Fiber Stream frame - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-24-2009, 12:54 PM   #1
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I read somewhere on this site (but now I cannot find the comment) that the frame of a Fiber Stream is wimpy or too light.

Is that comment prompted by merely looking at it (it really is pretty small-gauge stuff) or by actual experiences of flexing, bending, or failure?

I'm asking because I am considering getting a Fiber Stream for dry camping. The roads will be pretty good, but may have washboard. Think of the dirt road into Chaco Canyon as an example.
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Old 03-24-2009, 01:06 PM   #2
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Of course, immediately after posting I find the comment I had read before:

"The notoriously undersized Fiber Stream standard frame has been reinforced and strengthened." -- Frederick L. Simson in the post http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...t=0#entry259495

My question is what areas of the frame are prone to excessive flexing, bending (a permanent flex), or failure (we don't want to go there!)?
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Old 03-24-2009, 01:55 PM   #3
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My question is what areas of the frame are prone to excessive flexing, [b]bending (a permanent flex), or failure (we don't want to go there!)?
As much as I love my Fiber Stream, I have some anxiety over my permanently bent frame on the curb (door) side, right at the cross-member behind the rear axle. I 1st noticed it as what I perceived to be a lateral ridge in the floor surface, located in line with the rear cabinet "wall" for the Refrigerator cabinet, crossing over to the rear edge of the stove.

Ahead of this cross-member, there are 3 longitudinal frame rails (one centered) all the way forward to the hitch. Behind it there are only 2, (no center rail) to accommodate the gray and black holding tanks mounted below the floor. I can perceive this ridge in the floor of each Fiber Stream I have been in, but none are as pronounced as mine. The back of my trailer sags enough for my entry door to bind in it's door frame that is 3/4" out of plumb.

Before I bought it, my trailer sat in a storage lot on it's wheels only (no stabilizing corner jacks) for a year, with both gray and black holding tanks totally full. Each tank holds 13 gallons... so about 217 pounds of weight suspended from the cantilever behind the rear axle mount...
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Old 03-24-2009, 02:53 PM   #4
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Thanks for the info -- I'll be on the lookout for that!

Since some degree of this seems common, I'll mainly check for "excessive" bending. I had in mind moving the tanks closer to the axle anyway -- I really don't like all that lever arm when the trailer hops over a bump!

Is there any problem near the front of the body where the outside longitudinal stringers bend to make the front triangle?
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Old 03-24-2009, 03:53 PM   #5
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Is there any problem near the front of the body <strike>where the outside longitudinal stringers bend to make</strike> the front triangle?
Fiber Stream did not bend those rails. I think that because he used smaller stock to make the frame, the manufacturer welded up multiple shorter pieces, using gussets everywhere! The front triangle is actually a separate assembly. It is all a series of box frames joined with gussets.
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