The new money pit... 2010 Forest River Take-it-EZ mini toy hauler

[cmcolfax]

I think I may have found the source of my water leak in the nose.

There's this (TV?) antenna front center above the galley hatch.

View attachment 143997

Well I climbed up where I could see the base of the antenna and found this.

View attachment 143998

Sealant (caulk?) around the base of the antenna is torn/missing, and it looks like the base is a little loose too. That would match with what I was seeing. The wide round antenna is somewhat going to block the rain from hitting it when sitting stationary, and what water is running off the roof there is still likely to channel around it. When driving down the road, the wind is going to blow water right into that gap. Looks like remove, clean, and reseal that gap will probably take care of that leak.

Next up I need to pull the window unit AC. It works, seems to do pretty good job of cooling, though I need to test it on a truly hot day. If you are familiar with window units, you know that they create condensation. Georgia summers are hot and can be very humid. That means running the AC a lot and a lot of condensation. There's no drain for said condensation, so if it creates enough it's going to overflow the bottom of the housing, out case louvers, right into the floor. Need to figure out adding a drain into the case and through the floor of the compartment. Possibly also some better vent fans for that compartment. Currently just two 120mm computer case fans. Not a great design for the AC, but looks better than a window unit through the wall. Eventually with modifications I will make a catch pan for this area as well, that way if it does overflow the case, it's not damaging the floor. No pictures of that right, but will get some when I start on it.

When you repair or replace that use Dicor self-leveling sealant.
Don't use "regular" caulk.
Find any places where your roof or other horizontal surfaces have openings, scrape back as much of the existing sealant as you can. Clean. The. Reseal with Dicor.

 

[cmcolfax]

Dude. Are we related? Where in Georgia are you? I thought you were in VA. That trailer was likely built to fit in that guy's garage, hence the butchered torsion axle. I honestly think you could, and should, do it better. Hard foam insulation. LED lighting. Alumacorr wall panels over birch ply. Redesigned passthrough kitchen with common drain. It could be nice.

Oh, and a heat gun and some patience, or eight 3M sticker removal wheels would give you a blank slate. That thing lifted on A/T's with a sage green paint job and black mountain pattern along the side would be epic. That TV antenna spot? Starlink.

Oh, and it's aluminum box frame, so rooftop basket and maybe even a rooftop tent, too.

likely built to fit in that guy's garage, hence the butchered torsion axle

Or hack job lowered to make getting his bike into it, especially if he has a heavy or low clearance type like a Road King etc

 

[cmcolfax]

I dealt with water leaks / intrusion / damage in two different campers , a pop-up and a 30' bunkhouse travel trailer.

They are all built like shit with the lowest quality materials you can imagine.

This one looks like it was built like an enclosed cargo trailer. And that is a GOOD thing.

Even if you have to rip the whole floor out, it will be on aluminum farming.
New plywood new vynil done.

Same for the walls. Easy AF to add some 2*2 or 2*4 horizontal "braces" between the aluminum studs to create "mounting points" for heavier things, hard foamboard insulation then luan skin. Light and cheap.

Expanding spray foam will be your friend.

The AC where it is is actually a pretty good idea.

Most window units should have a fitting for a drain line.

They make kits to increase airflow behind RV refrigerators that are designed to vent out thru the side of the camper. One of them would probably work well to add negative pressure ventilation to the front storage compartment. All you would have to add (if it's not there already) would be a passive vent / entry point for airflow. A basic residential forced air register with the vents facing down would work. Or a dryer vent installed in reverse (so the flaps open inward when the fans are on and creating that negative pressure).

The shower pan under the sink/galley is a great idea. You could do it even cheaper by using the ones that people place underneath washing machines.

For the sleeping area it would be very easy to make a "side folding" Murphy bed attached to the side wall of the box. It could be up and out of the way when you had the ramp/tailgate down, then dropped down when you close up for the night.

What does it have for power? Is it standard 30amp RV?
Lithium Ion batteries and solar are cool ideas but not NECESSARY.

I would definitely add a standard RV roof vent fan with a cover.

Can't tell much about the axle, but if it were me, since I can't weld...
I'd cut the whole feckin' thing off, buy a complete bolt-awn 3500# utility trailer axle kit and be done with it.