panel from roof to bottom of 5th wheel is just a fiberboard skin
it may have been bonded to wood at one time it is barely reusable. What are
my options to repair the front?? again can i use plywood and try to laminate
and then repair this lousy skin??
5: the area under the 5th wheel is also rotton so replacing that wood and the
fiber skin has no backing again what type of panels can i use on this area
Thanks I have read all the repair question very helpfull site Wayne
PS paid very little for the 5th wheel everything else is in great shape plan to
keep it a long time so that is why i stripped it all back to good wood.
AnswerHi Wayne, 1. Weight is always a concern if you plan on jurking it around the country with a gas guzzling pickup. Plus your axles are rated for only so much. So you need to find out what you can do as far as adding a metal frame and heavy plywood. If you are just going to park it....make a tank out of it. Be careful welding around it....RV's burn easily.
2. Styrofoam panels. The real dense pink stuff.
3.Yes, if you don't mind the extra weight.
4.Yes, if "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "
5.Use Aluminum Diamond Plate for under the 5th Wheel. You can make swing down doors between the frame rails for extra storage. Plus, It just looks trick! Good Luck
