2017 Bighorn Traveller rear wall construction.

[Jatesmaximus]

Hi all, i am looking at purchasing a 2017 Bighorn Traveller. It is my understanding that the rear wall is not made up of a laminated construction. If that is true, should the rear interior wall be solid when pushing on it. In the right corner it appears soft/flimsy. I am obviously worried about water damage on the inside of the wall. Campers I have owned previously all walls have been of laminated construction and very solid when pushing on them. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[rhodies1]

If its soft and flims then theres a good chance of a possible leak. Is there any signs of wetness at the bottom of the wall. If there is carpet feel to see if its damp. Also stick your nose at the floor by the back wall and smell. If its been leaking the odour should smell sour and strong.

 

[Jatesmaximus]

If its soft and flims then theres a good chance of a possible leak. Is there any signs of wetness at the bottom of the wall. If there is carpet feel to see if its damp. Also stick your nose at the floor by the back wall and smell. If its been leaking the odour should smell sour and strong.

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to go back and look at it again on saturday and will pull the back couch away from the wall. It didn't feel terrible but i am assuming some water intrusion. I just wasn't sure about the wall construction and if there should be movement at all. thanks again.

 

[sengli]

On all current rigs with or without the rear fiberglass caps, the rear walls are all built up out of 2x2 pine studs. The side walls are usually still vacuum bonded structures, unless you get a stick and tin model. The rear walls will have bat type insulation. Common fail points on these is the 90 degree corner seems. The corners are all covered with angle of aluminum trim with sealant jammed in. Over time the seems fail and water does the rest.

 

[Jatesmaximus]

This is very helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to respond

 

[sengli]

Many years ago, my wife and I used to take advantage of the factory tours many of the brands offered. We would see how all the different brands put the units together. Post covid, I am not sure these places even offer the tours anymore. we live in northern indiana, so it easy for us to get the tours and pretty neat to see what all it took to put these various units together. Obviously we were heartland fans, so we went several times as we bought different brands.

 

[Campingdan]

I purchased a new 2023 29FLR and it had the same issue. I posted the same question about the rear wall outside panel not bring vacuum sealed. Responses were “this is normal” as they do not seal them like the side walls. I thought it was odd as my previous unit was solid. I went back to dealer and checked all new units on the lot and they are all built that way. Check for soft spot on the inside of the unit to make sure there isn’t any wall or floor damage for peace of mind.

 

[Jatesmaximus]

Thanks for your comment. Is you rear wall solid to touch? Does it flex at all. I believe there is a small area of water damage as the corner feels soft. It feels like I am pushing on the insulation directly through the wall paper. I’m assuming there is luon board covering the insulation with the wallpaper on top of that?

 

[sengli]

The rear walls are made up of 1/8 luan (plywood) over the basic frame work of 2x2s. There isnt really much there to begin with. The finger test is, if you can push your finger thru the wall...you have a problem. Obviously the exterior of the wall has a layer of fiberglass skin as well the thin plywood. The newer units are using azdel instead of the luan plywood in wall construction. Key thing with azdel is doesnt soak up and retain the water. You should see signs, like staining from the water intrusion in most cases. The key thing you need to understand is water kills RVs. Fixing the damage is important , but not as as important as you stopping the leak.

I slow the damage done to the RV by storing it under a car port. Mine unit wont fit in the barn

 

[wdk450]

Maybe you could try to completely seal up the suspect water intrusion areas with Henrys 887 Tropicool elastometric roof seal. I originally had this applied for the solar cooling (infrared reflectance) properties of this product, but found out that it has been an excellent, long lasting water seal to boot. I think it would help on non-roof areas, too.

 

[Campingdan]

Thanks for your comment. Is you rear wall solid to touch? Does it flex at all. I believe there is a small area of water damage as the corner feels soft. It feels like I am pushing on the insulation directly through the wall paper. I’m assuming there is luon board covering the insulation with the wallpaper on top of that?

My unit does flex on the rear wall. If the luan is soft, you could try to pull inject some type of adhesive like epoxy to stiffen it up but first you’ll want to find the leak. Don’t discount water getting in from the window area as well.