I did read a few posts of people having to replace the wood on the entry step. Well now it is my turn. I have been putting it off but decided today to rip into it. I found the the wood was dry now but totally in pieces. The insulation that was above the step box but below the first chassis step was destroyed also. I didn't want to pull the hole door to get to the 5 screws going into the box tubing so I just ground them off. I have some ideas on replacement but wouldn't mind hearing how other people have taken care of it. Here is a couple picks of the rotten wood. Also can we still get the vinyl floor covering somewhere? Thanks
Regards, Mark
Mark,
I've been there and it ain't simple. I had to rebuild the steps in my U295 due to impact damage, as I recall it is very rigidly constructed with lots of screws through the sidewalls into step components. I'd be surprised if you can replace the bottom without at least partially removing the step components. Doesn't that piece cover the whole base of the step well? I can't recall exactly...
Chuck
Yes Chuck you are right. The base of the step well is one piece. I plan on putting a piece of plywood across the bottom of the steps so I have something to screw the bottom step to. I have the width of the square tubing to reinforce the bottom. I just wont be able to put much insulation back in that area. I figure an inch and a half or more of plywood will be enough insulation.
Mark
Sounds like a good plan. I'd suggest using treated 3/4" ply to reconstruct. Glue everything back in place and recover with vinyl and you're good to go. If you feel the need to reinsulate for sound or heat it might be possible to do so with a rigid insulation applied to the underside of assembly, inside the step area.
If you can avoid disassembly of the steps, do so. The wooden step assembly is what holds the whole steel step and door framework in square to the rest of the coach. Everything has to be veeery well aligned before reassembly.
Chuck
Hi Mark,
I am going to have to do the exact same job on our 99' 270. Unfortunately, I have to put it off for awhile because there are too many other projects in motion (bamboo flooring, bulkhead, captains chairs, etc.) to even think about it right now. I, for one, would appreciate any and pictures and commentary on your process as you proceed...
Thanks, Don
Thanks for the advice Chuck.
Don, I will do my best to post some pictures on the process. I was told last night by Gary Omel that they had a lot of problems with this on the U270 models but he does not remember what the issue was. So far it has been a pretty easy process. Just had to drill out a few rivets to be able to pull out the step box. I am just trying to figure out now the best way to reassemble it. My brother is a Navy Aircraft sheet metal tech. I am waiting on his advice on the sheet aluminum that is under the wood. I am going to see if he can fabricate a repair piece for me to help keep any water from getting back in. I will most likely use some roofing tar in select places to waterproof it better.
Mark
Thanks Mark,
I will be watching with interest! So there is sheet alumininum under the step? Mine is so spongy on the right side that I thought it was only wood under the vinyl. I am contemplating replacing the wood with some sort of stainless steel and composite sandwich so that water won't affect it. Since I haven't ripped it up yet, it is still an open question...
Don
I just had the same problem, Had it rebuilt when I was at Nac a couple weeks ago, It did not seem to be a major problem for them and did not take all that long to do the job, This was after I looked at it several times before I decided It was more than I wanted to handle, They also replaced one of the vinyl treads so they must still be available. Good luck on your project.
MOT did my 99 u270 in wood, I had them use marine "starboard" on the 2000 last year
Hmmm. I've got the same problem and am now at FOT, so I'll get them to look at it and estimate the time/cost to fix it.
Dave,
It would be interesting to find out what the estimate is to see how much I am saving doing it myself.
Regards, Mark
Having it done today & tomorrow, so will report back on the cost (they estimated 5-6 hours), but they didn't have to remove the stair box, just lifted the stair tread and chiseled out the rotten plywood on the bottom step. Going back together tomorrow. BTW - they said that the door design on this era is a "wet door", which means that in a heavy rain, water may run down the side of the door and wet the bottom step, which must be sealed, and after 11 years, it obviously wasn't. Recommendation was to reseal the seams between the stair tread and the walls & riser annually with silicone. They will also heavily seal the plywood before installation, so if it lasts another 11 years I'll be happy.
I am also replacing the inner gasket (ours has the screen door with the thick rubber gasket in addition to the outer white seal on the door. ) And also found out from FT Parts that the outer door seal is no longer available in white - only black (verified that with Extreme also,) so we are going to hold off on replacing the outer gasket until we get the coach painted at Extreme next year. Black gasket with current white gel coat was vetoed by the decoration committee :)).
Thanks for the info Dave. I recently replaced the screen door gasket and did seal the bottom step after I purchased it a couple of years ago but the damage was already done. I was able to order the step tread yesterday from Mike Grimes at Fot yesterday. It was around $19.00 a foot. I bought 3 feet as my step is about two and a half feet wide. I am going to use plenty of roof tar and sealant to really seal up the area around that step. There are a few other small modifications I have in mind also. Thanks again for the info.
Regards, Mark
roof tar will be fragrant for a long time.....
You may want ot use a wood treatment before you close things up at the steps. Check out Jamestown Dist. for epoxies and sealants... Search: wood restorer (http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/search.do?freeText=wood%20restorer&resultPref=all&page=GRID&history=)
Step is all done, and a very nice job, of course, since the fellow that worked on it had also worked on the original coach builds and knew the construction intimately. Total time billed was 6 hours ($550 with Motorcade discount). I could certainly have done it, but we definitely got our money's worth having Foretravel do it. The stair box structure did not have to be removed, and the only surfaces uncovered were the bottom tread that was replaced and the riser behind it, which was not rotten and was only reinforced with aluminum angle as insurance. The plywood was sealed before installation, and the aluminum underneath and the final tread were also sealed.
We also had Wayne Musser, the Foretravel chassis guru, do a complete steering alignment, and what a difference! Rig was somewhat twitchy before and I was having to constantly correct. Even though it would track straight on a level road with hands off, keeping it in the lane was a constant effort. Now it's one hand only, and will even follow grooves in the road from the trucks. I'd had it aligned by three different shops before, and it got somewhat better, but now it's the way it should be.
^.^d +1 Wayne performed similar magic on our 1997 U295. Our coach always pulled to the right before Wayne fixed it.
I was sold a product called Geocel Pro Flex RVâ,,¢ Flexible Sealant (http://www.geocelusa.com/products/all-rv-aftermarket.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=29&category_id=17) by a mobile RV Tech. It is a high grade, super adhesive, urethane caulk and the best I have ever used. Their low modulus flexible caulk will has stayed flexible for over two years and it sticks to almost anything. I used it in black to caulk around the step. I expect many years before I have to replace the wood in mine. FWIW
Thanks for the advice. Kent I have some of that sealant sitting on my bench now. I was planning on using some in select areas. I will mostly be using any tar under the coach step where the weather and water from the road can get at it. Wish I was closer to Fot to be able to get it done there.
Mark
Well I completed my step replacement today. I also received my rubber step tread from Foretravel today. I put a 30x15 piece of three quarter inch pressure treated plywood up under the step box and screwed it in from the bottom. I put some tar between it and the sheet metal covering because of the holes in it. I then cut a small piece of plywood and tapped it into the door threshold. There is no way to slip a solid piece up under the threshold. I tried to center the seam over the square tubing support. I also cut a few smaller pieces to tap into the left and right on the step up under the carpeted walls of the step box. Then I carefully measured and cut a piece to fit between those to cover the step. I screwed it into place through the sheeting into the plywood I put under the step. I turned out extremely rigid and strong. I carefully cut the tread to fit perfectly using the old as a template. All I need to do now is find the right adhesive to glue down the tread and the riser cover. Here are a few pictures of the work.
Regards, Mark
Has anyone thought of using the 'engineered' wood which is essentially wood products and plastic? It seems like it would be a natural for this type of application...
I agree. In fact last summer I replaced the bricks & sticks front entry door with Lowes as the installer. I had them use the engineered lumber to replace the rotten wood underneath the threshold. This reminds me...some of you may know of the roofing product called ice-shield. It is a tacky-self adhesive ruberized membrane. This would be a perfect application to cover the wood.
Is this it Peter?
Ice And Water Shield from W.R. Grace | The Home Depot - Model#:5003002 (http://www.homedepot.com/buy/building-materials-roofing-gutters-roofing-felt-underlayment/w-r-grace-36-in-x-75-ft-grace-ice-water-shield-171695.html)
Mark
TO Dave's Point - I had MOT use "King Starboard" when they repoaced the first step in my 2000 U-320 last year -
link to find the material -
King Starboard Plastic Sheet & Marine Lumber | Boat Outfitters (http://www.boatoutfitters.com/king-starboard.html)
Spendy, but will never rot. I had done my 1999 U-270 in treated plywood - suspect that will last as long as most own a coach. All of these coaches that have this style step will eventually need to be replaced.
That's it, Mark. It's rubber, so you can fold it, etc. So, you can actually form a "bath tub" type approach on the step and up along the sides. This stuff is great! And not just for roofs in the frozen tundra.
I bought my roll at Lowes and it was much smaller 12" wide than the "WR Grace" product.
Good info Tim! Am I to understand that this Starboard stuff is structurally able to span the width of the step with no problem? Which thickness did you use? Is there Aluminum underneath the plywood that supports the step? I saw on their website that they have a non skid texture available and that is is also available in an Almond color (they call it fish white). I am wondering if this version of it could dispense with the vinyl cover altogether... Maybe replace all three steps with it.
Don
Put the folding bottom step back in today and I did one mod that I have been wanting to do for a long time. It has always bugged me how the vinyl cover ends go all over the place. I put a couple of snaps in to hold them in place. Snap kit was around four dollars at Lowes. The screws were already there in the step well. All I had to do is attach the snaps and presto, no more aggravation. Here is a few photos.
Mark
Thank you Mark for a creative fix to wandering hanging black vinyl step covers.
I've used the Grace product as well. It's great. If the Lowes or Home Depot don't have it, any roofing supply distributor should or at least be able to tell you who handles it in your town.
Nice job on the whole project Mark!
Don
used 3/4 material - not sure how they installed - was done by MOT and i wasn't there. seems sturdy enough to walk on without any extra framing - but not sure if they added any or not.
Tim