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Old 09-07-2009, 06:04 PM   #1
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chuck & lori
Putty in the wheelwells?

Noticed twice in the last week or so strips of gray putty about an inch wide and and eighth of an inch thick on the ground near the tires of the trailer. I reached up and another piece of this fell into my hand. It appears that this is between the side of the trailer and the inside of the plastic wheelwells. Looks like I will have to remove the wheelwells to fix this. Maybe wheelwells is the wrong term-I am refering to the colored plastic on the side of the trailer, not up under.
Anyone know what this stuff is? Also the wheelwells have some sort of sealant on the top edge. Anyone know what this is? I want to be sure I have the right stuff to fix this. Anything else I might be missing?
Thanks in advance for your help.
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Old 09-07-2009, 06:42 PM   #2
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I think you mean the fender skirt which
is the plastic shell above the wheels:


The stuff you are finding on the ground
and the sealant around the fender skirt
is Butyl Putty Tape:


http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/c...ants/97741.htm
http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/..._p/vts-419.htm
http://www.rvtravel.com/blog/lowtech...tape-time.html

Available at any RV dealer or supply house.
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Old 09-07-2009, 07:33 PM   #3
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chuck & lori
Thanks Steve. The fender skirt is what I was refering to. The sealant on the top is not the same as the putty though. It looks like clear silicone caulk. Would that work?
Thanks again
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Old 09-07-2009, 07:44 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck & lori
Thanks Steve. The fender skirt is what I was refering to. The sealant on the top is not the same as the putty though. It looks like clear silicone caulk. Would that work?
Thanks again
I don't see why not. If what's already on there looks like factory original and it appears to be clear silicone caulk, then I think you'd be ok to use it again. Just get a good quality one.
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Old 09-07-2009, 07:46 PM   #5
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Putty tape is supposed to be compressed and squeezed out of the joint by screws attaching the trim strip, window etc. I am surprised yours is coming out in a 1" strip which seems to indicate that the whole thing is just dropping out and the fender flare must not have been securely attached in the first place. Remove one or both wheels and use a flashlight to inspect the actual area from which the tape came, but be prepared to remove and redo the fender flare.

Here are two helpful links:

http://www.rvtravel.com/blog/lowtech...tape-time.html
Note that there are two types of putty tape and you'll have to choose which one to use.

I have not used this Eternabond product, but that would be another option and it sounds like your need is a suitable application. Note there are several Eternabond products--double check that you're buying the right one if you decide to go this route.
http://www.eternabond.com/detail.asp?id=ebds

FWIW:
The cheaper putty tape used by Sunline and most RV manufacturers tends to dry out and crack. The excess squeezed out all over the smooth sides of my 2499 also looks messy and is actually a focal point that speeds up the drying and cracking. Sunline used much thicker tape under the doors and neatly trimmed off the excess, but corners and windows were just left ugly. I used a putty tape tool--much better than a plastic putty knife--to trim off the xs on every single seam and then ran a small bead of polyurethane caulk overtop of every piece of putty tape including the wide ones under the doors. Thanks to Steve Collins for this tip. The trailer looks really sharp now with no more black strips on top of white fiberglass and no more black streaks from door and window putty tape. I'm hoping this is a long lasting fix, but will let you know if it isn't.

Henry
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Old 09-07-2009, 07:56 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Collins
Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck & lori
Thanks Steve. The fender skirt is what I was refering to. The sealant on the top is not the same as the putty though. It looks like clear silicone caulk. Would that work?
Thanks again
I don't see why not. If what's already on there looks like factory original and it appears to be clear silicone caulk, then I think you'd be ok to use it again. Just get a good quality one.
Steve, what's happened to you ? You finally got me to use polyurethane instead of silicone.

I am not aware that Sunline used silicone here--which leads me to wonder--if the fender flare got botched at the factory did it just get covered up by a quick fix caulking job rather than removing it and doing it properly.

I would not use silicone here. I'm sure Steve didn't have a change of heart. Polyurethane really is a much better product. It's hard to save a partial tube after opening it. Plan to do some other caulking around the house or trailer to use it up.

Henry

PS. I think you still need the putty tape. Use the polyurethane to finish off the outside with a nice neat bead after trimming the putty tape.
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Old 09-07-2009, 09:07 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by henryj
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Collins
Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck & lori
Thanks Steve. The fender skirt is what I was refering to. The sealant on the top is not the same as the putty though. It looks like clear silicone caulk. Would that work?
Thanks again
I don't see why not. If what's already on there looks like factory original and it appears to be clear silicone caulk, then I think you'd be ok to use it again. Just get a good quality one.
Steve, what's happened to you ? You finally got me to use polyurethane instead of silicone.

I am not aware that Sunline used silicone here--which leads me to wonder--if the fender flare got botched at the factory did it just get covered up by a quick fix caulking job rather than removing it and doing it properly.

I would not use silicone here. I'm sure Steve didn't have a change of heart. Polyurethane really is a much better product. It's hard to save a partial tube after opening it. Plan to do some other caulking around the house or trailer to use it up.

Henry

PS. I think you still need the putty tape. Use the polyurethane to finish off the outside with a nice neat bead after trimming the putty tape.
Mine has silicone around the top edge, and I'm pretty sure putty tape underneath. As the skirt flaps in the wind, the putty tape probably loosened up and is now falling out. Also, when the tape dries up, it tends to crack off too.

Henry, you don't have the silicone because you have a different style skirt. The '06 and '07 skirts were much larger and for some reason they felt the need to silicone them. All my previous coaches had just putty tape. I am wondering if they did this to possibly prevent water from getting in there and freezing, which can split the skirt.

Jon
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Old 09-08-2009, 06:45 PM   #8
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Thanks guys. I appreciate the help. Should be able to get it done this weekend
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