Community Forums

Andy_Law · 08-01-2017, 11:30 PM

Mike:
After reading your post, I had to check my manual because I thought it was a 10k receiver. To my relief, it is.

slowmachine · 08-02-2017, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_Law

Mike:
After reading your post, I had to check my manual because I thought it was a 10k receiver. To my relief, it is.

Is your MH on the Freightliner chassis, or Monaco Roadmaster? I have thought that only 2001 and newer were Roadmaster, but I've read recently that the changeover was during the 2000 model year.

Andy_Law · 08-03-2017, 09:24 AM

You nailed it. I was looking at '01 manual, which, as you already knew, has the Roadmaster Chassis. I just spoke to Monaco and confirmed it has the 5k rating.
My MH has a Reese Hitch, but the sticker is worn off so I can't see its ratings. Monaco was unable to tell me the manufacturer of the hitch they installed, but the guy said they are still using Reese hitches on their new HRs. I was hoping to find out that my MH had a different hitch installed at some point -- but it appears I'm out of luck. I took a 3k mile trip last year and towed my dodge magnum on a trailer. The magnum is at least 3,500 lbs, and, with the weight of the trailer, I bet I went over that 5k rating. It towed very nicely, could barely tell it was back there. This sure does put a wrinkle in my plans.

slowmachine · 09-02-2017, 10:53 AM

The Endeavor is finally back from the shop. I got the annual state safety inspection done, replaced two hydraulic hoses for the leveling jacks, and welded-in some new basement structure between the right front wheel and the entry steps. Water from the front tire sprays directly onto the steel framing there, and the rust damage was sufficient to require replacement.

I now have the custom-made aluminum reinforcement pieces for the ceiling beams. They are 1/4" thick, 5052 plate cut to fit into the ceiling I-beam cavities. Much experimentation drove us to a full inch of arch across the width of the coach. When the weight of the ceiling is bearing on them, there is about 1/4" positive arch in the center. I would never have guessed that the aluminum would be so elastic. We cut backing plates from the scraps to solidly sandwich the flimsy I-beams at the bolt holes.

In today's photos, we have some of the aluminum structure removed from the ceiling. The sheet aluminum was welded to the I-beams to provide anchor points for the top of the interior walls. The ladder-like pieces are the mounting points for the overhead florescent light fixtures.

The next photo is the arched aluminum plate, ready for installation. Pilot holes are from the plasma table, to be drilled to the proper size for bolts that I have not yet selected. The white strips to the left are vinyl lattice strips from Lowe's, to be used for shims above the I-beams.

In the third photo, you can see the lower horizontal section of the I-beam below the reinforcing plate, at the point where the AC ducting passes through the beam. The damage to the roof (presumably from heavy snow accumulation) was sufficient to actually stretch the aluminum. I haven't decided whether to leave these sections intact, or to cut them for a flatter fit.

The last photo shows why I am using vinyl lattice strips on top of the I-beam. The I-beams fit inside of the cavity of the large extrusion at the top of the side walls, and there is a difference in height of about 1/4" between them. The tapered foam pieces that support the sloping roof are hanging in the air, with no structural support below. The lattice strips will fill this gap. In theory, I could get a little bit more arch on the outside of the roof, but I'm sure it will also deflect downward.

The process will go something like this:

1. Lift the tapered foam insulation at the center with a hydraulic jack, and insert the lattice strip with some adhesive to keep it from slipping.

2. Move the jack to the bottom of the I-beam and lift high enough to insert and clamp the arched braces in the cavity.

3. Remove the jack, drill full-diameter holes, and bolt through.

I need to get all of this done before the snow arrives, usually November. This winter will test the strength of the roof.

slowmachine · 09-02-2017, 12:55 PM

Wife took the daughters clothes shopping in the city, so I had enough time and energy to completely strip the 120V wiring from the coach. I could see beforehand that there were numerous places where the insulation of the romex was chafed through, so this was inevitable.

Bad Bolt · 09-20-2017, 08:36 PM

How did you remove all the counter space in the slide? Did you just demo it out or dismantle?

Also, I can't remember if I asked you this or not so I'll ask now.

Are the metal sill plates for the walls like you have pictured sitting on top of the entire two layers of the OSB floor minus the tiles? The picture looks like the top layer of OSB just butts up the metal sill that's bolted to the steel coach frame members.

One last thing, how far under the slide to the ceramic tiles go? All the way to the wall edge? I'm thinking about getting rid of all the tile and going with something different.

slowmachine · 09-21-2017, 03:11 AM

Bad Bolt,

I began dismantling the kitchen by removing the cabinet doors and drawers, and quickly realized that there was no way to get the framework and countertop out through the door opening without destroying it. I cut it into manageable pieces with a Sawzall.

The tiled section of the floor, on its own OSB layer, sits between the wall framing, not beneath it. The tile goes nearly all the way to the edge, beneath the slide. There is about a one inch margin of uncovered OSB along the edge. The bottom, floor mounted, slide rollers are attached to the framework below the OSB, so removing the tiled section does not affect slide positioning. The edge of the tile/OSB layer is notched around the rollers, so it easily slides out toward the center if you cut the flooring in half along its length.

slowmachine · 05-01-2018, 02:52 PM

It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd make a little note and say that the weather in New Hampshire has finally warmed to the point where I can get some more work done. Last fall, I ran out of time before I could get all of the ceiling reinforcement beams installed, so I grabbed a stack of 2x4 lumber can cut it to fit as support poles for the snow load that was yet to come. I'm happy to say that $50 worth of lumber protected the roof from further damage over the winter, and I never had to clear snow from the roof of the motorhome.

The water leaks have not disappeared on their own. I console myself with the idea that there is adequate ventilation for everything to dry after it rains. I ran a fresh bead of caulk along the top of the wall seam before winter came, but that really didn't help. It's going to be quite a job to plug the leaks, but I really can't move forward until I get it done.

daywalker567 · 05-27-2018, 09:31 AM

l have been following Thread Free a while now I'm wondering what kind of progress you have made since your last post Earlier in may

slowmachine · 05-27-2018, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daywalker567

l have been following Thread Free a while now I'm wondering what kind of progress you have made since your last post Earlier in may

Thanks for asking. I've made zero progress since my last post. There's never a good time to discover that you are allergic to antibiotics. I've spent most of the the past three weeks going back and forth to the hospital. I think I have about another week before I can put it behind me and get on with my normal life. More to come...

daywalker567 · 05-28-2018, 08:39 AM

I want to thank you slow machine for responding I have an opportunity to purchase a 1999 gas model endeavor for only $3,500 the person I'm buying it from or possibly buying it has no knowledge of the motorhome at all he's not even the owner either there is water damage in the bath area to shower area and the washing machine area is one ceiling panel is falling down I'm not able to get up on the roof because the latter is coming off the back end my mom one of my main concerns is is the fuel tank is disconnected so I'm not sure what got in the tank .the batteries are dead so the motorhome will not start and there's no way to test any of the systems without water or power so I'm not sure if I'm going to speak to spend a lot of money or should I just let it go

slowmachine · 05-28-2018, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daywalker567

I want to thank you slow machine for responding I have an opportunity to purchase a 1999 gas model endeavor for only $3,500 the person I'm buying it from or possibly buying it has no knowledge of the motorhome at all he's not even the owner either there is water damage in the bath area to shower area and the washing machine area is one ceiling panel is falling down I'm not able to get up on the roof because the latter is coming off the back end my mom one of my main concerns is is the fuel tank is disconnected so I'm not sure what got in the tank .the batteries are dead so the motorhome will not start and there's no way to test any of the systems without water or power so I'm not sure if I'm going to speak to spend a lot of money or should I just let it go

It sounds like a basket case to me. If I can't start it up and drive it home, with all of the paperwork required to transfer ownership, my maximum price is ZERO. Lots of people offer junk for sale on Craigslist, etc., because they are too lazy, or it is too expensive, to dispose of it. Even hauling it to the salvage yard has a cost. I would walk away.

tizzyfit · 06-02-2018, 08:30 PM

Thanks, Mike for documenting all your hard work so others who may have some of the "issues" you've encountered can be fixed with fewer headaches.

slowmachine · 06-03-2018, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tizzyfit

Thanks, Mike for documenting all your hard work so others who may have some of the "issues" you've encountered can be fixed with fewer headaches.

Thanks. I hope it’s helping other owners to keep their aging RVs alive. It’s been a huge eye-opener for me. Nearly everything that I did during the purchase process was wrong, and it’s going to cost quite a bit to get the MH back to a usable state. I hope, though, that it will be easier to sustain because of my work.