Mouse / rodent proofing

Ninabean

Does anyone know the name of the manufacturer that makes the plates that can be installed on the 2019 Tab 400 frame that will keep rodents out?  I believe he also makes custom tubs for the front of the trailer.

techietab

Sea Biscuit Metal Designs?

https://seabiscuitmetaldesigns.com/product/nucamp-tab-cover-plates/

Ninabean

Thank you do much! 😊
Would you happen to know how many are needed for a 2019 Tab 400?

justdoit70

Go to a big box store and get a roll of building flashing material and stick on over ALL openings big and small .The stuff is silver on the out side black and sticky on the other side.
4 inches wide and maybe 20 ft long inexpensive can be painted and it works save you money. Cuts with a utility knife.
Ed.
2016 taco 4x4
21 t@b 400 boondock

DanManz

I'm with @justdoit70.  When we did ours, I think I used some fairly rigid plastic gutter guard that I cut to shape and glued on with Gorilla glue caulk.  I also took some of the rodent resistant expanding foam and sprayed that in around all the drain and wiring pathways underneath and inside the camper.  There is a Mandy Lea video somewhere that shows how she did her camper that was very helpful.

Denny16

I asked our TaB dealer RV tech about using expanding foam around floor penetration holes for wiring/plumbing, he said no, it will not work long term, as it breaks down as the trailer moves down the road.  Also makes maintenance and repairs around these areas very difficult.  A good rubberized flexible marine type caulk works better at sealing these holes.  

The one plumbing hole in the 2018/2019 TaB400 should need to cover with a plate, but not permanently seal is the freshwater fill and suction line (to water pump) that is under the closet/wardrobe locker.  I filled this with closed cell packing foam (which is easily removed snd a two piece cover on top from the inside screwed down.  This is a good access point for critters snd loss of dust/dirt from the road!

Cheers 

Ninabean

Thank you do much !  That is quite a lot cheaper.

vhollow

I covered the four holes in the main support frame with aluminum foundation vent grills cut in half. They cost about $4 each. The half grills look a bit rough, although they are spray painted black to match the support beams. But I never really noticed the holes until I decided to rodent proof, and I don’t notice the grills either (and two are hidden behind the wheels). I used clear adhesive silicone to attach the grills, masking taped in place while the silicone cured. That way, no holes or screws were added which could rust, and the grills can be removed, if necessary, with a box cutter and putty knife. A more important rodent ingress is where the front hitch yoke enters above the belly pan to its rivets on the main frame. I used spray from there, and around the cut-outs in the belly pan where the front stabilizers are attached.

Ninabean

Thank you so much. I will also show this to my husband.  Did not know about the entry from the front yoke hitch.

johnfconway

You might want something simple and easily removable (in case access is needed again). We had the misfortune of a pack rat assault last winter, after no problems under cover the first winter.

Jimmie's RV Repair in Deming, NM fixed brake wire and tank sensor wires. Here is how they closed the frame up to help prevent future rat adventures.

Sitting in place from November through April was not good for wheel bearings. I think in late December and again in February we're going to uncover, move, re-park and re-cover the trailer. Given the hassle involved in jacking and putting trailer up on blocks, I'd rather move it a couple of times.

Slackers

Or you can jack a side, give the wheel a 1/3 turn. Drop and repeat on the other side.  Repeat these steps 2-3 times a "parking" season. 

johnfconway

Slackers said:

Or you can jack a side, give the wheel a 1/3 turn. Drop and repeat on the other side.  Repeat these steps 2-3 times a "parking" season. 

I did manage to hijack the theme of original post. But thanks for this! Have dates set in the calendar for much simpler "jack and spin" technique...

Dutch061

@vhollow, you may wish to turn them over, so the openings are facing downward. This will prevent water entry or at least greatly reduce it. I used soffit vent covers from Lowe's to cover mine. Used Gorilla tape to stick them to the frame.



Brad

vhollow

That looks good! You may be right about the grill orientation. I reasoned that any splash under there would be thrown upwards from the road, which is why I chose the opposite orientation. But it wouldn’t be the first time in my contrarian life that I just did things backward. In this case, since the openings were simply open and unrestricted before, I probably have not done any great harm.

Denny16

With the trailer overhang on the sides, not likely to get rain inside them, I think having the covers pointed up works.  Keeping fine dust out from dirt roads is another issue.
 Cheers 

Michigan_Mike

In regards to the undercarriage areas beneath the frame, I have purchased and used the stainless steel Scotch-Brite pads, pulled them apart, snipped off what I needed and plugged holes with them.  I purchased some at Lowe’s and they work great.  

Shadrax

My Boondock stays in a barn most of the time along with other trailers, a tractor, etc.  In the past I have had squirrels and mice destroy wiring and gasoline lines, and various creatures build nests in unusual places.  I have solved this problem for several years now mainly by placing moth ball packages torn slightly open inside and around the various vehicles.  I also stuff dryer fabric softener sheets in the TAB vents on the outside.  Sprinkling Borax in a circle  around on the ground seems to help if you have a roof that keeps water from washing it away.  Good luck!

vhollow

Denny16 is right about dust penetration being a separate, but related issue. He describes how he prevents it around the line from the water tank to the pump in the thread above. The other source of dust incursion that I am aware of in the Tab 400 is around the pipe cut-outs under the bottom shelf of the kitchen sink. This is an area I would like to seal, but I have yet to feel motivated enough to dismantle the cabinet.

Denny16

I thought the area under the sink would be an issue also, but it is not.  The hole is sealed from the bottom, s d when I had the big dust issue under the closet and Alde compartment, when the sink was dissembled, there was no dust under the sink cabinet false floor, just a water leak from the outside 120VAC outlet, which was not sealed.  Here is what the floor under the sink cabinet looks like:

Here is what the area under the sink cabinet looked like after going through the desert to Burning Man, no dust!  You can see where water dripped down from the outlet, and stained the floor.  There was no damage from the water under the Infinity flooring, which was replaced.  (Sorry about the flipped photo, I did reduce the size, but still on its side)


Here is the area under the sink on a newer TaB400, you can see the hole through the floor is sealed, no light coming through, the flange fitting the pipe connects to is sealed to the u deride of the floor.  

So the sink area is not a dust or rodent entry point, rest easy.
 Cheers 

bergger

Yes they must be doing a better job on the newer tabs as far as sealing them. I’ve been pleased with our 2021 400 at the lack of dust penetration. I’ve really seen none so far. But I will be rodent proofing the frame after bringing home  that pack rat in our truck from the black hills! 

vhollow

Thanks, Denny16. But now I am baffled as to why those gravel roads resulted in dust inside my sink cabinet (bottom shelf), but not outside. I too have a 2018 400, built in the summer of 2017, and hence one of the very early ones.

Denny16

@vhollow, you can remove the bottom shelf without taking the cabinet apart, to see if there is a gap where the drain pipe goes into the gray tank under the floor.  The shelf is screwed to the support tabs under it, (see photo above) and lifts up and out.  If you have a gap, do not use spray foam, it will crack and fall out over time, and makes servicing the tank latter on hard.  You can fill any gap,with closed cell (black) foam packing material and cap it with a plumbing two part (or hinged) finish flange (like those used on sink drain pipes where they go through the wall).

My bog dust issue was from under the closet, where the fear water tank fill and pump suction hose go through a large hole in the floor to connect to the water tank.  We got a ton of dust through this gap, and filled the area u dear the closet and into the Alde compartment.  Here is a photo of the water tank connection under the closet:

This is the cutout hole through the floor, red arrow (under the closet/wardrobe locker) in a 2018/2019 TaB400.  The small hose on the left is the pump,suction hose, and the larger hose (on the right) is the water fill hose.  The water tank is about an inch below the floor, so dust, dirt s d rodents can gain access here into the TaB.
 Cheers 

vhollow

Thank you again, for at least 4 helpful observations in one thread! Now, with regards to checking to see if dust is actually getting in under my kitchen shelf, I have much less justification for procrastinating. Dang! But, seriously, your frequent, helpful contributions are a substantial part of what makes the forum such a valuable resource for those looking to repair, improve, and just get to know better the ins and outs of their trailers.

bergger

After our issue with that pack rat in our tow vehicle last month I figured I'd rodent proof our trailer today.  I'm just glad that pack rat got in our truck, no damage done, and not into the underbelly of our 400.  He would have been in there a long time before I realized it and who knows what he would have damaged. 

Anyway I decided to go with the Sea Biscuit Metal Designs plates.  Six are needed for the 400.  I know they are pricey but they are very high quality and will last the life of our trailer.  Plus I literally had them installed in a couple of minutes.  Super easy to do as they snap right into place.  They can also be removed easily if ever needed.  The only thing I had to do was loosen the set screw for the main ground wire, feed it through the plate then reattach the wire.  The two plates behind the wheels come pre-cut to allow the brake wires to go through. After I installed the plates I then went around the frame and covered the few spots I could find where a mouse may be able to get through.  For now I simply covered those spots with eternabond tape.  I was really surprised on out 2021 400 how few small spaces there were to plug.  Here are a few pics of the plates installed. 

qhumberd

For perspective on the photos, I am trying to judge if these would effectively block all rodents, including mice. My understanding is that a mouse can enter through a 1/4 inch opening, or about the size of a normal pencil. It seems like a flexible rubber grommet might be needed to close up the area where the brake wires travel. Otherwise these are quite well made and are attractive.

subkron

@bergger:

@qhumberd brings up a really good point as far as mice entry thru the brake wire hole. TBH the real "issue" is the long term reliability of the wires going thru the hole unprotected. Even though there is play, movement of the wire against metal will eventually chafe the insulation to the point of failure, it will short the conductor(s) to the frame. Standard industry practice is to use a rubber grommet, continuous grommet, insulating sheath, etc. so the wires are protected at that point. That being said using a rubber grommet as suggested provides for a 2 for 1 solution.

bergger

The photo was prior to covering any remaining holes I found.  The hole for the brake wires is big enough for me to get my pinkie through so I did end up covering that up along with the other spaces I found.  I also wrapped the wires to better protect them from rubbing.  That along with my normal PM checks should suffice.  

techietab

subkron said:

@bergger:

@qhumberd brings up a really good point as far as mice entry thru the brake wire hole. TBH the real "issue" is the long term reliability of the wires going thru the hole unprotected. Even though there is play, movement of the wire against metal will eventually chafe the insulation to the point of failure, it will short the conductor(s) to the frame. Standard industry practice is to use a rubber grommet, continuous grommet, insulating sheath, etc. so the wires ae protected at that point. That being said using a rubber grommet as suggested provides for a 2 for 1 solution.

In a situation like this, I'd use Sugru. It's a compound that's somewhere between epoxy and Play-Doh, and very good at filling oddball gaps while keeping things in place, but being far easier to remove than epoxy if needed.

https://sugru.com/