New to campers 19' scamp "fifth wheel"

[Eddie Longest]

Steve
I looked at my older 5th wheel. The older Scamp 19 has an open metal gear housing with no motor mounting holes and the drive shaft had a hole and no drive pin. My newer Scamp has a plastic gear box which is drive motor ready and has a pin is in the drive shaft.
The older gear box would need to be drilled for the motor mount bolts and a spacer placed between the two sides of the gear box. Most likely you will need longer bolts and nylock nuts. You will also have to make a pin for the drive shaft.
Eddie

[Steve Hammel]

Actually I have the new gearbox. It came with the new motor so I'm good to go. I just thought I might save a step, but heck I have a new one so might as well use it.

[Jared J]

Well, I got a little bit done. I found an enclosure at Menards that will work. I had to trim the plate that came on the switch, and drill some new holes, no biggie.





I have the holes for the motor drilled, but ran into more trouble. The hole in the jackshaft actually goes past the slots and inside the gearbox of the motor a little bit. I'll have to space the motor out, which means it'll be wobbly, and I'll have to bolt all 4 legs down. S, I need to drill two more holes in the jack gearbox, and drill through the motor gearbox on the other two corners. I'll hold the motor gearbox together and space it at the same time by putting the 4 bolts through the motor gearbox, putting a washer and nut on them, then putting that on the jack gearbox, and putting nuts inside the jack gearbox to hold it on.

*Sigh* I still haven't found anything that fits the hole on the shaft. I'm trying not to drill it out, but I can if I have to, and enlarge the slots on the motor gearbox.

[Steve Hammel]

Looks good. I think I'm going to install mine up under the bunk. Last year I stopped at Wal-mart in Aberdeen wa. to get supply's while on the road with my Aljo 5th wheel. I got back into my truck and started driving off but it was pulling really hard. Another shopper flagged me down and said some kids had been playing with something. It turns out they had pulled the safety brake pin out and the brakes were locked up. I don't want to leave anything in the open where the knuckle heads running around these days can mess with it.

[Jared J]

I think I'm going to pull the fuse at all times, anyway. I don't want to chance moisture or a goofy switch causing the landing gear to extend while heading down the road.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Jared J

I think I'm going to pull the fuse at all times, anyway. I don't want to chance moisture or a goofy switch causing the landing gear to extend while heading down the road.

Or, just install an in line switch somewhere interior that will shut off the power.

[Jared J]

I got a little more done.

I was concerned about the possible stress in this area, due to possible flex from the fifth wheel, so I rounded the hole instead of making it square so it didn't crack in the corners.



I mounted the motor with three holes instead of 2, I couldn't do the fourth, because the gear was in the way, so I just flipped that bolt around so the head was the spacer. The roll pin rubbed the motor gearbox, so i used jamnuts to space the motor out from the gearbox. I drilled out the two threaded holes in the motor gearbox to do it. The splices are heat shrink ones, and that's marine adhesive lined heat shrink to seal the ends for extra insurance…I hate wiring problems. I used a metric rollpin, and had to slightly open it up to make it tight.



The battery is nearly impossible to wire in when it's in place, and I was tired of holding it up with one hand, while installing the wiring with the other, so I soldered up some new cables with an Andersen connector.





I need to find a few parts to finish the other side of it.

[Steve Hammel]

At least you're getting there.

[Jared J]

Wee bit more done.
I put wire loom on the harness and used plastic clamps to screw it down.



The factory dc wiring had two hot and two ground wires, no clue why. I had to cut about 2.5' of wire off before I got to clean wire, due to some shoddy connections allowing water to run down the vertical wires. That's a perfect example of why I hate poor wiring jobs. I went with a larger gauge single wire, used heat shrink connectors, covered that with marine heat shrink, and filled the two wire side with silicone so it sealed between the two wires.



It's all wired up as far as it can be, until I get the power distribution blocks.

[Francesca Knowles]

Totally irrelevant question:

What's the surface I see on the underbelly? It looks like OSB, but I'm about half blind so I thought I'd better ask.

Thanks!

Francesca

[Jared J]

It's all osb.

[Donna D.]

And my trailer is four years newer than Jared's with the same floor.. and it's not a problem... IT'S ABOUT MAINTENANCE!

[Jared J]

I forgot to mention one thing...almost everywhere I'm going to be camping at, doesn't have water hookups. Most have bathrooms a bit away, though. So, I decided I'm going to add a second 20 gallon freshwater tank under the other bench. That brings us to the problem of having a 10 gallon grey water tank...which will be solved by this 45 gallon tank: Ronco Plastics - Marine Water Tanks, RV Water Tank, Auto Detail Tanks, Water Tanks

[KamperBob]

Jared, love the project. Subscribed! Keep up the great work.

Steve, I passed through Vegas en route to Quartzsite. Are you coming to the gathering here Feb 8-10?

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Jared J

It's all osb.

Thanks!
From what I can see, it looks like it's in good shape... What kind of finish is on it, if you know?

This thread is such an education...I really want to thank you for posting so many pictures- especially of the underside and all the various parts and pieces thereon. For me it's one of the most important parts of the trailer, but so few people post pics of it.

I'm a bit unclear as to construction here- I guess I've always assumed that most/all molded trailers had fiberglass shells on all sides like my Trillium. Does the shell on your fiver stop at the floor?

Thanks, as always!

Francesca

[Jared J]

No finish that I can tell. The fiberglass stops a ways past the floor, doesn't go underneath.

[John & BJ S.]

On newer Scamps (and I assume all) the OSB has an application of resin to waterproof the bottom. They apply the resin before drilling holes so the edges of the holes around plumbing, etc aren't sealed.

[Francesca Knowles]

You know, I think I saw a reference to resin-on-OSB in another thread- is that the same resin used for the glassing? What an interesting idea...it's really just another form of "fiber-glass", isn't it? Only using wood for the fiber instead of..."fiberglass"!

Hmmm...Uh-oh...

I can feel myself headed down off-topic lane by musing on other possible uses/fiber sources, so I'd better sign off before I go there.


Thanks!

Francesca

[Steve Hammel]

Bob, Yes we are planing on making Quartzite. I didn't get anything done on my camper this winter as the weather has basically sucked. By far the worst winter since I've lived here. The 5'er is in usable condition but that's it.
Funny how "soft" I've gotten since living in Spokane and all those below zero winters.

[Jared J]

I got the distribution blocks in, battery is functional again.





I also got the new backsplash around one of the windows, royal pain. The screws for the window trim are mostly stripped, need to get some bigger ones to install it.