New to this forum from Redmond WA

[ScottK]

So, I'm not exactly a new GD owner, or new to towing stuff. But I am new to this forum. I don't know why, but I was confused about this forum vs another forum, thinking they were the same. Anyway, I came here because of catastrophe from my Westlake China Bombs. I'm a victim. The damage is horrific from a tire delaminating with only about 5000 miles on it, and 3 years of use. Pieces of that tire blew through multiple steel layers GD had installed, and still penetrated the floor of the RV, with my wife's jacket catching 3 pieces of it (was hanging above the main door). Outrageous. Anyway, I'm not here to bash tires. I was really looking for repair advice since I'm sure any dealer would tell my insurance company it was 10K in damage. I'm a fabricator so I'm not going that route. The only piece GD could supply was a new wheel trim piece. The linoleum is out of production. Who would think that could be a problem? My wife came up with the brilliant idea of taking flooring from under the bed for a patch! So easy. Anyway, I've been RVing my whole life (now 55). But never had a tire cause so much damage. In fact these china bombs did not even deflate when the tread was lost, so my TPMS was useless. I literally pulled into a rest area and found a tire with no tread, fully inflated to 80 PSI, with a dangling wheel trim (which my wife noticed and caused us to pull over). So much damage.... IMAGINE is not designed for delamination failure! Anyway, I'm here now and happy to share a lot of what I know about DIY repairs that I've gathered over so many years. My Imagine 2800BH is a 2021 that came off the line in July 2020, the first week they were produced. I had no idea I was getting a 2021 when I ordered it the month before from a dealer that knew it was incoming. It's been mostly great. A few plumbing leaks as many RVs have with incorrect flexible tubing connections (GD, wake up already). And a defective Coleman Air Conditioner from the start - no coolant. I paid a mobile tech, but GD and Coleman provided parts for free. I hate going to dealers, and there are none near me, in Redmond WA.

[howson]

ScottK

Welcome! Your tale of woe (tire) is unfortunately not unique.

When you get into it I believe you'll find most of the construction fairly basic. Documentation of the reconstruction would be fantastic if you have the time to document and share it.

Look forward to your contributions on the forum.

Howard

[Jlawles2]

The hardest part of your repair is going to be the floor itself. if the floor is a foam lamination then it's 2 pcs of 1/8"-1/4" luan with foam between. The side wall sits on the floor and is screwed in from the bottom.

Being a fabricator, I would suggest building a steel wheel well out of 10 gauge or something possibly lighter that spans both wheels (you may have to get creative around the floor braces) attaching it to the frame and the floor braces. This will give you a good base to make the floor wood repairs since you now have a good support.