new floor for 1980 burro

[ahammers]

Hi,
My name is Amy and I just bought a 1980 burro!!! the plywood floor is rotten and needs to be replaced. Has any burro owners tackled this task or am I alone in the dark with this one? will take any suggestions or advice.

Thanks,
Amy

[Raya]

Hi Amy,

If you do a search you should find the threads of several people who have replaced Burro floors. The threads were very extensive and had many photos.

I use Google's search function. Just put your search terms into the box followed by a space and then site:fiberglassrv.com

Raya

[ahammers]

Thanks Raya,
Wish me luck!!!! this is a great resource.
Amy

[Raya]

Absolutely! I imagine we'll see you popping into one of the Burro floor threads. There really have been some great reports.

Also, see you around the rest of the board

[William M. Smith]

Amy,

I just got mine too. The previous owner did a complete restore on it just before my purchase. He stated his sub-floor was intact and not rotten so this may only help later. He put in wood laminate directly onto the sub-floor and it looks great, will be easy to sweep out and easy to clean with a Swiffer mop and polish. Hope this helps for the future and that you find something in the thread to help you get the repairs you need.

Coyote Bill

[Green Frog]

Just as a possibility some others may like... the PO of my 83 Burro had to do a complete frame-off replacement of the floor, so he used exterior grade plywood laid up into a single unit, then covered it heavily top, bottom and edges with a textured pickup bed liner paint. His idea was to make a good under layment for carpet, etc, but I am using it for camping in a field at various events, so I just left it as is. I can sweep it every trip (or more as needed) and wet mop it every so often and it needs no other care. Muddy boots? No problem! Can you tell I'm single and camp in my trailer alone?

Froggie

[Sue and Henry]

Hi Amy, I have an '82 Burro. I am in the process of trying to fix my floor too. I discovered a spongy area under the back area that I leave in place as a double bed. When I cleared it out for electrical work I discovered the problem. Ugh! I am currently trying to remove and repair the plywood sandwiched between the two layers of fiberglass. Today I started cutting away the layer of glass inside my Burro. I'll post pictures on the Sue and Henry page. It is looking pretty scary at this point. I'd appreciate posts from you so I can compare solutions!

[CapnJim]

Amy, how are you doing with the rehab? I've just started mine, just about to remove the shell from the frame; have lots of good advice from others plus what I've learned. Send me a PM if you want; I'd like to know what you did if it's done! Thanks! Jim

[Donna D.]

Likely we'll never hear from Amy again. She has just two posts: Last Activity: 11-04-2011 12:25 PM

[CapnJim]

Rats, didn't notice the date......hope all went well! Thanks!

[Green Frog]

Originally Posted by CapnJim

Rats, didn't notice the date......hope all went well! Thanks!

My bad, CapnJim... I was doing some "housekeeping" on some other responses and got off on this thread by accident. There are a couple of more recent threads about floor replacement, IIRC.

BTW, this is one job that doesn't do well with half measures... do it right when it is needed then don't worry about it for a looooong time!

Froggie

[CapnJim]

You are SO right; I'm going to replace my floor with marine grade 3/4" ply, ship-lap all joints and seal all pieces with FB top AND bottom before I install them. I'll taper the edges on the BOTTOM side to fit into the groove (and since the ply will be thicker than the original, it will lift the shell off the frame a tiny bit; no shell stress then). After it's in place, I plan on lowering the shell and floor back down flat on the frame and fiberglass the joints on top then when that sets, jack it back up and do the bottom side since it should be pretty solid by then. THEN I can set it down and anchor it. BTW, what are your thoughts on moving the shell forward about 1 1/2" to center the wheels in the wheel opening a bit better? (Also will add just a touch of tongue weight.) I'm in a holding pattern right now; got it gutted but it's up on the hill of my back yard and the grass is WAY too muddy to bring down into the driveway. Jacking up the shell and all is NOT a job to do on a slope or in the mud! I'll use concrete blocks to hold up the 4 corners then pull out the frame once it's cut loose. The floor is the biggest project, I hope! The rest is a BUNCH of "little" things.....Right? (Sure hope so!)

[rick.a]

Hi Jim,

I did a frame off floor replacement a few years ago, and it sounds like you are on the right track. Regarding the thickness of the plywood, you are restricted by the thickness of the curved groove in the front and rear of the Burro to approx. 1/2 inch. So if you use 3/4" ply, you will need to router the edge down to fit into the groove. My recommendation is to route down the top edge so that the bottom remains flush with the bottom flange of the curves. This makes it easier to seal it smooth. I used 5/8 ply but still had to make it thinner. Before you push the curved pieces into the groove, fill the groves with thickened epoxy or FG resin so that all the voids are filled and it is very secure. It will ooze out and be messy so be ready for that.

Also be sure to pre-paint ALL surfaces of each ply section with resin/epoxy before assembly, and when you join all the pieces together, support the shell on a flat surface so that it sets up flat.

Lots of grunt work but I did it by myself with a helper for moving the shell and the frame around as needed.

Good luck,
Rick.

[CapnJim]

Rick, I appreciate the info! Thanks for the advice; about what I'd figured only I was thinking that I should route down the BOTTOM of the floor so the shell would sit up off the frame a bit. I still plan on 3/4" and I'd already thought about doing ALL of it with resin before trying to assemble the pieces. I want to ship-lap the joints on them, too, then use a strip on top and bottom of each joint after it's all together. Several iterations of lift/fg/lift but worth it in the long run to make it "right". I've got plenty of strap binders to pull in the shell to the ply, too! Got another issue to address first; the roof is sagged where the vent hole is; have to shore it up with some fiberglass rods glassed in along the joint on the inside. THEN I can install the new vent and get to the floor. One step forward, 5 sideways.......Glad to know I'm on the right track!