Ouch

[stratos175]

Hello All,
Our last camping trip had lots of things go wrong but one of our grandsons was with us so it was still full of fun. One of the things that went wrong was about 15 minutes from home the back tire on door side of Escape detreated and did a good bit of damage to the Escape. It now has about a 4"x6" hole in the fiberglass right behind that wheel but at least its on the underside of the trailer. I guess I will be learning how to fix fiberglass soon.

What I'm hoping you can help with is the pictures I've attached.




The first one I think was a vent cover 2nd one is the outside electrical box and it broke the cover off of it.

My question is where do I get these parts to replace them?

Thanks for the help.

Steve

 

[Rossue]

Wow- sorry to hear of that. What is a "retreated" tire?
The gfi cover is $12 on Amazon- JR Producta 47515 and the battery vent cover is $2- Valterra A10-3300.

Hope the fg repair isn't too difficult to fix.

 

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Steve
The first one is the vent for the batteries under the dinette seat. Whether it deteriorated from the gas coming off the charging batteries or from UV rays doesnt matter. You can buy a new one at most RV Stores for less than $5. I think it’s called a battery vent cover. Or something like that. Ours on the 21 lasted about 4 years. It’s a two piece deal with the underpiece still being good I would guess if yours is like ours. Take it easy taking it apart. The electrical cover may or may not be a separate part. The attaching point, (hinge) if damaged, may necessitate replacing the whole receptacle. Still not a very big deal I don’t think. I’ve not had to do that one.
Sorry to hear about tire trouble. Were those originals and what brand were they? Our Goodyear Endurance have served us well for two years and I’d buy them again. Hope to see you at King of the Wild Frontier again this year.
Iowa Dave

 

[Brian B-P]

... about 15 minutes from home the back tire on door side of Escape detreated and did a good bit of damage to the Escape

What is a "retreated" tire?

I assume that's a typo, intended to be something like "detreaded", meaning that the tread separated from the rest of the tire and flew off.

 

[Bill and Earline]

Steve,
You'll want to get some advice on cutting through and removing the original sealant. I would think perhaps a combination of a careful slice with a single edge razor held flat against the side of the trailer, and then a plastic scraper which hopefully would not scratch the trailer.

Maybe there's also a suitable goo-gone or something to remove the residue. Hopefully you'll apply a correct sealant a little more neatly than the original. Masking tape helps.

Bill

 

[Brian B-P]

... 2nd one is the outside electrical box and it broke the cover off of it.

My question is where do I get these parts to replace them?

Yes, the original cover is completely missing. It serves as both the faceplate (like any household receptacle or switch has) and a weather-resistant cover.

The gfi cover is $12 on Amazon- JR Product 47515 ...

A direct replacement source is good, but you probably could also buy any "weatherproof cover" that you like for a GFCI or Decora style receptacle/outlet, as long as it hinges along the long side (the top in this sideways installation). There are also "in use covers", which are taller (stick out more from the wall, which you might not want) that can be closed to keep weather out while a cord is plugged into them... probably not of a lot of benefit on an RV.

Any store carrying hardware or building supplies would have them, as well as of course the electrical supply businesses, if you don't want to order online and wait for delivery.

 

[Iowa Dave]

Steve
As Bill states, that inner part on the battery vent is stuck pretty tight to the fiberglass. I bought a set of four red hard plastic chisels at Harbor Freight and have used them several times to
separate pieces like that from the trailer. Take your time. And if you have a good mill bastard file you can put a nice edge on the chisel that will help you. I carry the one that’s about 1/2 or 3/4 inches wide with me in the tool box. Being the southern gentleman that I know you are, I’m surprised you didn’t described the tire coming apart as “Throwed a gator” good luck on your project.
Iowa Dave

 

[padlin]

Watch Reace's furnace removal video, he uses a heat gun to soften the caulk. On reinstalling the flue he mentions to NOT set it in a bed of caulk like the original install, just to run a bead around it.

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Steve, hope you're back on the road soon.

 

[stratos175]

Happy Friday and THANKS for the feedback. This sounds like more of a job to repair then I thought but will be sure to use all that advice.

I did type 'detreaded', and that is what happened the tread came off the tire but tire did not go flat.
Dave test your memory, we spoke about tires last year at Wild Frontier after that seminar they had about them (I learned a lot about tires) the ones on are 2014 were the original tires but had very little wear and looked fine on all sidewalls so left them as is. December last year while on a trip I noticed screw in that tire so changed tire and when I went to get repaired they said to close to sidewall so I left spare tire on. We have all kinds of tools at my office so we plugged the tire ran it hot and it seemed fine but decided to then just keep the repaired tire as spare. That is the tire we had the issue with, I think it just sitting covered on the back is what caused it to fail, bad decision on my part. Grover now has a new set of Goodyear Endurance tires .

Yes I plan to be at Wild Frontier again, will be coming from Eggshells at Outerbanks so will be a busy time but looking forward to it for sure. Unfortunately Patty can't do both so will be dropping her off at the Raleigh Durham airport and then spending a couple of days with my son in Greenville TN before I head to it.

Thanks again for all the info everyone.

Steve

 

[Iowa Dave]

Those close to sidewall fixes can be a problem. It’s kind of an economic heartbreaker when you have a screw or nail in the tire and you hate to throw away all that good tread. After seeing in the hundreds of tread separations, fixing tires as a kid (about 5 or 6 a night 5 days a week year round for several years and managing a fleet of cars and trucks, I learned not to mess with sidewall problems. It’s better to run tires regularly and wear them out than to let them age out. I like to check the inflation very often and hope they stay in balance. I’m rotating this set with the spare in the mix. So far so good. Have a great weekend we will see you in October.
Iowa