Quote:
Originally Posted by beeje
Don't know what's going on with the newer montanas but that does not look good at all. I have a 2011 3455sa. I can see quite a bit of movement between the pin box and front cap while going down the road. The large level on the pin box is placed just right so I can see the flex in the rear view mirror.
The caulk is separated and the decal lines do not line up.
I was worried about it so I took off the trim on both sides and found many missing screws and virtually no sealant other than the bead of caulk along the top.
With the trim off I hitched it up and the fiberglass wall skin below the slide would extend below the framing about 1/4" essentially pushing the trim down (if it were on)
What I did was cut off that 1/4-3/8 piece, cleaned up everything in and around the overhang, pumped the area all along the overhang and going down with silicon and put it all back together using way more galvanized screws. I also cut off the bottom of the wall between the closet and the tall cabinet to allow it to flex without breaking anything.
This was 1-1/2 years ago.
Yes it still flexes and I can see the top bead of silicon breaking loose, but I know there is a lot of silicon below keeping the water out.
All the manufacture's know there units flex in this area and that is why they started putting the expansion joints in many years ago.
I inspected as best as I could for frame cracks and could not find any.
This issue seams to be worsening on the newer units for some reason.
Obviously if sidewalls are cracking and bowing out, there are more serious issues going on.
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Either design and engineering have not come to understand the weight and stress while pulling over bad roads or just part of the lack of QC and work ethic. Hurry and get them out, make more money, and be home to milk the cows.