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Old 06-17-2019, 10:11 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Digmenow View Post

This will be more difficult than I thought.
If you are looking for a 100% dry one, the search could take a while and then some. They do exist, ideally someone who had it stored inside and understood the need for roof maintenance routinely. The corner/window flange, cargo door etc leaks and other putty tape failures can still exist unless they knew to caulk the flanges.

Good luck with the hunt. Let us know when you need help.

John
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Old 06-23-2019, 09:02 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB View Post
If you are looking for a 100% dry one, the search could take a while and then some. They do exist, ideally someone who had it stored inside and understood the need for roof maintenance routinely. The corner/window flange, cargo door etc leaks and other putty tape failures can still exist unless they knew to caulk the flanges.

Good luck with the hunt. Let us know when you need help.

John
You mean like this?

Quote:
2004 T280 SR Solaris Sunline Travel Trailer
$10,500
One owner, Excellent condition, Garage stored, Sleeps six, Many extras









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Old 06-27-2019, 09:00 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Digmenow View Post
You mean like this?
Yes that T280SR is a nice one. It too would need a moisture meter check, but if the original owner took that good a care of it, it is a go see one if you are interested in the front kitchen layout. The meter can scan through the fiberglass on the outside and look into the wall. So you can scan inside and outside on the the fiberglass ones. The aluminum sided you can only scan from the inside as the metal siding gives the meter false high numbers.
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Old 06-29-2019, 07:24 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB View Post
Yes that T280SR is a nice one. It too would need a moisture meter check, but if the original owner took that good a care of it, it is a go see one if you are interested in the front kitchen layout. The meter can scan through the fiberglass on the outside and look into the wall. So you can scan inside and outside on the the fiberglass ones. The aluminum sided you can only scan from the inside as the metal siding gives the meter false high numbers.
I found out about scanning through the fiberglass when we went looking at some previously owned units at a nearby dealer. Thanks for the tip! Edit: BTW, I've started scanning the floors as well. Seems to work.

I spoke with the owners of the 280 this evening and will be driving up to look at it tomorrow afternoon. It's only about 45 minutes away. It has spent its life stored inside of a structure. There's been minimal yearly usage that fell off as they got older and their camping circle of friends dropped out of the pastime until only they were left. It only saw rain if it rained on one of the trips.

No pets, non smokers, one daughter who only occasionally accompanied them. It's all original and they chose Sunline because they toured the factory and were very impressed by the employees, especially the number of women involved in the construction.

It's almost a shame that it will leave their care because I certainly don't have access to swing a 29 foot camper into my back yard and park it in a specially constructed building. I'll keep it covered, though if I can make a deal on it. It's probably worth every penny they are asking for it but it's more than I want to spend on a 15 year old camper, regardless of condition. We'll see.

I'm kind of stoked right now. More tomorrow.
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Old 06-29-2019, 08:37 PM   #25
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It sounds like a great kept camper. Just as FYI, when loaded that model can have a 1,000# to 1,200# loaded tongue weight. It fits a 3/4 ton tow vehicle well or a very upgraded 1/2 ton newer pickup truck.

And yes, you can scan the floors and go under the camper and scan up at the black plastic Darco waterproof membrane.

Good luck. That is a nice camper. As to the price, buying a good used large slide room camper is in the range of price he has when bought at a dealership. Private sale can be less at times. With that one looking so good, a dealer may even try to charge more. Get the best deal you can and feel good about the camper. Especially if it is a dry one.
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Old 07-01-2019, 06:06 PM   #26
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It was stunningly beautiful. The couple who owned it confirmed that it only left the building maybe 3 or 4 times a year. If something spilled on the carpet, she cleaned it on the spot. He washed it after every trip before putting it away. He lubed the slide mechanism yearly but made sure not to overdo it so that it would not stain the carpet when the slide came in.

Everything works. He demonstrated it all (except for the water heater that I forgot to test, doh). He already had a ladder set up so that I could see the roof (immaculate). I had called ahead to ask if I needed to bring my own. I think they would have been thrilled had I offered to buy the F-250 Lariat that they bought to tow it but that boat has already sailed.

Everything on it is original with the exception of one of the propane tanks which had been replaced a few years ago. He seemed startled that other one (the original) could no longer be filled. This was after I told him that all five original tires had DOT dates of 2004 and were ten years overdue for replacement. Plenty of tread and no cracks or dry rot, though! They took it to Tennessee on those tires but mostly went to more local campgrounds. Lucky? You decide.

They told us that although the camper had been on the market for over two years, we were the first to come to see it. Their house was about as far away from any road with traffic that there could have been and with it spending its life in a building, there was little opportunity for anyone to notice it. I only found it because I searched for something very specific. As my son-in-law said, it was like the Sunline had been waiting for us to find it.

More than I had wanted to spend but realistically within the range of what we were willing to go and definitely worth every penny and then some. They are insisting on having it inspected (on their dime) and they want to split the cost of the replacement tires of MY choice!

They had already dropped the price previously and we negotiated an even lower price outside of the concessions they were already granting with the inspection and tires. He's giving me the entire hitch assembly that the dealer installed when they bought it.

We all agreed on the deal and told them to take their time getting it ready to go as we were camping this weekend and couldn't take it. Sometime in the next couple of weeks, we'll tow it home.

Oh, the moisture meter? Bone dry with zeros on the meter everywhere with the exception of a small area below the rear window that I found while I was out of sight of the owner. The meter scored it in the low 60's to mid 40's. I had not had a chance to mention it to him when he told me that not long after they got the camper, they had a leak below the window and he immediately repaired it. I believe he's the first person to tell me about water damage in advance! I think that area is dry enough for government work.
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Old 07-02-2019, 07:21 AM   #27
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Here's a question for Jon/Sunline Fan. Or anybody else who might know the answer. These 15 inch wheels are original to the camper (as are the tires! ). Any idea who the wheel manufacturer is/was? I'm trying to determine their weight rating since a tire purchase may be imminent and I need to let the folks know my preference. No point in putting a high load tire on a mid load wheel since, as I understand it, the lowest rating of either the wheel or the tire is the max rating.

I've basically decided on the Goodyear Endurance since everything else worth using has to be shipped and if there's trouble on the road, there's about 10 Goodyear dealers within a 20 mile radius of anywhere that I will be camping. That way I don't end up with one weird tire. Hopefully.

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Old 07-03-2019, 07:16 PM   #28
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Dig,

Wow! Great and good for you!!!! That is one nice and well built camper.

The tires that would be on it from Sunline would be ST225/75R15 load range D. That tires size is rated at 2,540# per tire. Or 10,160 # of tires for the whole camper. The GVWR on the camper is 8,600#. And the loaded tongue weight on that camper is in the 1,200# range. I have weighed a 2005 T280SR and that was what theirs came out to be.

If you stay at or under the 8,600# GVWR rating and using 1,000# estimate for a loaded camper tongue weight, that leaves 7,600# to be held on the 4 tires. While all 4 tires are "not" equally loaded, 7,600/4 = 1,900# potential against a D load range tire capable of 2,540# or 640# of reserve capacity. This is about 25% extra load capacity.

Using the now recommended figure of 20% extra load capacity to help ward off interply shear or tire tread separation from tandem axle turning, the D load range does fit. The only way to get closer and be more accurate is to scale each wheel with the camper loaded and the WD hitch engaged and set for the truck. The trailer front axle has extra weight from the WD hitch that is not part of the camper loaded weight.

I have seen those rims before on a Sunnybrook camper, but if they are original from Sunline, they should support the D load range tire. I do not know about taking a jump to E load range as they are 80 psi tires.

On the moisture reading under the rear window, that could be a window flange leak. If the meter is reading 60% in a somewhat large area, not a metal in the wall blip, something is going on in the wall. This wetness could be from when they where out camping in it. In the somewhat near future more investigation should go on with it to rule it is in need of a fix or not.

Since this is a 2004 slide room camper, see this post http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...eck-11086.html

I see this camper has a slide topper on it. The topper lessens the issue but does not eliminate it. Regardless, look for those screw holes in the Darco slide floor bottom and get them sealed up. Since he garaged the camper, your odds are good both ends of the slide floor are rock hard and the moisture meter can confirm it. Now is the time to seal up those screw holes before bad luck comes your way and water finds its way in there.

Remember we like pics!!! Looking forward to seeing you new rig all setup.

Have fun with the new camper. Always good times.

John
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Old 07-03-2019, 09:40 PM   #29
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Thanks John and thanks also for the heads up about the slide floor. I had forgotten about that issue since I was concentrating on 2007 models during my search. The 2004 just happened to pop up on the radar, to my good fortune.
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Old 07-04-2019, 02:02 PM   #30
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WOW, what a beautiful trailer! Yes, I do believe those aluminum wheels to be original, they were optional at the time and a pretty rare option at that. They usually only show up on SE package trailers, although I think they could be had on an aluminum sided one too. The aluminum wheel option changed to a five spoke in 2005, so I think this one was only 2001-04. The 2001 brochure has a picture of the actual wheel, although it looks a little different. I've seen the style you have on Sunlines before though, so I believe it to be correct.

I can't help you on a supplier. It may be stamped on the back side somewhere.

+1 on Goodyear Endurance. Granted I don't have a ton of miles on mine, but I'm very happy with them.
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Old 07-04-2019, 07:05 PM   #31
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WOW, what a beautiful trailer! Yes, I do believe those aluminum wheels to be original, they were optional at the time and a pretty rare option at that. They usually only show up on SE package trailers, although I think they could be had on an aluminum sided one too. The aluminum wheel option changed to a five spoke in 2005, so I think this one was only 2001-04. The 2001 brochure has a picture of the actual wheel, although it looks a little different. I've seen the style you have on Sunlines before though, so I believe it to be correct.

I can't help you on a supplier. It may be stamped on the back side somewhere.

+1 on Goodyear Endurance. Granted I don't have a ton of miles on mine, but I'm very happy with them.
Thanks for chiming in on this. I believe that the max load/pressure is supposed to be stamped on the back of the wheel so I'll be able to look into it more closely if this deal closes. Meanwhile, the owners told us that this queen size CUSTOM FITTED bedspread was original equipment from Sunline! I didn't even know they covered the bedding. I though you got a mattress and the rest was up to you.

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Old 07-04-2019, 07:13 PM   #32
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Originally Posted by Digmenow View Post
Thanks for chiming in on this. I believe that the max load/pressure is supposed to be stamped on the back of the wheel so I'll be able to look into it more closely if this deal closes. Meanwhile, the owners told us that this queen size CUSTOM FITTED bedspread was original equipment from Sunline! I didn't even know they covered the bedding. I though you got a mattress and the rest was up to you.



Yes, that appears to be very similar to our T-276SR, also a 2007.
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Old 07-05-2019, 07:34 AM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Digmenow View Post
Thanks for chiming in on this. I believe that the max load/pressure is supposed to be stamped on the back of the wheel so I'll be able to look into it more closely if this deal closes. Meanwhile, the owners told us that this queen size CUSTOM FITTED bedspread was original equipment from Sunline! I didn't even know they covered the bedding. I though you got a mattress and the rest was up to you.
Fitted bedspreads were standard in Sunlines since at least the early '90s. I don't recall the exact year right now. Even the twin bed trailers received matching twin bedspreads. Some even came with a pillow filler too, and later trailers with two matching pillow cases received a filler pillow in those.

I've heard that people throw out/give away the throw pillows and bedspread sometimes because they don't use them, and as you know, there's not a lot of extra space in a trailer. So that's probably what happened with your 1950.
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Old 07-17-2019, 10:18 PM   #34
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Dig,

Wow! Great and good for you!!!! That is one nice and well built camper.

The tires that would be on it from Sunline would be ST225/75R15 load range D. That tires size is rated at 2,540# per tire. Or 10,160 # of tires for the whole camper. The GVWR on the camper is 8,600#. And the loaded tongue weight on that camper is in the 1,200# range. I have weighed a 2005 T280SR and that was what theirs came out to be.

If you stay at or under the 8,600# GVWR rating and using 1,000# estimate for a loaded camper tongue weight, that leaves 7,600# to be held on the 4 tires. While all 4 tires are "not" equally loaded, 7,600/4 = 1,900# potential against a D load range tire capable of 2,540# or 640# of reserve capacity. This is about 25% extra load capacity.

Using the now recommended figure of 20% extra load capacity to help ward off interply shear or tire tread separation from tandem axle turning, the D load range does fit. The only way to get closer and be more accurate is to scale each wheel with the camper loaded and the WD hitch engaged and set for the truck. The trailer front axle has extra weight from the WD hitch that is not part of the camper loaded weight.

I have seen those rims before on a Sunnybrook camper, but if they are original from Sunline, they should support the D load range tire. I do not know about taking a jump to E load range as they are 80 psi tires.
I am picking up the camper this Friday morning and will be taking it directly to a tire dealer a couple of miles from where the camper currently lives. After much consideration, I have decided to go with the Goodyear Endurance tires mainly because A) it avoids the 'China Bomb' issue, B) the likelihood of finding a matching replacement if a tire failure occurs on the road is greater with Goodyear than some unknown brand that came over in a container 6 months ago and C) the tire shop guy has verified that the DOT dates are 2219 so the tires are just over one month old!

I will have them replace all 5 tires but due to the size (225/75/15), they will come with an "E" rating instead of the current "D" that came on the camper with a max pressure of 80 psi. Since the wheels are only rated up to 65 psi, do you think it is acceptable to run the Goodyears at 65 instead of 80? I'll ask the salesman, of course but you have to wonder how knowledgeable these guys are when it comes to these tires.


Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB
On the moisture reading under the rear window, that could be a window flange leak. If the meter is reading 60% in a somewhat large area, not a metal in the wall blip, something is going on in the wall. This wetness could be from when they where out camping in it. In the somewhat near future more investigation should go on with it to rule it is in need of a fix or not.

Since this is a 2004 slide room camper, see this post http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...eck-11086.html

I see this camper has a slide topper on it. The topper lessens the issue but does not eliminate it. Regardless, look for those screw holes in the Darco slide floor bottom and get them sealed up. Since he garaged the camper, your odds are good both ends of the slide floor are rock hard and the moisture meter can confirm it. Now is the time to seal up those screw holes before bad luck comes your way and water finds its way in there.

Remember we like pics!!! Looking forward to seeing you new rig all setup.

Have fun with the new camper. Always good times.

John
I went up to pay for it and collect the paperwork to get it titled and tagged and completely FORGOT to look under the slide at the Darco. I re-read your link (with a careful reading of Matti's aluminum strip adjustment) and then went to your Slide Floor Water Damage thread. Of special interest to me was the drip rail solution and how to install them. I guess I'll have to wait until I get it home to see about that.

Just to be sure that I understand, are these countersunk holes only on the front and back wall ends of the slide or do they run down the length of the outside wall as well? In other words, will I be affixing the under belly tape in a strip at either end, only or will it make the letter "C" under the slide?
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Old 07-17-2019, 10:46 PM   #35
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Google is my friend, I think.

Aluminum Wheel Air Pressure Capacity When Using Higher Rated Tires


Quote:
Question:
I have a 2010 35 ft Montana 5 wheel w/ 16inch cast aluminum rims . 235/80/16 I cannot find a brand name on these rims. I was thinking about going to your 235/85/16 G rated tire but Im concered about the rating on the rim for air pressure . Can you help?

asked by: R W

Expert Reply:
I checked out the aluminum wheels we offer to see if there were large variances concerning tire pressure. For wheels that have a 6 on 5-1/2 bolt pattern, the psi rating was either 80 or 85. For wheels that had an 8 on 6-1/2 bolt pattern the psi rating varied from 80 to 110.

I also spoke with our resident tire and wheel expert. They told me that if you use a tire on an aluminum wheel that has a higher psi rating than the wheel, you need to use a heavy-duty valve stem. Even though the tire may be rated to carry more weight, you would still need to make sure you do not exceed the lowest rated part of the system.

If you were to place a tire like part # AM10295 on one of the aluminum wheels like part # AM22657 , you would not be able to exceed the 3,200 lb rating on the wheel.

You could use a valve stem like part # AM20906 , and inflate the tire to 95 lbs like the # AM10295 uses, but you would not be able to go over the 3,200 lb rating. we also offer a valve stem that is capable of handling tire pressure between 65 and 100. That is part # AM20904 .
Based on the expert's reply, I need a heavy duty valve stem and then pump the tire to 80 psi but the weight still can't exceed the wheel's load rating. I'd be fine with that.
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Old 07-18-2019, 08:33 AM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Digmenow View Post
I am picking up the camper this Friday morning and will be taking it directly to a tire dealer a couple of miles from where the camper currently lives. After much consideration, I have decided to go with the Goodyear Endurance tires mainly because A) it avoids the 'China Bomb' issue, B) the likelihood of finding a matching replacement if a tire failure occurs on the road is greater with Goodyear than some unknown brand that came over in a container 6 months ago and C) the tire shop guy has verified that the DOT dates are 2219 so the tires are just over one month old!

I will have them replace all 5 tires but due to the size (225/75/15), they will come with an "E" rating instead of the current "D" that came on the camper with a max pressure of 80 psi. Since the wheels are only rated up to 65 psi, do you think it is acceptable to run the Goodyears at 65 instead of 80? I'll ask the salesman, of course but you have to wonder how knowledgeable these guys are when it comes to these tires.
Hi Dig,

I'll answer this one seperate from the others. This is what I know of the trailer tire wheel and loads.

The wheels have a load rating. Meaning a weight rating. Most times it is stamped into the wheel, but not always. You should not exceed the weight rating.

Next is the pressure topic. Some wheel manufacturers post pressure "listings", and the ones I found that listed a pressure rating (not all do) aligns with load rating. A D load range is 65psi and an E load range 80psi etc. However on pressure, this "listing" is a cold number, not the at load and heated tire pressure under way rating. It is common to see 10% pressure increases in tire pressure above the cold inflation pressure at the start of a summer day. And in some cases, you can get close to 20% above just rolling down the highway. BUT, in all this while the pressure rose, the loads imposed on the tires/wheels from the camper did not change. Notice I called the psi as a listing and not a max rating like the weight. The wheel makers know the air pressure is going to rise for that size wheel and they incorporate pressure rise in the design of the wheel but they state the starting pressure which aligns with the load rating.

So, what does that mean in relation to a pressure rating jumping one load range size on an existing wheel? Good question. As to what pressure can the rim handle and not fail for pressure, I do not know. The wheel manufacturer may be the only one to know that for sure unless there is a wheel standard they have to product to and I'm not aware of them.

In your case, going from D load range to E load range is the want to gain extra "reserve capacity" in the tire to help ward off interply shear in the tires of a tandem axle setup. If you are doing it for that reason and "not" trying to increase the camper weight load carrying and tire load rating, then that part of the reason is OK. Just do not go over the weight rating of the D load range that is stamped on the wheel.

The valve stems, YES, they need to be high pressure valve stems on the 80psi. Either go with high pressure rubber snap in's or go all metal valve stems both rated for the higher pressure. The standard ones that where on your D tires is not enough.

I have converted to using metal valve stems on trailer wheels and just moved on. With the curved rim issue trying to seal a metal stem valve on the valve stem hole on the 15" D load rage wheels, I found using tire bead sealer on the gasket solves the issue. I had a heck of a time years ago getting metal stems to seal on a 15" D load range rims. The hole is stamped in the bend curve of the wheel. The gasket has nothing true flat to seal too. Since I started using bead sealer on the gasket, they mount and work right out of the gate. No leaks since. I have mounted at least 8 x 5 = 40 tires since the bead sealer come into the mix and none of them leaked. Prior to the bead sealer, it was like 70% leaked instantly due to the gasket sealing in the curve. And to use a TPM system, (I do) metal stems are needed to not fatigue the rubber stem due the added weight of the sensors.

To this question;
Quote:
Since the wheels are only rated up to 65 psi, do you think it is acceptable to run the Goodyears at 65 instead of 80?
Buying E load range tires and running them at 65 psi really does not buy you any extra safety factor. It may even hurt from the extra heat generated, I'm not totally sure. The higher pressure is what is helping the interply shear issue. I do not recommend running 65psi on E load range tires when on trailer wheels. If you want to run 65psi, buy the D load range. In your case Sunline was good on the tire load sizing against a 8,600# GVWR camper on D's.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 07-19-2019, 06:33 PM   #37
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Thanks John. I must be getting the hang of this stuff cuz that all made sense. So here's how it all went down.

The 15 X 6(J) wheels have a load rating of 2540 lbs. So far so good. The tires were pumped up to 80 psi. I almost cried when I took the cover off the spare and could read the tire company printing ON THE TREAD! It had never been off the spare tire holder. I paid to have the tires balanced. Foolishly, I had the spare balanced as well but it's on a steel wheel so I'll never introduce it into the rotation of the tires.

The stems were HD rubber so I stayed with those since, as you pointed out, the hole was on a curved part of the wheel. In retrospect, I probably should have replaced them with new ones since they are 13 year old rubber as well.

As for the slide, here's a pic of the composite board that comprises the underside of the slide floor and wall protection. No Darco to be found. What do you think?

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Old 07-19-2019, 07:09 PM   #38
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There is no Darco on the underside of my slide either. Just the weatherproof covering. The part of my Sunline underbelly that the slide goes into has the Darca membrane.
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Old 07-19-2019, 07:10 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Digmenow View Post

The 15 X 6(J) wheels have a load rating of 2540 lbs. So far so good. The tires were pumped up to 80 psi. I almost cried when I took the cover off the spare and could read the tire company printing ON THE TREAD! It had never been off the spare tire holder. I paid to have the tires balanced. Foolishly, I had the spare balanced as well but it's on a steel wheel so I'll never introduce it into the rotation of the tires.

The stems were HD rubber so I stayed with those since, as you pointed out, the hole was on a curved part of the wheel. In retrospect, I probably should have replaced them with new ones since they are 13 year old rubber as well.

As for the slide, here's a pic of the composite board that comprises the underside of the slide floor and wall protection. No Darco to be found. What do you think?

OK good!

The valve stems, ah yeh. If I'm understand it right, I'm surprised the shop did not just plain change them out to high pressure stems?? That is standard practice. You sure they didn't do that?

Nothing foolish on balancing the spare. I would. The day you need that spare some several hundred to thousand miles from home, it needs to be in perfect operating condition.

H'mm OK learning something new. It seems you have the 2005 upgraded design slide floor. What is the build date on the VIN sticker of this camper? I wonder where in the 2004 model year they adapted to the 2005 upgrade.

Since you have that slide floor, you do not have to worry about the Darco holes, YEH.

But, with every new design there is a learning curve... the first attempt at the slide floor upgrade has a different problem. This is industry wide issue, not only Suline. The physical ends of the slide floor exposed below the molding, the coating splits over time due to sun damage and then water gets in and expands the OSB coated slide floor. Let me hunt for pics showing this. Since yours is in pristine condition, if you seal that exposed area now, it will ward off the issue.

Look at both ends of the slide floor and the black part of the floor below the white molding strip.

I'll be back soon.

John
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Old 07-19-2019, 07:20 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j52wf View Post
There is no Darco on the underside of my slide either. Just the weatherproof covering. The part of my Sunline underbelly that the slide goes into has the Darca membrane.
Hi Jim,

That is good to know. In 2005 Sunline upgraded the slide floor from Darco covered OSB to a plastic coated OSB slide floor. It for sure made it into the full size slides of all 2005 and forward. It sounds like on your smaller slide, it made it there too. Good to know.

In Dig's case, he seems to have the upgrade early. Will have to see what his build date is. I know the earlier build date 2004's and older ones even on the 5th wheels, they had the Darco covered slide floor.

Thanks

John
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