Motor Home ??

mikelavite#72

mikelavite#72

Member
hey guys i am looking at doing some tradeing on a 35ft. Motor Home . it has a leaking roof and the owner is not sure of location the damage inside is not real bad . he has started work on the inside but it is too much for him . somy question is have any of you guys out there on Bobs repaired or replaced a motor home roof . it is a nice looking 1994 model by Fleetwood
 
thanks i am searching for frontend cover fo it now online . i guess it assended something . it is al busted up . looks like a hard to find part !!!!!:mad:!!!!!!!!
 
Look for bad wood where the compartment doors open on the outside, Bang on the side just a bit and see if little black crumbles fall out.
 
Most of these have a rubber membrane roof. The rubber can be replaced with new rubber that comes in a roll with new cement. The wood damage is the more dire circumstance.
 
wood rot is the leading cause of motor home retirement..the membrane roofs are just horrible. We pulled a 3 horse featherlight w/ a 460 power tioga MH for years, it was great to have but the roof problems/ leaks were just a pain, and ALL of the wood in motorhome construction is light and spindly. I reframed the roof in 2x4, used 1/4 plywood and the fibreglass clothed the whole roof mess like a boat. Probably added 1000 lbs to than truck- worked great, I sold it for a little bit of nothing to drag racers who still tow with it
 
I have a fiberglass roof on mine now and have some leaking problems . It is sometimes hard to find where it is coming in. I have rebuilt the cack of one before. Removed the rear window and the inside paneling. I used screws in the wood framing I replaced . I am not hat great at stuff like that but i did quite well on that with just a skill saw , jig saw and a drill . I think if I did it again I would use screws and glue .
 
Mike, i'am a supervisor at a trailer manufacturing plant and I run the roof sealing area along with other things. We run a nice bead of caulking around the perimeter and the roof vents, etc. Then go over it with roof sealer. You should be able to get it from Camping World or Lowes/ Home Depot. The caulking will dry out and crack after awhile, that is why we use roof dope(lol) on top of it to keep it out of the elements. Hope this helps.
 
I would be concerned about the long term. Motor homes can be a breeding ground for mold spores and if there is water damage to the interior at all, the mold and mildew can be tough to locate and get rid of. I would also be worried about throwing good money after bad to get it to the point of being proud of it. At the end of the day the best you can hope for is a 20 year old motor home. Maybe you could call it "Pandora's Box" LOL! Good luck with whatever you decide, mike!
 
thanks for the replies guys ! the unit only has 52,000 miles on it . so i am hopeig for the best . hey at the worst we could gutt out the insides and turn it into a race hauler we could stuff some karts inside of it LOL;)
 
all good advice.

I have repaired some travel trailers. it is not easy and may not be to fruitfull.
wood rot is the big thing that produces the black crumbly things.
roof seal is only a band aid. the structure flex causes newleaks to develop or old one to re open,
push on any area that apper to be weak or leak to get an idea of how much rot there is. get on top and walk the roof doing the same thing with rubber roof it may not show as bad because the water won't puddle like a metal roof.
at best it would be a big price consideration. can be fixed with effort.
typically fixed from the outside to reduce collaterall damage on the inside, think glue and staples.
 
Fleetwoods are poor MH to start with but all MH have the same problems. They flex a lot while driving and every corner, window, and compartment will get stressed. Buy a school bus and make your own.
 
When you reroof, use a good caulk. Not Silcone type caulk, it will release in a few years. I use Vulkem 116 Polyurethane Sealant, this will stick a long time, clean it good will stick most anything. Use a good gun to put it on, not a cheep click type.
 
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