Just bought a 1972 Trail Mite and have no clue

[Mitten Mitsie]

I just purchased a 1972 Trail mite that I was told was in camping condition. Being as I'm clueless about campers at all, it took a minute to realize this thing is anything but. And now I'm attempting to overhaul it. Looking for other TM owners who might be able to give me some tips (dimensions, what it should look like, etc). It's getting cold here in SE Michigan, but I'm plugging away. Just tore out a very shoddy dinette replacement to find wet and rotting wood. Pretty sure it was the water tank that had all of its hoses disconnected. Upon analyzing the floor it appears to have been attached with some fiberglass tape or glue? My question is how would I replace the floor? Would I go over it with thin wood (luon?), remove the rotted spots and patch? Take out the entire floor? Or after drying the wood out, would i just put flooring over it? I want it to be safe and sturdy, remain light, and also be proper, but not cost me a grand since I'm pretty sure I over paid already, and I only have so much to sink into this camper (don't get me started on the shell).

[Jon in AZ]

The floor design in your Trail Mite is similar to most of the Boler clones. I am describing a Scamp. Yours may have some slight differences, but the basic process is the same.

The floor is attached to the frame, probably with screws, a lot of them, then the shell is attached to the floor with those fiberglass strips, or tabs. There’s another one under the floor which you will leave in place. The shell is not attached directly to the frame anywhere.

So the shell doesn’t shift, it’s best to work on one section of the floor at a time. Carefully cut through the fiberglass tab around the edge of the floor, one section at a time.. A multi-tool with an oscillating blade works well. Use good PPE when cutting fiberglass. Then remove all the screws, drilling or cutting as needed. .

Once the board is loose, remove it and use it as a template to cut the new one. The cheapest option for replacement is OSB, available at Home Depot and other building supply stores. That’s what Scamp uses now. Marine plywood is a nice upgrade, but pricey and hard to obtain in some markets. Seal the bottom with fiberglass resin. Cut and seal the freshwater tank drain hole if you plan to reinstall it.

Before reinstalling the new flooring section, this would also be a good time to wire brush and paint the exposed frame with a rust inhibiting paint.

Lay the new floor section in place, mark the location of frame members, apply epoxy to the bottom tab, and screw it down with self tapping screws. Then lay in new fiberglass tabs along the edge of the floor.

Repeat for each damaged section. Some people seal the top after installation, either with more fiberglass resin or paint. Others leave the inside unfinished to allow the wood to breathe.

If you remove the closet and galley during this process, you should add vertical supports to hold up the roof. Interior cabinets are part of the structure of the trailer Lengths of 2x4 with squares of plywood at the top to distribute the pressure will work. If you don’t support the shell during the rebuild, it will sag and nothing will fit right when you go to put it back together. One good snow and the whole thing could collapse..

There’s a great primer on working with fiberglass right here on this forum.
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ass-52498.html

Best wishes!

[Mitten Mitsie]

Holy smokes that was such a great explanation!! Thank you for all of the time you took to write all of that up!! It is so appreciated!!

[John in Michigan]

Hard to tell the condition of subfloor plywood from pictures. If you can still walk on the plywood, if it is not rotted through, then it may be ok to just dry it out. Keep in mind that the first priority is to find and fix the leaks. Its self defeating to repair or replace the floor if the trailer is still leaking.

[pete_britt]

I have cured dry rot with great results. RTG Wood Rot Repair Epoxy (Pint) is my current fix.

[vintageracer]

Suggest you take a good look at JM Huber "Advantech" Sub floor material available at most at Lowes/Home Depot. MUCH BETTER than plywood or OSB for a subfloor and MUCH CHEAPER than Marine Plywood or Coosa board.

I have had a piece of Advantech in a barrel of water for over a year and their is no change in the board.

This also works great for patching sections of floors.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

Suggest you take a good look at JM Huber "Advantech" Sub floor material available at most at Lowes/Home Depot. MUCH BETTER than plywood or OSB for a subfloor and MUCH CHEAPER than Marine Plywood or Coosa board.

I have had a piece of Advantech in a barrel of water for over a year and their is no change in the board.

This also works great for patching sections of floors.

Could you link to a specific product? I searched Lowe's and Home Depot. Home Depot doesn't list anything on their website from that manufacturer, and Lowe's just describes it as tongue-in-groove OSB. I also found the manufacturer website and it didn't really tell what makes it different.

[vintageracer]

Google is your friend.

Engineered Oriented Strand Resin Impregnated Wood Product.

No Glue Impregnated like regular OSB.

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Advantech--...ent=4294742716

[Mitten Mitsie]

Originally Posted by pete_britt

I have cured dry rot with great results. RTG Wood Rot Repair Epoxy (Pint) is my current fix.

Is this a product I put on and it patches?

[doulu]

Dear Mitten Maisey, we bought a 1972 Trail Mite this summer in Hope,Alaska.We knew that it was in bad shape but affordable.We live in Anchorage,Ak. It is in our shop and we are working on restoring it this winter. It is being dismanteled while keeping structural elements in place.We are not changing floor plan.My husband is going to build new frame ,old one broken and badly repaired,and replace axle. I found a web site called Proud Canadian.com. He has built a 1972 boler. It has lots of pictures and good information that could be useful to you because most egg campers are Boler copies.We are learning a lot from this site. Hope this is helpful info. Doulu(Doug and Lucy)

[Mitten Mitsie]

Thank you so much! I look forward to seeing your progress.

[Mitten Mitsie]

Originally Posted by doulu

Dear Mitten Maisey, we bought a 1972 Trail Mite this summer in Hope,Alaska.We knew that it was in bad shape but affordable.We live in Anchorage,Ak. It is in our shop and we are working on restoring it this winter. It is being dismanteled while keeping structural elements in place.We are not changing floor plan.My husband is going to build new frame ,old one broken and badly repaired,and replace axle. I found a web site called Proud Canadian.com. He has built a 1972 boler. It has lots of pictures and good information that could be useful to you because most egg campers are Boler copies.We are learning a lot from this site. Hope this is helpful info. Doulu(Doug and Lucy)

Lucy, how did you know the frame is broken? I have crawled under the camper and looked at the welds and frame. Nothing looks cracked or separated. Is that good enough?
Heather