Found that the support structure beneath the 6v batteries on back bumper is deteriorated to the point of being unsafe. Some kind of osb board supports the batteries along with some very corroded screws & nuts. Glad I happened to notice before planning any trips. Could have been catastrophic.
My helpful son believes he can place some metal supports with new ss screws & nuts to remedy the situation. I will post pics but it doesn’t show the cracked board very well. Any different thoughts on how to go about this? Thank you!
I replaced our original plywood with some 3/4" exterior 7ply plywood. 3 coats of HW store's best exterior paint, fresh bolts and nuts, and we're good for quite a while.
As an FYI for 17b owners with 2 6 volt batteries on rear bumper. The passenger side was sized for a 12v battery thus the 6 volt battery was only resting on the plywood vs the metal supports on each side. The passenger side enclosure is 2.5 inches wider than battery box on drivers side.
Thanks to Jon vermilye for your detailed response to my pm. Yes those bolts are rusted & hard to remove.
Determined that I also need new batteries. Will have a mobile welder put a metal brace to better support battery on passenger side. Then put some kind of plastic support on bottom prior to replacing batteries.
Didn’t know batteries bulged when getting to end of use. Thankfully son used to work for interstate so is a wealth of knowledge.
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