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Old 08-15-2007, 01:42 PM   #1
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SUN #368
Marylyn
Soft Patch on Floor

I'm getting a great deal on a 1996 T-1740. Two years ago, the owner ran over an errant retread from a truck in front of her which tore out the wheel well cover and caused a slow leak from her black water tank to outside. It was well over a week before she could get this repaired, which it was, by a Sunline dealer. After the repair, she noticed a small (one foot square) soft spot in front of the stove. This has not progressed, and there is no smell of anything old or mildewy, it is just a soft spot. She actually thinks it's from water splashing up from the road before she was able to get the wheel well surrounds replaced.

She has upgraded to a larger trailer and I am buying the little one. In every other respect, this trailer is mint, which is why I am not hesitating on buying it. However, one dealer cannot get to the floor until winter, another one made everything sound so complicated and expensive, so I am going to tackle it myself (with my dear husband).

I have bought CPES and plan to peel back the linoleum and pour it on.

Here comes my question: if it comes down to it, if I have to remove the cabinet housing the stove and sink to get to the back of the soft spot, how are they attached? I do not have the trailer in my possession yet, I will be registering it tomorrow and will pick it up next week or the week after. So I can't go crawling around there to see what this entails. I know I could get by with just putting a layer of plywood over the spot, but I want to fix it right, so any suggestions, or tricks to what I should look for in removing this stuff?

Thanks in advance!

Oh, by the way, which size is the hitch coupler on this particular trailer? The owner cannot remember and is out of town, I would rather not show up with three or four hitch balls...
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Old 08-15-2007, 02:22 PM   #2
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As far as I know, all Sunlines come with a 2 5/16 coupler. I highly recommend sway control and a good brake controller like the Prodigy.

Enjoy the new camper.

Bobo
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Old 08-15-2007, 03:07 PM   #3
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SUN #368
Marylyn
Thanks for the coupler size...

I am getting the Strait line thingy, one that is overkill for my little trailer, but that will serve me later on if or when I upgrade, it is the weight distribution hitch and the dual cam sway control from Reese. We also just bought an Excursion, and it has a Tekonsha (?sp) already installed, don't know which model, but clearly this vehicle was used to tow something (I suspect a boat).

I know I'll be running back here with all kinds of questions, but I do know the owner's manual is under the dinette seat, I saw it! So when I bring the littlest trailer home, I can spend some time reading.

In the meantime I thank whoever posted all the brochures from years past, it enabled me to see which of the Sunlines I was getting.
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Old 08-15-2007, 04:14 PM   #4
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Marylyn,

You're very welcome! If you need any part of the brochure blown up, let me know. I can send you the scan of the particular page that has a lot more detail.

I wouldn't count on the ball being 2 5/16". It might also be a 2". Being such a small trailer, it could go either way. I'm surprised the Que uses a 2 5/16, but I know the little 1550's used a 2". It's very possible all the 7' wide models used a 2". If I were you, take both. You're better off safe than sorry.

Also, you might find that hitch will be a little much for your Ex. I wouldn't get rid of the hitch in case you do upgrade, but you may be better off with a straight out hitch with sway adapter welded on. I think you could use it, but the ride might be really stiff and could bend the little tongue on the trailer.

If you get a chance, post some details of your Ex!!!

Jon

P.S. BTW, boats don't use electric brakes, so the brake controller wouldn't have been used for that.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 08-16-2007, 03:02 AM   #5
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Marylyn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunline Fan
Marylyn,

Also, you might find that hitch will be a little much for your Ex. I wouldn't get rid of the hitch in case you do upgrade, but you may be better off with a straight out hitch with sway adapter welded on. I think you could use it, but the ride might be really stiff and could bend the little tongue on the trailer.

If you get a chance, post some details of your Ex!!!

.
Oh, my on the hitch...well, this is the one that has to do, I plan to get used to towing with this trailer (and maybe will love it forever?) but with the beast, as a friend calls it, I know we can go bigger.

About the Excursion: this is the fourth vehicle we've bought on or near Ebay...I say this because two of our vehicles, a Volvo and my Expedition, were bought after the reserve was not met, as was an ATV, but our plow truck was also bought on Ebay...Got a great deal on the Excursion (so it's fate that the trailer and the truck that showed up on our doorstep almost at the same time must stay together) ...it's a 2003 Limited in brown with the V10 and 68,000 miles. This is my husband's truck technically, his Volvo won't carry all our dogs and certainly not up a snowy mountain where our weekend house is, so he needed big 4WD. The Expedition is my daily driver, so he went BIG. Thought about a van with the Quigley conversion, but I'm not comfortable with that conversion and that vehicle.

Oddly enough, both the trailer idea and the Excursion came about independently. I know I could easily tow with my truck, but why would I bother if I have a real tow vehicle?

We have spent some time on Excursion forums, enough to know that the first things we did were change the shocks and the steering stabilizer, and will add a rear stabilizer this weekend.

The biggest score we got, I think was in the forums, people kept going on about needing tires with a load range E for towing (yes, I know they mean much larger trailers). The tires on the truck, which did not look very old at all, were Steeltex tires. There was one tire that was more worn than the others, and the good spare was being used, so in a search for a new Steeltex, we ran across the Firestone recall of these tires.

Yep, we got four brand new load range E tires for free from Firestone. They told us that a safety recall does not expire, and spans multiple owners, if there are Steeltex tires on the truck, they wanted to replace them. So if you have any of these tires running around, they are worth an entire new set of tires that are heavy duty enough to be safe on this truck.

And I've got the cure for the sticker shock on filling up. Instead of waiting until the tank is one quarter full, when it can cost more than $100 to fill up, we just fill her up almost every time we take her out for a short ride This is not a daily driver, it is a weekend and towing truck, so what's a few more stops at a gas station? We have become much better at knowing who has the best gas prices, though! And I thought our plow truck was bad...when we bought that, the owner told us that it gets 10 miles to the gallon: 6 mpg on the highway and 4 mpg in town At least the "X" takes regular gas. The plow truck, a 1987 F250 takes premium in both her gas tanks!
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Old 08-16-2007, 08:52 AM   #6
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I'm glad to hear of another V10 owner...Normally it's only diesel owners towing.

I've hung around those Excursion forums some (never joined though) and they are full of good info. One site, www.FordExcursions.com, gave a list of five things all new owners should do- things I would have never thought of. One of the things is to remove your roof rail cross bars. Some have 4 and others have 2. My mom's '05 had two, but mine had four. They say removing them will save the paint on the roof. I didn't really believe them when I did my mom's, but then I got mine and saw the damage they can do. Fortunately, mine isn't too bad, so I'm not worrying too much. The other useful upgrade I've done is the radio antenna. We have a 7' garage door, so the antenna always hit the door coming in and out. I installed a shorter rubber antenna that is half the length of the stock one and has better reception.

I really get surprised when I see the number of Excursions out there with the Steeltex still on them. Mine originally came with Steeltex (my spare still is) but now has Bridgestone Duelers L.R. E on it. These tires are OK (better than my mom's BFG's L.R. E), but I've heard the best replacement tire is a Michelin LTX M/S, in the 285 size (compared to 265). It's a little taller and wider tire but can still be used on the stock rim. Though I haven't rode in one with these tires, I've heard they do help the ride too. Just something to think about when these new tires wear out. I'm a little surprised they put those L.R. D tires on from the factory. It seems like it would significantly reduce the amount you could tow.

Sticker shock! You can say that again. I'm not sure where you're located, but some gas stations in some parts of the country have very low limits at the pumps. One station I go to had a $50 limit, so everytime we went there, it was two if not three times (when prices were really high earlier this summer) of going through the whole process just to fill up.

Jon
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 08-22-2007, 01:21 PM   #7
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Since I seem to be the only Sunline fifth wheel owner around here and am lonely I came over to the tt's for some reading. I see that you have a soft spot in the floor. Well I had a soft spot in the floor of our Sunline F281SR in the bathroom. Turned out the miserable Thetford Bravara(I am going to toss that thing in the dumpster!) leaked again, and the water got under the vinyl flooring. What is under there? Yup, that junk OSB Strandboard. The water easily soaked in and started the rotting/crumbling of this poor excuse for wood stuff. Black with rot. I basically had to remove the bathroom, pull up the vinyl(surprisingly not glued down and the rotted OSB. I replaced the flooring with exterior grade plywood that I have sealed all around and painted. replaced toilet flange with upgraded materials, now held down with bolts, washers and nuts, not just wood screws. Glued and screwed down new subfloor, installed real nice quality self adhesive floor tiles. Going to install a porceline throne, no more plastic. I tried the wood rot hardening products with mixed results, I just wound up replacing the flooring with the good stuff. Did I happen to mention I really despise OSB for any purpose?
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Old 08-22-2007, 10:11 PM   #8
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Hey Capt. Skup,

I think you need to update your sig, don't you .

I know about that floor rot stuff. I had a friend with a '93 2251 who had a severe leak under their shower. They ended up having to replace some floor joists along with putting new plywood on the floor. They never used the shower, so they opted to turn that space into storage, after capping the water and sewer lines of course.

Also, let us know you that F-450 pulls that Sunline. I'm sure it'll tow great, 'cause it's a Sunline!!!

Jon
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 08-23-2007, 06:10 AM   #9
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Matter of fact, since I finally got all the mounting bolts torqued down on the Signature Series(ain't as easy as it used to be to pull 170ftlbs of torque), and I just about have the Sunline's bathroom back together(a year of blood, sweat, and tears) I decided to treat myself and take the Sunline out for a tow. Behind the F-250(yup a diesel of course!) the Sunline behaved very well, a dream to tow actually, much more gentle than towing the SeaRay. Well behind the F-450 pickup with the 6.4, it was surreal, really like nothing back there. I had to be careful not to accelerate so hard for fear of dropping something out of a cabinet. Even though Sunline did not build or sell many fivers from the 2002-2005 era, they did a great job building them. I read stories of fivers chucking and banging around on the hitch, this trailer has never done anything like that. Must be very well balanced. Of course the Sunline has the heavy 7,000lb axles, shock absorbers(I installed Monroe Matics) and 235/75R-16 Load Range "E" tires. Only a short drive but it sure put a smile on my face, dreaming of fall trips coming up.
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Old 09-03-2007, 09:28 PM   #10
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Soft Floor -- Update

Of course the floor was worse than I originally thought, and it is ALL torn up and being replaced by DH today and tomorrow. The stuff I knew about was caused, I think by a leaking potable water hose...the one that you fill the water tank up with. If the RV place that did my NYS safety inspection had not left the access panel off in front of the water tank, and if I were not curious, I would not have noticed where the water was coming from as I was trying to fill the tank, except it was coming out of the trailer and onto the ground. So when I turned off the fill hose, the leak stopped, and I was able to see a split in a very brittle hose. I know now that I will be replacing that $2 hose every year, it's not hard to get to.

All the floor for 6 inches around the sink/stove was soft and crumbly, but dry. The studs looked okay, but dang, they put these 2x3's sideways? Then there was the floor in the back, by the couch...I knew it had been worked on before, because it was higher than the rest of the floor. The report I just got was that that floor was also rotted, but someone just put ply on top and allowed the rotted stuff to remain underneath. Yuk. But we're putting some nice laminate in once all the decking is complete, so the trailer will be prettier than new.

I was suspecting that this ultimately was what was going to have to be done, thanks to this forum and the people who have mentioned these problems and their solutions. This is a cute trailer...I've said this before, and I just saw one at another RV dealer, with a "Sold" sign on it. It was older and really dingier (but maybe it had a more solid floor?) but they tell me it sold for three times what I paid for mine, so I feel better about mine
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