How Can I Fix The Sagging Floor In My R-Vision Travel Trailer?

by Rita Denis
(UBE)

This R-Vision travel trailer had heavy people using it and the floor sags or feels mushy between the heat registers.

ANSWER Greetings Rita thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

My suggestion is that you take your RV to an RV repair shop and have them look at the floor in your travel trailer. The floor should not be sagging as you describe. In some lightweight trailers such as yours a little play in the floor can be normal, but if it is as bad as you say there may be a problem.

The floor bracing system is part of your trailer's aluminum frame. In fact the floor is attached to the trailer frame prior to the walls of travel trailer being installed. In most cases the walls of the travel trailer sit on top of and are attached to the floor. So if there is a problem with the floor you just can't take the old floor out and put a new one in.

Another cause of a sagging or mushy floor can be that the floor has been exposed to excessive moisture which has compromised and softened the floor itself. The only way you will know is by having your trailer inspected by a qualified RV repair facility.

If it is discovered that the floor needs to be re-enforced or the floor bracing needs to be repaired; it will not be a cheap repair. The bottom of some travel trailers are completely sealed and may involve removing holding tanks, etc.

The only way that you will find out for sure is by getting the inspection done.

If any of our visitors have any suggestions or comments for you they can add them by clicking on the "Click Here To Add A Comment" link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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Comments for How Can I Fix The Sagging Floor In My R-Vision Travel Trailer?

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		plywood repair
by: Anonymous

I have a 2003 trailcruiser that is very well maintained and infrequently used. We cover it each winter and I've recoated the seams and the entire roof. This year, the floor started getting soft at both ends of the camper. The center floor seems fine so far. There is no water intrusion. I think the adhesive failed on the bottom skin. I put 1/2" plywood pressure-treated sheets between the frame rails with pressure treated 2x4's every 16". The 2x4's are bolted to the frame rails using zinc-coated L brackets with self-tapping 1/4" screws. This fixed the soft floor. Pressure-treated is heavy. I don't like adding weight to the camper but this is the best I could come up with. It was very difficult to install this. There are gas lines and power cables fastened to the bottom of the camper that I had to workaround. I had to work underneath the camper, on my back, using jacks and wood blocks to help hold the plywood in place while I installed the panels. It took 8-hrs for each 4' panel. I have yet to fix the floor in the back end of the camper. I need to remove the blackwater holding tank to get at it.

I'm concerned about the failure of the floor outside the frame rails. Weight from the camper body sits on the floor and is not directly resting on the frame. Failure of this part of the floor might result in the camper body separating from the floor. I'll have the camper inspected next week to see if it's safe.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Saggy floor
by: R vision Vision

Mine also does this. I"m planning on taking 3/4" plywood and pressing it up to the floor under the belly of the trailer and bracing it there with 2x6 beams.

Has anyone tried this and if so how successful was it in stopping the sag.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sagging floor repair
by: Donald

We have a 2005 Trail Cruiser 23QB built by RVision. The floor between the dinette and kitchen began sagging in the past year. There is no water damage. After much web surfing, I decided to add horizontal supports under the floor. I put in 2 supports using 1 1/2 inch square steel tubing from Home Depot, which I attached to the inner flanges of the frame using brackets I made from 2 inch angle iron. I put one support at the joint between 2 sections of floor, which I could see from the stretched and puckered plastic sheathing on the bottom of the trailer. The joint is right where the folding leg of the table hits the floor. I put the other support 12 inches forward of the first. Sagging gone. Now just slight flex from the crushing styrofoam. Four hours work and $60 materials. Hard work for 73 year old man and resulted in much bleeding from wounds, but worth it.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Great Stuff
by: Richard

I have a spongy spot right in front of the fridge in my TrailLight. I pulled up the Vinyl and Luan plywood and made a happy discovery. My floor isn’t rotten, just broken. I pumped the DoorAnd Window version of Great Stuff into the voids beneath the styrofoam by pushing the straw through the cracks. Be sure to get the kind that does not cause bowing. It says it on the can. I will trim off any excess, then make a half inch plywood patch to go over it. A bit of vinyl and some edging, and I should be good to go.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		R vision
by: Anonymous

This is probably an old thread,
I am dealing with the same thing with a 27' 06'r vision trail lite. Bought it really cheap with sagging floors. Almost done re-enforcing also from underneath with 3/4" plywood supported with 4x4's between the existing cross members. One my section left and the rest is nice and solid now
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		R-Vision B17B floor and framework Repair
by: Anonymous

It is not the heavy people that caused the R-Vision bounce or sag. It is the fault of the unfortunate failed mfg. very bad engineering!

I purchased a used 2003 B17B, completely pulled out the front "oreo" style sub-floor plus bad front end water sealing caused the sag. No brace down the center between the beams did not help! I added a PT 2x4 under the membrane. Built a 2x4 and 2x6 frame with non water wicking foam and finally ground contact 3/8 plywood. Only thing that bounces, is the complete trailer. The 2x6 was to attach the steps as there was little to nothing to keep them from tilting. In the front on the 2x4's I attached them via angle brackets to bolster the front aluminum bottom plates 2x2 sides. There was a 3/8" sag from front to the cabinet just past the door. Rear end was fine and even from side to side. There is cross beams holding the tanks that obviously helps.
However, last camp out we hit a dead retread and now frame is bent, Dexter axle is bad. Both being repaired! Go figure!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Saggy floor
by: Brooks

I am having the same issue around heater vents in an ultralight outback. No supports around the vents. I would have liked to purchase gray tank support’s but didn’t want to wait after spending two days taking down the undercover, jacks and propane piping. I made my own using barn door hanging bar cut in half. I think 2x6 would also work with less hassle.. epoxy shims on both sides of each end would have reduced tappping into the frame with screws. My weakest point was between the double axel... what a pain to craw aroun in the gravel.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Flooring.
by: Anonymous

I have a 2006 Trail Cruiser.
Everything has been fine to this year.
Floor is sagging with me walking on in...185 lbs.

I see its water tight still underneath.
I work at a tubing mill...I'm going to cut tubing and weld it every foot or so to reinforce the floor.

Wood eont work and I see zero bracing underneath. Good camper...shitty bracing for the floor.
It's not even real plywood.
Particle board.

Eventually I will have to replace the floor 2ith reql wood.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		soft floor 2015 Jayco Feather light
by: basil

We realized about 2 months after our Warranty expired that our floor was getting soft every 4 feet along the main walking area.
After examining the floor under and above I found that the Composit flooring (1 1/2" styrofoam between thin plywood).
The bad spots are where the edges of the sheets of plywood meet.
there is no type of reinforcement at the seams. so when I step on one side it compresses and the other edge stays up, this has caused the Vinyl flooring to begin to crack.
I opened a small area where the worse cracking is, and found the styrofoam (same stuff that is used for a $2.00 ice chest) has compressed and no longer giving support to the 1/4 inch plywood on top.
The bottom board does move a little but the seams in the top panel are offset from the bottom panel.
so I put a few wedges in the bottom bracing and that has taken care of that part.

The top seams are the problem and I am now checking to see if I can add another 1/4 in of plywood on to without interfering with the slideouts.
The next option will be expensive dense expanding foam to inject in the weak areas.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		r vision
by: Anonymous


i to have a 05 30 foot r-vision... the floors on them are soft as well as many other lite trailers and Don your right the foam in between the floor compress and make it feel soft ... nothing to do with water is just the way they build them. i also have a 30 foot coachman class a same thing around the kitchen area.. when i put new flooring in it i drilled the floor with a 1 inch hole saw.... no moisture or anything.. just the same style of floor as the r-vision...fixed the problem buy rescrewing that part of the floor with long screws all the the way through and into a couple of treated 2x6s under the floor and caulked them.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		How to replace a sagging floor
by: Dan

The only way to do it right is to remove camper from the frame. I just did this to a palomino 21 foot camper. If you under take this project you better be good with tools and have some building know how.

This is what I did. I lowered the nose of the camper as low as I could. Then screwed a 4 x 4 to the sides on the back corner. Make sure you hit the aluminum stud. I used (2) 3/8 x 6 in. lag bolts about 10 in apart. Then I removed the screws from the bottom that went up through the floor into the wall. I found 4 on each side about 6 in long and a lot of smaller screws on the front and back. Not to mention all the screws holding the aluminum trim you have to remove before you can get the the longer screws I already mentioned. I also remover all the interior walls and cabinets that were attached to the floor. Furnace hot water heater refrigerator also need to be removed. Then I raised the nose of the camper carefully removing any wires and cables that went through the floor along with the plumbing pipes. Once it's raised all the way up I put 4x4s on the sides in the front. Then lowered it down and carefully pulled the trailer out.

Before you rip the old floor off measure everything length width and all holes in floor. Take your time and take good not sure this will save time in the long run. Then rip up the old and put down the new. I used 1/2 inch ply then 2x4 on the sides 2x6 front and back with 2x3 16 in on center. I used liquid nail and screws to put it all together then I put an inch and a half blue foam make it a tight fit. More glue and 1/2 inch plywood on top and screwed down. This is thicker than the old floor and about 300 pounds heavier. Put the trailer back under the camper she'll. The 4x4 will help keep it aligned but be careful not to knock them off. Then raise the nose and remove the front 4x4s carefully lower the nose til the back 4x4s are off the ground and the shell is back on the trailer. Remove back 4x4s. Now screw the shell to the new decking. Remember the floor is thicker so use longer screws. I used hardened structure screws that I found at home depot $12 for 10 screws. Make sure you hit the aluminum frame in the walls when you put the screws up through the floor into the walls. I undercoated the bottom to prevent rot and put the interior back in. Took me 3 weeks by myself. Good luck this is a big job.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Saggy floor in Our R-Vision
by: Don

We have a 2009 R-Vision Trail Sport 22 footer. That was the last year they made them before R-Vision went bankrupt and was bought by another company. I looked for all sorts of nasty reasons why the floor in the high-traffic area by the door and table would feel saggy under foot. The only thing I found was that the composite laminate flooring (light weight) has compressed and is fatigued from constant foot traffic.

I am not a small person. 6'2" and, for a while, 260 lbs. I am down to 210 now. You get the picture. No one in my family is petite. I put a 2x6 underneath the problem area and the floor got much better. This spring I'm going to put another in to finish the job. There are no leaks, no plumbing in that area so as far as I can figure it was/is substandard flooring material.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Mushy Floor is Most Expensive Repair you Can Have
by: Michael Scott

I don't own a travel trailer.....but I have close friends who have owned three.
Their current trailer is a 2004 Zeppenlin....I think a 30 footer. The floor around the entrance-way (by the kitchen) has become a sponge over the past couple of months.

When they took it to the most 'qualified' dealer/repair shop they know last week.....they got the bad news: "This could be a ten thousand dollar repair".

The floors on these things are like the spine on a human body; once they go......you're "toast". (They only PAID 8K for the trailer.) DOH!!!!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Resin leveling.
by: Capbob

I am having the same problem with my Gulfstream. I know it was caused by water leaking from the roof which I had repaired. I am thinking of pulling up the flooring to expose the plywood. The sagging is dish shaped between the metal cross bars under the trailer. I will mix some fiberglass resin and pour it into the dish shape inside and level it off. I'm hoping the roughly 2ft area will spread the load and stop the styrofoam core from sagging. I don't know if I need to put plywood over it.Anyone else try this?

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