Need opinions on used Real Lite TT

[BigDaddy]

Steve,

I am guessing TT=Travel Trailer?

I have done a lot of composite/fiberglass work and if there is one thing I have learned is that, ANYTHING can be fixed. Providing you have the tools, material, knowledge, and time. When repairing composites, if done properly, the repair will be stronger than the original structure. This is basically done with the amount of plys, overlap, and bias (angle of the plys).

With your situation, you need to take into consideration any hidden damage. You said, “You can pull the panel away from the board underneath and look in there and it all looks fine behind it, I also pushed on the panels all over that area and couldn't find any soft spots, etc. Also, there are a couple of small holes in the roof at the very back where it leaked slightly”. How much water/moisture is really behind these areas?

What worries me is that you may not be getting the full story. For a unit that “has only been towed a couple of times”, where did these cracks come from? Was it hit?

It is also possible the dealer may have gotten this “TT” for a song and a dance or he may have it on consignment and its not worth his while to do a thing to it.

If you need any reference material for repairing fiberglass let me know and I can send something to you.

Hope I helped. Good Luck #ad


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[Guest00]

Keep looking. In your part of the country the water leaks = dry rot. It is the same as on a wood boat. the structual members have started to rot. Without stripping the interior / exterior panels you will not be able to acertain the damage. Kind of like termite damage, you won't know it till it's too late.
How do you crack a sheet of fiberglass?? Twice????.
Buying TT's and parking them at a camp ground is common in your area. the exterior should be like new and the interior and appliances should show all the wear,they get used more than one that is towed as it gets used more frequently because the trip is easier and quicker than towing.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I'm about to purchase our first TT, we are on a shoestring budget right now so we are buying used. I'm looking at a 1988 Real Lite 32 footer with fiberglass sides. The trailer looks to be in excellent condition (the interior looks almost brand new) with a couple of exceptions. It was parked on vacation property since new so has only been towed a couple of times. Here's the problem - there are two large cracks in the fiberglass on the driver's side toward the front of the camper. Both of them start at access doors. You can pull the panel away from the board underneath and look in there and it all looks fine behind it, I also pushed on the panels all over that area and couldn't find any soft spots, etc. Also, there are a couple of small holes in the roof at the very back where it leaked slightly, I climbed up on the roof and walked around up there and it all felt sold, also inspected the ceiling inside too and that seemed fine as well. The RV place that has it "says" that if they were to fix it they'd replace the entire side panel and roof because they won't resell trailers with patches on them. It's the beginning of the season and they'd rather have their mechanics work on more important projects than spending all the time fixing a 13 year old TT so they are marking it WAY down to get it off the lot. That could just be a line of BS to get rid of it. They just took it in about a week and a half ago, the previous owner upgraded to a 34' triple slide 5er. They are asking $3995 for it as is, they said blue book on it is $7000. My plan if I buy it is to just patch the cracks on the side and seal the roof. My concern is that there's a larger underlying problem there that caused the cracks and I don't want to buy a trailer that I can't use. I was thinking about mounting a video camera in the back of the truck facing backwards and tow it down some rough roads to see how much flex there is in the frame (the frame underneath the camper looks great btw, almost no corrosion at all). Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give me!



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-Steve St. Laurent - President of the Great Lakes TDR
'98 QC LB (CMNSPWR), 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 4. 10 LSD, TST Powermax3, 275hp RV injectors, Joe Donnelly modifed Sachs Clutch, custom ladder bars, SW fuel pressure gauge, BD exhaust brake, Isspro turbo temp monitor, front Draw-Tite receiver, rear Draw-Tite class V receiver, BFG 285/75R16 AT KO's, (all the common stuff clipped)

 

[Barry]

Steve, I am not up on the make you have seen. I am going in to my dealership this am to do some paper work. I will look it up in my nada and email you. My concern is the cracks. We commonly see these cracks around the exterior access doors when a unit has been overloaded and stressed beyond limits. Generally the cracks run at a diagonal line upward trying to releave the stress. If the unit has a sealed bottom it will be difficult to check the frame. In any case, it sure sounds cheap.

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2001 2500 QC, ETH/DEE,4:10s, LSD, EZ with elbow(26. 5PSI)Stage 1 injectors from Carl, Boost/Pyro Guages, 4" Turbo back, BD Brake,Mag-Hytec Cover, Kleen Wheels, Energy Release, 70 gal. fuel, 20K Reese. 31,000 Miles on 03/01/01(Auto/Truck/RV Dealer)

 

[Barry]

Steve, Real-Lite was in production from 1981 thru 1992. They made 3 models of the 32ft. in 88. M-322,323,324. The current NADA book is $5570 WS. and $7430 RTL. Suppose to weigh 5175# but like all of us, they tend to grow with age. Look in all four corners up top for leaks. Generally you can check this thru the cabinets. Do a PDI before delivery and make sure all systems work. The average life of an RV refrig. is 10 years. It's $1,000 to $1200 to replace. If it all works, run at 'em around $3500 to make sure you are not leaving any $ on the table. Let me know if I can help. LOL, Barry... ... ...

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

The doors in question here are just access panels - one is around 2' x 2' and the other 10" x 12" and they are both on the drivers side front. None of the real doors (ones we could walk through) or windows have cracks running from them. As I recall (I'll verify in the next couple of days) the cracks did not start at the corners of those panels. The frame is exposed on the underside and I looked at it pretty closely and didn't see any cracks. Keep the advice coming guys, I'm building a file from here, the ford diesel site, iRV2.com, and the RV newsgroup. Thanks again for your input!!

-Steve

 

[illflem]

My experience with sheet rock on a structurally unsound building is that the first place to crack is the door corners. The structure needs to have diagonal or plywood support to prevent this, you can't depend on sheet rock nor fiberglass to provide the rigidity. Fixing the fiberglass, no matter how strong the repair, is just treating the symptom not the cause, the problem will likely come back. You will need to remove the fiberglass and repair the cause, which is probably loose or nonexistent diagonal support in the corners.

 

[RATTLINRAM]

Hey Steve,
Check out this site http://www.rv.net/forum/ also.


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Dennis D. Tway
"RATTLIN" *1999 2500 SPORT QUAD CAB* "RAM"
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[Steve St.Laurent]

They sold it on saturday #ad
Thanks for the advice though guys! If anyone has a line on a travel trailer within a reasonable distance to Michigan (500 miles or so) around the $4000 mark please let me know.

-Steve