Hauling hay too fast, busted window

[d2reid]

A buddy of mine came to ski with me, while driving in the middle lane someone hauling hay attempted to pass him on the right side. Not sure if the hay hauler blew a tire or got a wind gust but he swerved and side swiped my buddies Solitude. My buddie didn't really feel anything amiss but noticed the hay hauler swerving. Arrived at the RV park and went to set up and found this, busted window and awning arm. Also some cosmetic damage to the slide and side of the RV.

Supposed to be 7 tonight. So trying to figure out the best way to emergency seal the window up for cold weather camping. I initially taped a tarp over the window so he could get his furnace fired up to get some warmth inside and have some chance of keeping the rig from freezing. We then came up with a plan to sandwich a piece of plywood over the opening to seal it and keep the cold out. It was definitely a Key Stone Cop scenario trying to get that done before nightfall and the colder temperatures. Taping plastic over it just won't do in single digit temps. Over the next day or so we will tweak our invention and get it a good seal that should last the months it will take for him to get it repaired.

[howson]

d2reid -- your friend is fortunate that you're got experience replacing an RV's window. Seriously sucks, though, huh? Amazing how much can go wrong behind the TV and the quote from the driver is, "never feels a thing". :(

[Yoda]

A buddy of mine came to ski with me, while driving in the middle lane someone hauling hay attempted to pass him on the right side. Not sure if the hay hauler blew a tire or got a wind gust but he swerved and side swiped my buddies Solitude. My buddie didn't really feel anything amiss but noticed the hay hauler swerving. Arrived at the RV park and went to set up and found this, busted window and awning arm. Also some cosmetic damage to the slide and side of the RV.

Supposed to be 7 tonight. So trying to figure out the best way to emergency seal the window up for cold weather camping. I initially taped a tarp over the window so he could get his furnace fired up to get some warmth inside and have some chance of keeping the rig from freezing. We then came up with a plan to sandwich a piece of plywood over the opening to seal it and keep the cold out. It was definitely a Key Stone Cop scenario trying to get that done before nightfall and the colder temperatures. Taping plastic over it just won't do in single digit temps. Over the next day or so we will tweak our invention and get it a good seal that should last the months it will take for him to get it repaired.

You could possibly used foam board insulation - say 1" or 1.5" and trim and wedge into each opening, then tape the edges tight.

Just brainstorming
Keith

[Cate&Rob]

You could possibly used foam board insulation - say 1" or 1.5" and trim and wedge into each opening, then tape the edges tight.

Just brainstorming
Keith

I was thinking the same thing . . . foam board is light and easy to work with, and to wedge fit.

Rob

[d2reid]

The problem with foam board is that it takes a bit of pressure to form a seal around the badly mangled edge of the broken glass. Foam board is fairly brittle and will break under pressure. We had no tools or experience to work Plexiglas. Repair or replacement of the window was not an option, no parts. So we had to come up with a way for him to drive home that would provide a decent cold weather seal and be robust enough to handle bouncing on the highway. We chose plywood. Easy to work with limited tools, strong. We found some thick foam window sealant to put around the edges. The windows are installed and held in by a clam shell thingy, so we developed a 2x4 clamp system to hold the plywood against the window and the seal.

My engineer buddies may dispute this, but I believe plywood to be stronger and more resilient than either plexiglass or foam board. You can flex it, strike it, bend it, pressure point it, without failure. Ok it's not very pretty.

So here are inside and outside pictures of what we came up with. If I ever have to do this again I would use 1/2 plywood instead of 3/8 plywood. The 3/8 plywood had a little to much flex and looked a little "wavy" on the edges when we got finished. This thing was rock solid and definitely not going anywhere. Overbuilt? I hope so.

[Jlawles2]

d2reid Nice job on the compression clamp. Since the window is basically scrap, you most likely could have popped that last piece of glass out with little effort (hopefully not breaking it and adding to the mess). That would have ensured that you got a good clamp on the top and bottom.

Looking at it, the 2x at the bottom left is to prevent the plywood from sliding down correct? I might be tempted to go back and add one on the right side just above the glass for a bit of comfort.

[d2reid]

[USER="2234"]Looking at it, the 2x at the bottom left is to prevent the plywood from sliding down correct? .

Correct.

Actually the lower left 2x helped tremendously to help hold things in place while we were clamping down on the big 2x above. The clamping effect of the big 2x above was such that I saw little likelihood of it slipping at all.

[Cate&Rob]

d2reid

Nicely done!
When I suggested foam board, I was thinking of closing the opening while parked. I did not consider towing. Plywood and your clamping method is certainly a better choice for towing!

Rob