rust on inside of rear bumper

[paulr]

On my sunline the rear bumper is hollow and that is where the sewer hose goes, after years of water and god knows what coming off the hose the inside of the bumper is very badly rusted, I have already taken care of the outside by using a wire brush and a grinder and then painting with rust converter and then black paint but I am at a loss as to how to remove the rust on the inside of the bumper and I am curious as to how others have handle this on older sunlines.

[kanyonkitty]

Here was my solution to the rusty bumper:



There are different variations of the method used to keep the hose in the fence post, but I did the "girlie method"

The only thing I know to do with the metal bumper is to get a string mop and use it to paint the inside of the factory bumper, but this doesn't last long, that's why I went with the fence post cover(aka sewer hose holder).

Kitty

[Steve Collins]

I long ago stopped using the bumper for storing the hose. The rust is inevitable and it acts like sandpaper on the hose. The only thing I store in that bumper now is 11" sections of 4x4's for cribbing on sloped campsites.

Several folks have had moderate success using a mop of some kind dipped in paint to prevent the rust, but once it gets started, it just keeps coming back.

I used a 4" section of PVC pipe for many year to store the hose. Others have similar solutions. If my 2453 did not have a rear compartment, I would have added the 5x5 section of square vinyl fence post materiel on top of the bumper, too. I like the look of Kitty's solution the best.

Now I use a shorty plastic tote box for the hose and a couple of other items that go along with it. A few sprays with a clorox mixture after washing keeps it all reasonable clean and odor free. I have several other totes the same size; one for fresh water hoses and connectors, and one for propane hoses and connectors.

[wagonman76]

I have thought about rolling up a sheet of thin stainless steel or aluminum and fixing it inside the bumper. Of course I would have to check the actual size of the hose to make sure it would fit. My endcaps are gone too. I just keep a short bungee across the endcap holes. Helps any residual junk drain too, rather than be bottled up and festering.

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by wagonman76

I have thought about rolling up a sheet of thin stainless steel or aluminum and fixing it inside the bumper. Of course I would have to check the actual size of the hose to make sure it would fit. My endcaps are gone too. I just keep a short bungee across the endcap holes. Helps any residual junk drain too, rather than be bottled up and festering.

TCRV has the original OEM style bumper caps with the pins on them. They are the only place I've found recently to carry them. Most places have the non-pinned version.

Jon

[Viking]

If you are not going to store anything inside the bumper, you could probably get a rustproofing shop, like Ziebart, to spray the inside of it. They have long wands that will reach in there. Couldn't cost that much.
if you are a die hard do it yourself kind, places like J. C. Whitney used to sell the stuff.
Just a thought.
Roar

[paulr]

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas, I think I am going to use a paint on bed liner for the inside of the bumper, and I like the vinyl fence post idea, because it looks easy to clean so I will pick one up tomorrow and a half gallon can of bed liner and a string mop and give it try. I have posted a few pictures in the new member section of our sunline we bought.

[JohnB]

I did the PVC pipe. I was tipped off about the rust from day one so my hose has never seen the dark of night inside the bumper….







There are 1/2" drain holes in the bottom of the pipe as well.

If you unbolt the bumper off the camper, stand it up and tap it on the concrete or a piece of board. About a 1/4 of a bushel of rust will fall out…..

If yours is rusted bad inside, some rust converter poured in and spread around will stop rusting action. And then you have to paint it or it will start rusting again.

I tied a rag on the end of a long stick and used it as a ram rod back and forth. Worked well.



Hope this helps and good luck

John

[paulr]

Shoot yea that helps, to bad my my wife jaime has started reading the forums as well, I could just act like the smartest man in the world and tell her I came up with all these great ideas!

[Honda03842]

The plastic pipe solutions are very nice, we use one on our Motorhome. It is definitely the best solution, lasting forever and easy to clean.

On our Sunline we use the rear bumper as did the previous owner.

Our trailer is now 28 years old and the inside of the bumper is rusted, and though I'm totally anti rust, painting my frame every year because our travels just chip away paint, I let the inside of the bumper go.

It is not rusted through and I don't expect to live long enough to see that happen. We did replace the plastic end caps on the bumper and keep them closed with the a bungee on each end.