bulging seam

[Dave27]

There is a small seam just below the bedroom slide out. I noticed today that it is bulging out. The camper is stored in our backyard, this side faces south. I brought the camper up to the driveway to get ready for our trip to Arizona, plan to leave next week. Any ideas as to what might cause this? And what should I do? Thanks, Dave

[Scott'n'Wendy]

On fifth wheels, a frame problem could cause that kind of issue...if it flexes a lot when on the truck compared to on the landing gear. but I could be way off. Difficult to know exactly where that stress is in that picture.

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Dave,

I have wondered about that “seam” (I have the same on my 303) and I don’t think it is a seam. If the front part of the sidewall were a separate piece, there would have to be a matching seam above the slide. Maybe it is a cover for wires going from the Schwintek controller to the slide motors? (just a guess . . . I don’t know this). If you pull back this trim piece can you actually see a seam in the sidewall?

Rob

[Jlawles2]

I've seen that seam tape on several GD's under the slide. It almost appears that GD put a control expansion joint on the slide side since the area under the slide is small and subject to elongation and possibly cracking.

You need to determine which side of the seam is deformed. From there it will tell you where to look. Inspect all of the caulking along the bottom of the trim on both sides of the overhang. I'd also go inside and check for soft spots on the wall or other signs of possible issues. Don't forget to inspect the insides of the basement and front storage area for signs of deformation. Pay close attention to the areas where the overhang ties into the verticals.

IIRC there is a video on another brand showing major damage to this area, but the signs were much more dramatic. I'll not post the link to protect the MFG as it appeared it could have been an LCI defect.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

IIRC there is a video on another brand showing major damage to this area, but the signs were much more dramatic. I'll not post the link to protect the MFG as it appeared it could have been an LCI defect.

Dave27 This is where I'm coming from on my thoughts. It was a different manufacturer...which is why I said I could be way off.

Cate&Rob The reason I believe it is an expansion joint is when the trailer is dropped on the truck, the frame bends somewhat. That bending is more pronounced at the bottom than top where the roof is resisting the bend. The "Z" area of a fifth wheel being more flexible than the main part of the frame. Just my opinion as an electrician...an engineers thoughts would be appreciated here..

[Dave27]

Cate&Rob Jlawles2 Scott'n'Wendy The forward side of this "seam" is arcing outward. When I looked in from the side, it looks like "shavings" on the plastic piece. That would fit with this is an expansion joint, or covering a cut to route wire. We have well below freezing temperatures for the foreseeable future here in Michigan. So I don't want to pull it out now for further inspection. We are heading to Arizona, starting next week. When we get to warmer temperatures, I will "dig" into this more. I appreciate your input.
thanks, Dave

[Cate&Rob]

Dave27 Jlawles2 Scott'n'Wendy I will ask Grand Design . . . but may not get an answer back until after Christmas.

Rob

[ncitro]

Dave27 Hi Dave I hope I'm wrong but that looks an awful lot like what I found on mine. I documented it in a thread I'll link below, but mine turned out to be frame damage and ultimately Grand Design replaced my wall. I also had an interior crack that was not in the same place as the bulge, so keep an eye out for something like that as you travel.

https://gdrvowners.com/forum/exterio...e-wall-bulging

[Jsm180]

I have the same cut on my 27RL but missing the trim cover. It looks to me like a relief cut made by hand with an abrasive wheel. I am trying to find the trim piece or material used but have not contacted GD yet.

[Cate&Rob]

Cate&Rob The reason I believe it is an expansion joint is when the trailer is dropped on the truck, the frame bends somewhat. That bending is more pronounced at the bottom than top where the roof is resisting the bend. The "Z" area of a fifth wheel being more flexible than the main part of the frame. Just my opinion as an electrician...an engineers thoughts would be appreciated here..

You are correct that there is much more flex in the front end of a 5th wheel trailer than most people realize. When hitching to the truck, this flex is masked by the compression of the truck suspension. We use a pin tripod for long stays and I lift the front legs slightly to more heavily load the pin for stability. If I lift the legs off the ground, putting all weight on the pin tripod (as it would be when hitched to the truck) . . . the flex in the front of the trailer is very noticeable. It is actually quite amazing that the vertical side walls of the trailer can absorb this without distortion . . . particularly as this flex cycles up and down while towing.

Rob

[Dave27]

Dave27 Hi Dave I hope I'm wrong but that looks an awful lot like what I found on mine. I documented it in a thread I'll link below, but mine turned out to be frame damage and ultimately Grand Design replaced my wall. I also had an interior crack that was not in the same place as the bulge, so keep an eye out for something like that as you travel.

https://gdrvowners.com/forum/exterio...e-wall-bulging

Oh wow Neil! ncitro That is quite a story. I am really glad they came through for you. But right now, it leaves me with a lot of questions. I don't understand why they had to replace all the walls. It is mystifying that they never told you what the root cause was, and how they addressed it. Should we head to Arizona, which will involve towing over 6,000 miles over the next 10 weeks? Would that likely cause structural failure? If walls need to be replaced, how would that affect our FlexArmor Roof? The roof coating covers over the joints with the walls and cap. Work done at the factory is not a problem for us, we live a couple hours away. It would just be a matter of scheduling.

It is going to be hard to figure this out with Christmas and our planned departure date next week. If towing is not likely to cause more problems, I don't have a problem scheduling whatever work is needed after we get back. But I'm not sure how to make that decision. Cate&Rob Since they have seen problems like this, how likely are you to hear from GD?

Dave

[TucsonJim]

Cate&Rob Since they have seen problems like this, how likely are you to hear from GD?

Dave

Dave - Unfortunately, they are closing down at 3pm today due to the impending winter storm. They are trying to get the employees home so they'll be safe.

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Dave,

The structure that may have come apart is a small area within the wall. I would (personally) not think that you should cancel your winter travel plans because of this. ncitro Neil . . . would you agree with this? I do expect to learn from Grand Design, why they put this seam/cut in this location. I would be watching for signs of interior wall fracture as shown in Neil's pictures.

Grand Design obviously knows about this issue, but how they will respond to your inquiry/request is entirely up to them. You can certainly point them to these forum discussions for where you are getting your information. As noted in Neil's thread, getting through to the right person at Grand Design can take some polite perseverance.

Rob

[ncitro]

Oh wow Neil! ncitro That is quite a story. I am really glad they came through for you. But right now, it leaves me with a lot of questions. I don't understand why they had to replace all the walls. It is mystifying that they never told you what the root cause was, and how they addressed it. Should we head to Arizona, which will involve towing over 6,000 miles over the next 10 weeks? Would that likely cause structural failure? If walls need to be replaced, how would that affect our FlexArmor Roof? The roof coating covers over the joints with the walls and cap. Work done at the factory is not a problem for us, we live a couple hours away. It would just be a matter of scheduling.

It is going to be hard to figure this out with Christmas and our planned departure date next week. If towing is not likely to cause more problems, I don't have a problem scheduling whatever work is needed after we get back. But I'm not sure how to make that decision. Cate&Rob Since they have seen problems like this, how likely are you to hear from GD?

Dave

Yeah it was quite the ride. It was not all the walls, it was "just" the drivers side. I questioned the shop foreman when I dropped it off and said I did not need the whole thing if they could tear open the affected area and patch the fiberglass. His response was for them it was less labor to order a new wall from the lamination plant and change it out than it would be to patch the fiberglass and match the paint. Obviously if I was paying a local shop to do it the cost of transporting a wall out would be prohibitive. I suspect that the root cause was a weld between the wall and the frame that let loose causing it to bulge out, but that is just my guess.

Only you can decide what to do, but I can tell you I had the interior crack for at least a year and probably put close to 10k on it before I had the rig fixed. When the outside bulge appeared is when I got concerned. I thought the interior crack was from something getting stuck behind my slide out so thought nothing more of it. As I looked at it more I realized there was no way it could be caused by that with where it was located. I bet we drove 3-4k miles after we saw the bulge, and it never really got any worse. I put some silicone in there to keep water out and called it a day. It took a long time to get the repair approved, and then to get in. We like you are close to the factory so I told them if they had a cancellation to call me and I would have it there in a few hours, and they got us in faster that way.

[ncitro]

Cate&RobDave27 Rob replied at the same time as me, but basically I agree I would not let it mess with my plans and would keep an eye on it.