Underbelly protection

[Staryder61]

Great pictures Mod,

This sure shows a lot of what happens under there, and what to consider when doing on of these conversions.
Or any trailer for that matter.
I had elected not to do mine underneath with the insulation.. still not sure whether to do it or not..
I'll wait to see how you take care of the problem.. you're having..

Then again, if no insulation under there. The rocks are going to eat up the bottom of the plywood instead..
That's something to think about too...

[friz]

I use epoxy to seal the bottom of the floor. Nothing seals like it since it soaks into the wood a bit and plasticizes it. I've never noticed any damage to a floor treated with it.

I don't recommend putting a sheet of something or other on the floor because if water gets underneath, it'll just sit there.

Noticed on some newer trailers that they have some sort of black cloth or plastic to cover up the underbelly.

That's the RV's answer to get the "product" through the three-year warranty as cheaply as possible.

Tony

Encapsulated in epoxy and fiberglass is the Cadillac solution for sure. My CLC has seen plenty of moisture inside and out. 5yrs not a hint of rot anywhere. Do it if you can.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[JasenC]

That's a different scenario then what I think most of us were thinking.
You could screw something stiff like plywood to the bottom of the frame to work as a stone deflector just where you need it while leaving the back side open or drill some 2" drain holes here and there so that you won't trap water. As long as it can breath and doesn't act like an air scoop you're good.

[Wrecit]

Then again, if no insulation under there. The rocks are going to eat up the bottom of the plywood instead..
That's something to think about too...

There will be some minor nicks and scrapes over time but the density of plywood will hold up well. When I ripped out the floor in mine (37 year old plywood) there was definitely marks but nothing that would trigger me to be concerned in the field of the plywood.

What was of concern we're the edges where moisture would get "trapped" which while looking good from inside were seriously deteriorated on the under side.

[Staryder61]

There will be some minor nicks and scrapes over time but the density of plywood will hold up well. When I ripped out the floor in mine (37 year old plywood) there was definitely marks but nothing that would trigger me to be concerned in the field of the plywood.

What was of concern we're the edges where moisture would get "trapped" which while looking good from inside were seriously deteriorated on the under side.

While doing ours, I filled all the gaps at the edge of the plywood, and between the seams of the plywood with 100% silicone to seal there.. then used expanding foam to fill any other gaps that were large enough..
redoing plywood on pontoon boat decks for years, the silicone has never let me down, it moves with the plywood and keeps it sealed..

[Wrecit]

Took years to figure out just how big to cut the tube on 100%. Silicone is to carpenter/ construction workers as anti seize is to mechanics lol.

[deceiver]

My trailer is aluminum which is good but interestingly the floor is a water resistant OSB put on by the manufacturer with instructions not to seal the underside. 8 yrs later and 30,000 miles and it still looks the same.

[Wrecit]

My trailer is aluminum which is good but interestingly the floor is a water resistant OSB put on by the manufacturer with instructions not to seal the underside. 8 yrs later and 30,000 miles and it still looks the same.

Your post reminds me of something I have to deal with as a seasoned union carpenter with 28 years of experience. Every year out young apprentices come in with great ideas that us grey hairs usually know are not going to work.

Converting cargo trailers seems to be saturated with a lot of overthinking (I am probably one of the biggest offenders lol)

What we think and what the manufacturer knows does not always mesh and deferring to manufacturer specs may save us money, headaches, and heartaches.

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

I'll agree with the listen to the Manufacturers recommendations. If
you get interested in the 'tiny boat' movement you'll notice that they
keep popping up with reminders to NOT use treated wood for a build
in an Aluminum boat as the 'treatment' accelerates corrosion (rust),
in the boats. Same can be true with the Tiny Trailers. Just thought I'd
mention it ...

hank

[featherliteCT1]

Good reminder hankaye, thank you!