newin62
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Post by newin62 on Apr 16, 2023 13:49:45 GMT -8
This one is a real head scratcher but I have another theory.
If the carriage bolts really are below the fibreboard and the plywood, it could be floor screws in that location that popped through. Perhaps going over a large bump the front steel frame flexed up and pushed up the those two pointed ends of the floor joists into the soft fibreboard. If there are floors screws right there they could pop through the floor tile like drywall screws do when the wood studs behind them dry out and shrink.
The only way to tell for sure what's going on is to remove that little bit of broken tile to see what gremlins lurk below. If they are screw heads, just tighten them down or remove them. If you see the heads of carriage bolts you can tap them out from the bottom and see why they didn't pull down properly. Hopefully you have a bit of extra tile left over that you could fabricate two small patches out of.
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pfriesen
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Post by pfriesen on Apr 17, 2023 8:48:15 GMT -8
I have extra floor tile, if I go that route.
The thing is, the distance between the two damage points EXACTLY matches the distance between the two carriage bolts, as seen under the trailer.
If it was floor screws, that's one heck of a coincidence.
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Post by Teachndad on Apr 17, 2023 9:26:55 GMT -8
I am curious what will happen when/if you hit the bump with a hammer thwack before excavating. Will the carriage bolt end drop?
If you do, I would cover the bump with a piece of wood to distribute the load of the hammer blow.
This is an enigma in a conundrum.
Rod
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Apr 17, 2023 19:21:29 GMT -8
One last suggestion…very unobtrusive….take a small drill bit at the center of the cracked area and drill straight down. If there is a carriage bolt just under the tile you’ll hit metal. You’ll have your answer without hacking the tile to pieces.
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Post by bigbill on Apr 18, 2023 9:47:15 GMT -8
Without a close visual inspection my guess is the frame has flexed causing compression of the sub floor (plywood)which resulted in the bolts pushing against the tile. Resulting in the damage. Possible the frame has been reenforced some where causing more flex in that location or the frame is weakened there allowing the flex. There no way to tell from picture exactly what caused the problem so the above is just a educated guess.
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Post by vikx on Apr 18, 2023 11:43:17 GMT -8
So far GREAT ideas to help with this issue:
1. Carriage bolts not tight or not fully threaded.
2. Carriage bolts not seated at the head and/or floor screws poking thru.
3. Compressing Celotex causing loose bolts.
4. Frame flex. The trailer frame could be cracked in almost invisible places. Heavy reinforcement in adjacent areas might cause too much movement in the middle area. (tho I'm not seeing extra welding)
The above posts certainly offer different methods for repairs. To fix this, I don't think there is any course but to inspect what actually happened below the cracked tiles. NC's idea of a small drill bit to find a bolt head is a good one.
Try this: Get a fairly heavy helper to jump up and down in the cracked area while you are under the trailer. Watch everything closely and video. Poke the floor joists to be sure they are sound. An icepick works well. With the helper on one side of the trailer and you on the other, shake the body and lift up and down to see any movement between the body and frame. It might help to have someone under the trailer at that time.
You may have to slow your travel until on better roads. Bad roads can cause bad issues in a vintage trailer.
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pfriesen
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Post by pfriesen on Apr 18, 2023 14:14:44 GMT -8
I very much appreciate the suggestions, everyone. While the last of our snow is almost gone, it appears we may get another few inches in the next couple of days, just to drive insane those of us who weren't already  . No wonder some Canadians move south. Eventually, I will get the Shasta out from the inlaws' farm and attempt some of the above. I will report back. Until then, perhaps I'll just post some more photos in the photo thread. Paul |
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Post by bigbill on Apr 18, 2023 14:54:34 GMT -8
My suggestion would be to take a sharp knife and cut jusenough flooring away to see what is under the broken area, I can't think that if the carriage bolt would punch a place like that through plywood. I think some very important information is missing from this problem, such as construction details. I don't think the shackles are causing the problem as showm in the picture. they are shown in a vertical position in the picture but as the trailer is built on top of the chassis the they will angle back and look more normal. As I remember things the plywood is bolted down not screwed. With that thought has something caused a couple of screws to back out if it is just screwed down and not bolted?
A question no one has mentioned is how much STUFF was put inside the trailer while it was beinging towed and how was it distributed. I have seem improper loading of a trailer cause a bunch of serious problems.
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pfriesen
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Post by pfriesen on Apr 18, 2023 15:12:50 GMT -8
It was a pretty limited load the three times we went camping last summer, bigbill. A Coleman stove, the awning and poles in the storage area, the leveling jacks, too, not much else. Never did fill the water tank under the dinette. So load is not the issue. Roads are, though. We got to one campground and the globe light above the dinette had fallen off, landing on the table in one piece, miraculously. That's how bad our roads can be up here.
And, like I said, the spacing of the damage perfectly matches the location of two carriage bolts extending through the frame and underneath the trailer.
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Post by bigbill on Apr 19, 2023 17:05:32 GMT -8
I understand that and I would bet they were instaalled through the plywood and not below it. look real close at the Celotex and see if it is compressing.
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aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Apr 19, 2023 18:02:46 GMT -8
This is so weird to me. Love to see how it ends up. I always install carriage bolts through the plywood. I’ll counter sink them and use lick nuts then silicone the head side.
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pfriesen
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Post by pfriesen on Jun 7, 2023 21:21:41 GMT -8
OK, I finally got some time to get the trailer out of storage and do some tinkering.
Here's what I have to report:
I started by crawling under the trailer to loosen up the nuts on the two bolts in question. Then back into the trailer with a hammer and a wood block. I hammered down on those two damaged spots on the dinette floor. Pretty hard. Back under the trailer to see if the bolts had budged. They had not.
I tightened the nuts back up. Figured while I'm under there I'd check all the other bolts that go through the steel trailer frame. They were pretty much all loose enough to get several turns on them. I cranked them all pretty tight, until I could hear the head of the bolt pushing down into the wood floor "joists," for lack of a better term.
I wonder if the pounding of the roads caused the bolts to push down into the lumber, loosening the nuts slightly? I don't know. That's all for now.
On a lighter note, took the car/trailer combo to a car show on the weekend. First time. And first time they were hitched. Was a huge hit. It was fun seeing the smiles and getting the questions.
Took my mind off the "problem."
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jun 8, 2023 4:42:14 GMT -8
Thanks for the update.
A mystery.
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idaho211
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Post by idaho211 on Jun 8, 2023 6:23:36 GMT -8
I have a 1958 Shasta and noticed in the back storage area one of the Carriage bolts was sticking up thru the original linoleum. Underneath the lock washer and square nut were gone. I figured the nut worked its way loose and fell off. I am wondering if those nuts loosened up and the bolt then started working up with vibration. Are there lock washers under each nut? I wonder if using locktite or putting locknuts on would help. Just food for thought. Your trailer car combo look awesome!
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pfriesen
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Post by pfriesen on Jun 8, 2023 13:53:06 GMT -8
You'd think I would remember if there were lock nuts on there, wouldn't you? I think there were, but I'm not sure. It's a half-hour drive away, so I may not confirm that until the weekend, idaho. Interesting you had that at the back. I will also double-check that this isn't happening somewhere else, where it's harder to see, like in that storage area under the bed.
Thanks for the input.
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. No wonder some Canadians move south.
