Top and bottom halves of trailer separating?

[Jordan]

Hi there, I have a 2020 E19. It looks like in 3 of the 4 corners, the cosmetic belly band is separating from the lower half of the trailer shell and the shells themselves may be splitting. I know the belly band is just for looks to cover the seam between the top and bottom shells, but looking in the crack between the lower shell and the belly band shows ragged, splintered fiberglass. See the three pics. Has anyone had this issue? The space between the belly band and the lower shell is big enough to put a finger into it. Thanks!

[gbaglo]

No, the halves are not separating. The band is simply bending around a corner, and the trailer wall is not straight up and down. The top and bottom are bonded before the trailer is removed from the mould. The belly band is just covering the join and can't bend in all directions.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

No, the halves are not separating. The band is simply bending around a corner, and the trailer wall is not straight up and down. The top and bottom are bonded before the trailer is removed from the mould. The belly band is just covering the join and can't bend in all directions.

Thanks - that is certainly what I hope. I am just worried given the exposed splintered fibreglass I can see looking up the crack! It looks like a seal that has cracked open as shown in the photos.

[Iowa Dave]

The aluminum strip is affixed to you trailer with pop rivets, i would suggest you pinch the vinyl inset and pull it out uf the aluminum channel for a foot or two at the corners. make sure all of the pop rivets have heads in them. it is possible that a head or two have snapped off and allowed the bells band metal to walk away from the fiberglas. if so you can drill them out and install new ones. the joint of the two halves can be a little rough but i wouldn't worry about it. if you are back in Chilliwack you could stop and show them your concerns at the factory.
Iowa Dave

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Jordan

know the belly band is just for looks to cover the seam between the top and bottom shells, but looking in the crack between the lower shell and the belly band shows ragged, splintered fiberglass.

The Escape 19 molds were made by hand. There is not perfect alignment on the outer edges. That is what the belly band covers. I asked Escape not to install my belly band and initially they were going to install a VHB attached automotive rubber trim piece in it's place. Here is what the trailer looks like with no belly band.





The offset and ragged edge are normal. The aluminum belly band is normally pulled tight against the body and the rivets pull it tighter hiding that gap.

Since a VHB attached belly band wouldn't do that, I agreed to take delivery of the trailer with no belly band.

I Dremelled off the excess gelcoat, I am filling the crack with Six 10 epoxy, and then I am going to apply the automotive rubber belly bank with VHB myself. Initially, I covered the crack with Duck brand tape to keep moisture and dirt out of the crack, until I could add the epoxy to fill it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi6_KR_n_As

[RBRV]

i observed that on my 19 the two opposite corners had gaps noticeable from the bottom .
seems as though there could have been better alignment of the halves.

[DanandDaphne]

It looks to me like they just did a really poor job of getting the belly band tight around the corners.

Since you are in BC I would take it to ETI so they can fix it.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by DanandDaphne

It looks to me like they just did a really poor job of getting the belly band tight around the corners.

Since you are in BC I would take it to ETI so they can fix it.

If the top edge is tight I would recommend against this.

The belly band is cosmetic. To relocate the belly band even a little would involve drilling additional holes in the trailer as the holes in the belly band and the existing holes in the trailer would not line up.

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by Jordan

Hi there, I have a 2020 E19. It looks like in 3 of the 4 corners, the cosmetic belly band is separating from the lower half of the trailer shell and the shells themselves may be splitting. I know the belly band is just for looks to cover the seam between the top and bottom shells, but looking in the crack between the lower shell and the belly band shows ragged, splintered fiberglass. See the three pics. Has anyone had this issue? The space between the belly band and the lower shell is big enough to put a finger into it. Thanks!

Just my 2 cents.

Gaps, Splits, Jagged, Cracked Edges that create gaps between the two molds is merely a place for water to intrude into the interior and cause damage as soon as the belly band starts to get loose.

Although, it appears to be a very common problem and I haven't read any horror stories about interior damage so I could be completely wrong.

[DanandDaphne]

Originally Posted by TTMartin

If the top edge is tight I would recommend against this.

The belly band is cosmetic. To relocate the belly band even a little would involve drilling additional holes in the trailer as the holes in the belly band and the existing holes in the trailer would not line up.

I thought the top picture was from above which looks like about a 1/2 inch gap. The description by the OP does indicate that the separation is from the bottom half.

I agree if the band is tight at the top edge I would also leave it alone.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by TTMartin

The Escape 19 molds were made by hand. There is not perfect alignment on the outer edges. That is what the belly band covers. I asked Escape not to install my belly band and initially they were going to install a VHB attached automotive rubber trim piece in it's place. Here is what the trailer looks like with no belly band.

Attachment 55053

Attachment 55054

The offset and ragged edge are normal. The aluminum belly band is normally pulled tight against the body and the rivets pull it tighter hiding that gap.

Since a VHB attached belly band wouldn't do that, I agreed to take delivery of the trailer with no belly band.

I Dremelled off the excess gelcoat, I am filling the crack with Six 10 epoxy, and then I am going to apply the automotive rubber belly bank with VHB myself. Initially, I covered the crack with Duck brand tape to keep moisture and dirt out of the crack, until I could add the epoxy to fill it.

Thanks so much for this - the photos without the belly band showing the offset between two halves are particularly helpful!

[Jordan]

Thanks all for your helpful and timely replies!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by WillyB

Just my 2 cents.

Gaps, Splits, Jagged, Cracked Edges that create gaps between the two molds is merely a place for water to intrude into the interior and cause damage as soon as the belly band starts to get loose.

Although, it appears to be a very common problem and I haven't read any horror stories about interior damage so I could be completely wrong.

Watch the video. The two parts are finished on the inside with fiberglass mat and resin, especially making one body. There is no merely a place for water to intrude into the interior and cause damage as soon as the belly band starts to get loose.

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Watch the video. The two parts are finished on the inside with fiberglass mat and resin, especially making one body. There is no merely a place for water to intrude into the interior and cause damage as soon as the belly band starts to get loose.

Awesome!

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Watch the video. The two parts are finished on the inside with fiberglass mat and resin, especially making one body. There is no merely a place for water to intrude into the interior and cause damage as soon as the belly band starts to get loose.

Unless the loose belly band is due to failed rivets which seems to me could be a potential point for water entry since they are holes directly through the shell. This was mentioned recently in another thread. I plan to remove the vinyl strip and check all the rivets proactively. A dab of ProFlex on each one can't hurt.

[Don Flamenco]

Since you are in Chilliwack, there's no harm in asking them to take a look at it.

If there IS a problem, they'll take care of it. If not, at least you have some peace of mind.