Not sure why, but, working bent over under the nose of the rig (it's sitting kind of low the way it's leveled right now) seems to be a lil' bit of an issue for my banged up, disabled vet butt. :)
Boo Hoo! I'm feelin' kind of stove up tonight. Took a fist full of ibuprophen and a Landshark beer... but... sniff sniff... I'm still gimpin' around like an old lady with the gout.
What a wimp! :)
With the welding completed I'd went to cutting and stuffing fresh insulation into the spaces twixt the structural beams of the rig.
 | |||
| *Fifth Wheel pin box repair* |
You can see in this pic what we did. The angled plate that goes from the bottom/back of the pin box, up and welds to the back of the main mounting beam. Two additional re-enforcement plates on each side of the main plate. You can see one of the gussets we added above the angled section of the main plate.
And then, behind all that, the two new members that transfers some of the load/torque to the next cross member.
The whole idea was to not only repair the fractured parts, but, at the same time, disperse the pressures and impact across the whole frame from where a heavy % of the torque was concentrated by a faulty design on the lower ends of two vertical welds.
My comment to James was; "If I break this... I hope the Freightliner that T-Boned me is screwed up too!
Like I said... After I put a couple coats of Rustoleum on the finished repairs... I spent a few hours cutting and stuffing fresh insulation into the rig in preparation to install a fresh skin under the nose.
 |
| *Rigid insulation on a fifth wheel* |
I cut it to fit pretty snug... and maybe... juuuuuust a mite too snug. By the time I got done punching two layers of the two inch rigid insulation up between the frame members... bent over like a hunch back... and literally, havin' to punch it into place... all my aggression was used up, and my broke parts were competin' with each other for my attention.
I was hopin' to be back on the road tomorrow. We may still make it... All I've got to do is make a couple more cuts of the skin, and get it screwed in place... but... knowing that Murphy is likely hidin' 'round here somewhere... I'm not gettin' all worked up about it.
If we do, we'll likely only go as far as Denver and spend the night at the kids place for one more bit of time with the Grandkid... That way... we'll be able to cross Raton Pass in the snow that's predicted for Wednessday! ;)
Anyhoo... one way or t'other, we'll be rollin' south real soon.
Buttoning up another RV repair, and ready for the road.
Brian
Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
6 comments:
Sweet! I'm sure you'll enjoy "leaving" all this behind.
Congrats on getting this repair finished so you're ready to get out and about again!
We are about to make our first camping trip with our grandkids in our newest camper---a 32' Jayco Jayflight with bunkhouse. Doing a few modifications for storage improvement. But you KNOW about that.
We'll be in Gulf Shores, AL so no worries about snow for us. The kids are excited and so are we. They are 7, 10 and 13 and have camped with us before. Now that we're retired (since Jan.) we have more time for fun and games.
We enjoy your blog and your humorous and sometimes poignant way of telling your story. Your hopes and aspirations really resonate with my husband (and me, too) as he really looks forward to the day we can head out on the road for an extended trip out west. For right now, we're happy spending time with our son and his family wherever we can.
Good luck and keep on writing your story. It's keeps a lot of us coming back to read more. :-)
Great looking job. You should send some pics to the guy in W Ystone so he will know what real welding looks like. Safe Travels....jc
Ted; Yeah, I'm ready to go!;)
Marcia; Thank You. Heidi... and even the grumpy old guy are kinda looking forward to our Granddaughter and her soon to arrive brother growing big enough to come along sometimes.
Jerry; I'm not sure he's "alert" enough at this point to learn... even if he was willing ;) ... I think... I'll just climb on my Raider and ride the Arizona desert this winter... and file this all away as "lesson learned!" ;)
Spend TWO days with that grandchild and by Thursday the sun will be out again and the roads dry:) You've lived in Colorado long enough to know that! One of the beauties of that area:)
Whenever you get out - have a great trip! Stay safe:)
Snackmaster and Jan
Triangles! Looks well repaired; however, your warranty may now be void...;)
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