Burro- flooring problem - Fiberglass RV
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Old 11-02-2018, 05:00 AM   #1
koy
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Name: Cory-Casita
Trailer: Casita
North Carolina
Posts: 32
Burro- flooring problem

Hello, everyone - I 'm in the process of looking for a Burro camper. The one thing that concern me most is that " I hear a lot of Burro owner have repair issue about their floor. Most of the problems are about "Rotted" wood flooring. Is this true and "why" Any Burro owner out there can give any advice on prevention and repair -It will be great-Thank-you
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Old 11-02-2018, 07:04 AM   #2
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,137
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Google any brand of vintage fiberglass trailer. "floor rotten Scamp", "floor rotten UHaul". "floor rotten Burro", and so on. You will see a lot of threads on every brand.

Trailers not routinely maintained, and in particular, ones stored outside, will get leaks. Water tends to leak into the trailer. This water eventually finds the wood in the floor and rots it out over time. Burro has an unusual leak source from the outside, around wheel wells.


http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ors-66384.html


My strategy is 1) inspect floor carefully to avoid rotten floors, 2) proactively do maintenance on leak sources, and 3) store inside when not in use. I find most people do not maintain their stuff. Instead, they use until the item fails. Leaks in trailers can go unnoticed for years. If someone camps 40 days a year, that's a lot! But it also means the trailer is stored for the over 325 days! So how it is stored is important!


I looked at several vintage FG trailers with rotten floors. I passed on them. Where I could see the wood floor, I inspected that as well (under dinette, under gaucho, under refrigerator). I looked at one that had STANDING WATER in one of the dinette benches! And of course, seller described it as having no leaks. OK, sure, right... Hopefully I did OK.

Become an expert on the brand you want, by googling problems and contacting some forum "experts". I think its better to look at ONE or two brands, easier to become an "expert" on one, than on a dozen.

I am amazed at some of the projects members have taken on here. They have my full respect! I'm up for a project, but not a complete gut.
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Old 11-02-2018, 11:45 AM   #3
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Name: Daniel
Trailer: Sold it
Northern VA
Posts: 278
Quote:
Originally Posted by koy View Post
Most of the problems are about "Rotted" wood flooring. Is this true and "why"
I recently got a Burro and have been researching the topic. From what I can tell, a lot of the Burro floors were not fiberglassed on the inside, just the bottom that's exposed to the road.

Water leaks between the inner and outter chells at the windows and leak down the inside walls. That's one area I plan to address while working on my own Burro.

When replacing the floor, it's good to fiberglass the bottom, like originally done, and either fiberglass or seal in another way (wood oil? varnish?) to protect it. I intend to fiberglass top and bottom.

A good tip, once floor is replaced, if you need to put holes through the floor, coat the hole with epoxy to seal the wood from moisture.
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Old 11-02-2018, 07:17 PM   #4
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Name: George
Trailer: 83 Burro
Illinois
Posts: 69
I read a lot of posts on this site before buying my Burro with a bad floor. The real problem is leaks. Sealing up all the leaks will go a long way. I plan on looking at every hole in the shell (windows, electrical pass throughs, plumbing, lights, etc) and replacing them if necessary. I'll also seal things up as good as I can before this Burro leaves my garage. I've been thinking about putting weep holes in the floor or the fiberglass lip around the outside of the floor. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not though. If I get leaks, it will help them drain. But they could also let water in while driving in the rain.
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Old 11-02-2018, 07:22 PM   #5
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Name: Daniel
Trailer: Sold it
Northern VA
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Originally Posted by GWMattson View Post
I've been thinking about putting weep holes in the floor or the fiberglass lip around the outside of the floor. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not though. If I get leaks, it will help them drain. But they could also let water in while driving in the rain.
If you do that, you can coat the holes with epoxy to seal any edges. You can also oversize holes slightly, fill with thickened epoxy and when cured, drill a smaller hole in it. That'll keep water from getting into the ply floor.
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Old 11-04-2018, 06:47 AM   #6
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Name: Craig
Trailer: 17' Casita Spirit Delux
Delaware
Posts: 20
Burro bad floor

Just yesterday I went to see a 17 ' Widebody Burro
With floor issues. The outside of the trailer was good. The inside smelled and had a very badly done laminate flooring job done over the original flooring. The floor was still soft in areas even with the poorly done cover up. I passed on the purchase. I did not like the layout. Had a closed in feel. In fact the bad Burro really turned me off On my fiberglass trailer search! But I havn't given up. May have to buy a new or newer trailer.
I am not up for a major project.
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Old 11-04-2018, 09:52 AM   #7
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,137
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ccornell View Post
Just yesterday I went to see a 17 ' Widebody Burro
With floor issues. The outside of the trailer was good. The inside smelled and had a very badly done laminate flooring job done over the original flooring. The floor was still soft in areas even with the poorly done cover up. I passed on the purchase. I did not like the layout. Had a closed in feel. In fact the bad Burro really turned me off On my fiberglass trailer search! But I havn't given up. May have to buy a new or newer trailer.
I am not up for a major project.
The older the trailer, the more likely its a project. Unless you have the time/tools/interest/covered work area, I would avoid most older trailers. Now buying a fully restored project from someone you trust can be a good idea.

Sadly, a lot of people don't routinely maintain their trailers. In addition, they can be stored outside, for decades. So a small leak can become a big problem.

I don't think a project actually saves money. Its more about the enjoyment, pride of doing the work, and so on. If you just want to get out camping, then a new unit can make A LOT of sense.

I looked at quite a few vintage projects, as I wanted one (we have a modern molded FG trailer for our camping needs). I looked at a lot of bad trailers before finally buying one. Do I think I will make money or at least break even on my project? NO.

Modern trailers tend to have features people want, like roof AC, bathroom, modern appliances, and more. Vintage trailers tend to be more basic.

Also, many people tend to think molded FG trailers are bulletproof, with no potential for rot. Wrong.
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