Another flooring question

[Fasbjd]

Hi. I have a 76 La Grande whose entire floor was bad. I’ve been able to get the old flooring out using shims alongs the riggers to keep the shell supported. I’ll soon be looking to replace the wood around the edges that fit between the frame and c-channel. What I was wondering is how people have bolted this wood to the frame (in place of the elevator bolts)? Some have talked about replacing the elevator bolts, does the require jacking up the shell to allow clearance? Thanks for any help.

[silverloaf]

When I replaced the floor in our trailer, I installed new elevator bolts as well. I believe Avion used elevator bolts for a number of reasons, among them:

• They eliminate the need for a separate washer.

• They have a square shank under the head similar to a carriage bolt. This eliminates the need for a back-up wrench to hold a hex bolt from spinning.

• Their shape creates a wide bearing area to pull the bottom plate, floor assembly and outrigger to uniform compression.

Note elevator bolts have a somewhat convex shape under the head. In wood applications, I can only assume it is used to further compress the material under torque load.

[Fasbjd]

How were you able to get the wood and elevator bolt into position? Doesn’t the bolt prevent you from sliding the wood into place?

[silverloaf]

I had removed the inner skin in areas where I needed to remove the elevator bolt. It was a PITA because the adjacent panels overlapped and had to be removed as well.

Remember, the shell and floor are structural elements that must be sufficiently anchored to the outrigger (aka chassis). With few exceptions, the outriggers are the only points where the shell and floor are anchored to the steel cross-members; the floor essentially floats from one outrigger to the other. These cross-members are then welded to the main frame.

Unless you can remove the elevator bolt, chickens will grow lips before you are able to slide the floor into position. You might be able to cut a slot in the hole in the floor to slip past an existing elevator bolt. But tightening down the bolt could be a crapshoot.

[Fasbjd]

I have the floor completely off and all the old elevator bolts removed (with few exceptions in my camper the wood around the bolts was so bad I could easily clear the wood around the bolt and then use a big bolt cutter to cut the bolt). I am currently at the point of figuring out how to put it back together. It seems impossible to get a new elevator bolt under the wall where they previously existed. Are you guys opening the inner shell and putting the bolts through the c-channel then wood then frame? Or are you exchanging the 2x2 that goes under the wall with a 2x4 and bolting to the outrigger through a new spot where it’s no longer under the wall? Or is there another way? Thanks again.

[silverloaf]

If you want to remove and replace the elevator bolts, you will have to remove the inner lower skin to expose them. This was exasperating because Avion started the skin install process from the rear. The next piece overlapped the last; I had to drill out a lot of rivets to peel off the skin. With the skin removed, you can see how the bolt goes through the aluminum c-channel and down through the floor assembly. What you don't see is the bolt going through the out-riggers. To get to that meant removing the lower curved skin on the outside.

In our trailer, there is a lower carrier that goes around the outside of the trailer. There is a vinyl cover that slides into that carrier. Remove the cover and you will see a series of screws; These screws secure the lower and middle skin to the floor. Remove the screws and the carrier. This will reveal the middle skin overlapping the lower.

Pull the middle skin back slightly. The lower skin is stapled the edge of the floor. Remove the screws where the lower skin overlaps the belly pan. Then take a small screwdriver and needle nose pliers and remove the staples (They are usually rusted away). Drop the lower skin. At this point, you will see the out-riggers and elevator bolt/nuts.

I will stop here to see if this makes sense to you ( or even if your trailer is constructed like ours). It's been over 3 years since I did this. This is the best I can recall.

[Razorback]

I thought that was a very awesome description of what to expect!

[Fasbjd]

On the ‘76, the top of the elevator bolt sits below the wall (under the c-channel but above the floor). I didn’t realize in later models it actually went through the c-channel. It now makes sense how others were able to “replace the bolt” where it is impossible with how our camper was built.

[silverloaf]

Avion made a major body and chassis change around 1978. Yours appears to be of the earlier design. Does your shell sit on the floor assembly or is it secured by some other means?
If I recall, some earlier designs has the shell sitting on the frame and the flooring butting up to the shell.

I have seen some Website pics of someone who actually lifted the shell off the trailer (much like raising a house), replaced the floor and then lowered the shell.

[Fasbjd]

It sounds like it’s put together pretty much the same way. The frame is bolted to the floor, then the shell screws into the floor through the c-channel and from the sides.

As the floor was removed, I added spacers to keep the shell from shifting. As I progressed, I also supported the shell with a couple jack posts (not pictured). In this picture, you can see I was able to get the floor removed without removing any of the inner shell because the wood was so bad. I’ve subsequently removed the lowest panel of the inner shell to remove the screws. Sounds like I’ll put it back together like your later model with a bolt through the c-channel, the floor, then the frame outriggers.