Saggy Wooden Floor - Kitchen area

[jc21]

Hi, not sure in the right area, but here goes.

I own a 2009 Sundance 5th wheel - 245rl xlt (purchased new) which has caused me serious problems since the third day that I have owned it.

My 5th wheel is used 8 weeks per year.

I have noticed the kitchen floor is very 'spongy' between the two onboard tanks.

A mechanic checked the floor. It appears floor is of hardboard sheets and the sheets have no structural
supports between the onboard tanks ie a gap of 57 inches and no insulation.
Mechanic has never seen such a poorly constructed floor setup.

Is this floor construction normal.

JC

jcmpb5727@aol.com

 

[danemayer]

Hi jc21,

In January 2012 you were talking about needing to have the floor replaced due to water damage. Are you just getting around to it or is this issue new?

By the way, I moved this thread into the Sundance sub-forum.

 

[sunriverman]

Hi, not sure in the right area, but here goes.

I own a 2009 Sundance 5th wheel - 245rl xlt (purchased new) which has caused me serious problems since the third day that I have owned it.

My 5th wheel is used 8 weeks per year.

I have noticed the kitchen floor is very 'spongy' between the two onboard tanks.

A mechanic checked the floor. It appears floor is of hardboard sheets and the sheets have no structural
supports between the onboard tanks ie a gap of 57 inches and no insulation.
Mechanic has never seen such a poorly constructed floor setup.

Is this floor construction normal.

JC

jcmpb5727@aol.com

I too had the same problem. My dealer said, "what did you expect, this is not built like,your home".
so much for quality. Funny how how new cars go 150k without any problems other than scheduled maintenance. Easy fix to add stiffeners to particle bd floor and mount to the structural members. Easy after you pull the,liner,and them insulation! Rod

 

[JasonShrout]

We full-time in a 2009 Cyclone 3950. When we bought this thing, I asked and was told by the dealer that the flooring was 1 inch marine plywood. To sell that, he showed us the slide-out area from the outside. As a new buyer, what else was I supposed to think?

We moved to Houston and after 8 months began to notice that the forward corner on the kitchen slide-out was getting soft. After a few months offshore and the e-mails from my wife in-between, I come home and find that the soft spot had grown halfway back and all the way to the frame.

The seals had been treated with the silicone so I knew that wasn't the issue. As it turned out, the cheap ribbed plastic drain tube from the 'fridge had cracked off and was leaking. Apparently the hardboard doesn't take too well to water, and the whole time I was thinking that it had to be something else because marine plywood doesn't come apart like that.

Another area that is failing is the ladder area for the loft. Won't be long until someone falls through it.

Hopefully no one will mouth-off with the comment that I should have taken it to the dealer (265 miles away) or that I really should have purchased the extended warranty (which we did and can't find anyone who will do the work in place), or that I should have made the time to take care of any and all issues or give it up and move back into a house... because that wouldn't be very nice.

So.... any ideas on how to fix it myself? I assume that I will have to completely remove the kitchen slide-out.

 

[JasonShrout]

Really? C'mon... Not even a smart remark? Does Heartland have anything to say about it?

 

[danemayer]

There was another thread today about repairing slide out flooring. That poster found some help by searching Google for "video of slide out repair".