A member with a 2019 Montana 2131RL found a bulge in the exterior sidewall below the front corner of the bedroom slide and suspected broken wall stud welds from frame flex. Instead of opening the fiberglass exterior, the member accessed the area from inside, removed interior components, cut the paneling, found two aluminum studs broken at the bottom, tightened loose screws attaching the aluminum wall to the steel frame, and cleaned out debris and old insulation.
The repair used fabricated...
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A member with a 2019 Montana 2131RL found a bulge in the exterior sidewall below the front corner of the bedroom slide and suspected broken wall stud welds from frame flex. Instead of opening the fiberglass exterior, the member accessed the area from inside, removed interior components, cut the paneling, found two aluminum studs broken at the bottom, tightened loose screws attaching the aluminum wall to the steel frame, and cleaned out debris and old insulation.
The repair used fabricated bent aluminum angle gussets, an aviation structural adhesive, CherryMAX rivets, and added 2x4 blocking with construction adhesive before reattaching the interior panel for future access. Other members praised the workmanship and asked detailed questions about the Schwintek in-wall actuator, wood blocking, rivet choice, welding versus rivets, tools, materials, costs, and clearance issues for drilling. The member noted that welding would have been a more direct factory-style repair but would require exterior skin removal, while this approach was intended as an internal-access DIY alternative and was not presented as a proven long-term fix.