Repair of Dutchmen "soft floor" problem

irvingj

Well, I pulled our T@B out of storage last Saturday, and (( ! ))   The repairs I had made last year to the soft floor seem to have worked out very well, to the point that the floor now feels rock solid compared to before.

To repeat what I had done:

1) Reinforced the center section of the floor with expanded aluminum grating, supported by U-shaped steel beams across the frame from below
2) Added 1/4" steel plate to the worst area(s), near the entry door and under the below-cabinet storage area on the front right side (attached to frame)
3) Lifted the vinyl flooring and applied (saturated, more like it) a product called Rot Doctor, a 2-part cellulose-based epoxy, to the softest areas in the plywood floor (see above).

This was all due to the problem of moisture infiltration as mentioned by several others in this forum; take note and inspect those seals, people!

However, I have to push that Rot Doctor stuff: as wood is cellulose, and most 2-part epoxies are polymer-based, Rot Doctor stuff stands alone in being cellulose-based. It REALLY bonds to the wood. No, I'm not an employee, nor have any connection to the company, but am always looking for viable solutions to vexing problems.

That stuff really works, period. It takes a few days to fully cure, but when it's done curing it makes soft wood rock hard, and is "watery" enough that it penetrates extremely well on application. I plan on using it for a number of other projects where I have a water-induced wood rot, softening, or a just plain weathering issue. The T@B?  Our Boat?  Exposed exterior window sills?  The list goes on & on!

I was just really happy to step into our "vintage" T@B and feel the solidity in the floor!   OK,  rant (?) over….

Mouseketab

Hmmm, so what did you do to stop the original water intrusion?

Mouseketab

Also, it appears that on other folks that replaced their Dutchmen floors they found the original aluminum tubing inside the floor had broken welds.

irvingj

I put a healthy bead of silicone along the aluminum trim piece covering the joint between the round front/top surface and the actual floor area; there were visible gaps there, the worst being where three surfaces (curved front, side wall and floor) came together on the driver's side.  I also removed cushions & wood and put a bead around the fenderwell-to-floor joints.

Not sure how well they show, but I took some pics.

irvingj

irvingj

And… I found a pic I had taken last year when I was fixing stuff. It's the "before" pic of that front right-side corner. I'm pretty sure that's where the water was coming in. In the first pic, you can see how swollen and squishy the outer membrane on the floor was. It's now buttressed from beneath with a 1/4" thick piece of steel, bolted to the frame and under (above?) the stabilizer jack, and comes right up to the underside of that aluminum trim piece. The steel plate covers the whole area outside of the frame, from the left side of the door right up to the floor's front edge.

Ratkity

Doesn't look like they used stainless steel screws either. Not a good thing for something that lives outside (even in a garage).

irvingj

No, they didn't. :(  

Already replaced all hardware inside the battery/propane "tub" with stainless when I had that off last year, and replace any steel hardware with ss on anything I disassemble as I work on the T@B.

Reminds me of my boat… some of its hardware didn't last through the first year; it's now 30 yrs old & still going. (I mean really! Plain steel staples on seat upholstery?!?) Bean counters….

dailytrek

I just bought a 2012 T@B with the U shape configuration. The floor is quite soft as I stand in the middle of the floor by the sink. The frame does not go underneath this area either. To replace the floor it would require removing the cabinets which is more work than I want to do. I could cut some plywood and place over the existing and cover with linoleum but the side furthest from the doorway would not sit on any frame support....this still may be the best solution I can think of so far. Does anyone have a good fix?

Cyclonic

@dailytrek , I have merged your question with another, very recent thread, that may have some solutions for you.

I have a 2012 T@B as well, and have had the same problem right off the bat.  Pleasant valley did reinforce the flooring of my T@B with extra angle iron below, but that only partially solved the problem.  Since then I have installed some laminate flooring which seems to distribute the weight better and the problem is not nearly as noticeable.

While moisture can cause this problem, it seemed to mostly be a problem with the flooring material itself in the first few years Pleasant Valley was building them.  It took them a while to solve it, but I think they have now.

T@Buhura

This is great info! I was hoping to schedule a visit to the mothership (Pleasant Valley) sadly  I waited to long to try to schedule a retrofit for ours while we were closest to them this summer. I'm still hoping to hear from Austin to see if we can work something out.

Alternately, do you have pictures of the reinforcements you've done? I'm intrigued by the aluminum grating and steel beams you mention as our problem is one of sag on either side. Do yo have pictures of it? I think we're solid on the leading edge as last year I had our service center install diamond plating which wrapped underneath the front edge since I noticed that the front underside was showing some road rash.

Ours is water tight but somehow we get dust/fine dirt sneaking in over long trips. Is the re-sealing of the wall to floor along the front or on the sides as well? Do you do it all along the outside? You also mention sealing along the black fender wells and floor. Did you get stuff coming in through there? Do you have gaps along the top of the fender and the body? I found expanding weatherstrip that seems to have filled that gap for us well and on the outside I used weatherproof foil tape to make sure nothing comes through or catches.

dailytrek

Thanks Cyclonic for merging me into this post.

Great post irvingj....I would be very grateful to see pictures of your the support work you did underneath. What did it cost for your shop to do this? 

irvingj

I just put some more pics on my previous thread "This Weekend's Project."  I paid about $200+ for materials, but did the work myself… I'm a bit anal about that…  Take a look at the above thread & let me know if you need any more info or pics. I should also mention that I removed both front handles and the propane stove vent, cleaned up that whole area, re-sealed any seams, and replaced all hardware with stainless while I was at it. (Put in the "Chan Vent Fix" this year!)

slgpdx95

Dear irvingj, thank you for all the detail on the soft floor problem. It just happened to my 2008 Dutchman T@B.  I was hoping to see the additional pictures you posted, but the link via "This Weekend's Project" took me to an RV sales site. I'm also trying to find the Dutchman yahoo group you referred to. It seems to have disappeared. If you could please send any additional photos or advice on finding DIY info for the Dutchmans, I'd be grateful. Thank you! Susan

dragonsdofly

@slgpdx95, @irvingj's post is 2 years old. I think they sold their t@b, but posted here recently.  I also think the dutchman Yahoo group is on Facebook. Welcome to the forum. Glad you're here. Just fyi, nüCamp has done factory replacement of dutchman floors, or can ship a floor to you. Someone on this forum went that way and replaced the entire floor themself. Sorry about the lost pics or incomplete link. Last year, April 2017, this forum changed ownership from the marketing arm to the manufacturer and some connections or info was lost. Good luck with your search for solutions. -Denise

ScottG

Yep, there's another more recent thread on this topic including descriptions and photos from the member who did the swap themselves. I can't put my finger on it but if you do some searching it should pop up.

pthomas745

This one?

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6689/soft-floor-repair-replace

ScottG

That's the one! @Geo was the DIY and I see @irvingj contributed. Thanks, @pthomas745.

irvingj

Yes, I'm still here, but visit the T@B forum only sporadically; we replaced our T@B with a small RV (though I STILL miss our T@B).

And yes, we did sell ours, but unfortunately it had some additional issues about a year after. As I understand it, my repairs apparently held up -- the floor remained solid -- but the whole camper lifted & pulled loose from the frame when the new owner was forced into a rather sharp turn at relatively high speed; not sure what his plans are beyond that.

Take-away: probably best to do it right and replace the whole floor like Geo did.

dragonsdofly

@Irvingj, glad to know you're still checking in. If you read my earlier post, I hope I got everything right. Some of us really do keep track of what happens. Stay in touch. -Denise

irvingj

Thanks, Denise. It seems I mis-labeled the older thread I referenced above; it's this one, begun in August of 2014, IIRC:
 
This Weekend's Project-Laminate Floor Installation

I'd also be happy to send --via email-- additional pics of my repairs to anyone who'd like to see them, but I still think replacing the floor would have been (would be) the better way to go. stubby57a@gmail.com

Walt

slgpdx95

Thank you all for your advice, info, and pics. I wish I had the skill to do that. As you'll see, I've put my camper up for sale. I'm hoping someone will take it on. Hope I've put a fair price on it.

Marcella

I am Mike just bought a 2009 Tab Clamshell. Aluminum frame was cracked and floor was rotted. As I was installed new floors I had to remove old screws from underneath where molding and waterproof netting meet. I had to replace all the screws with screws for boats. The frame is aluminum and metal should not contact the frame it creates rust. I added angle iron for floor support. Beware the netting is not totally waterproof I added flex seal to new wood and to netting. Always inspect roof, vent for leakage. I am looking to hearing from all thank you.