Wheel Well Underside Material

[therink]

I have a 2010 Outback 5er. Was looking inside my wheel wells. I noticed that the underside of the floor above the tires is that darko material that feels soft with insulation behind it. Looks like same material as underside of slide outs.
I took a look at my buddy's 2007 Jayco 5er. The upperside of his wheel wells are lined with sheet metal, as should be.
I am disappointed that keystone would cut a corner here. All it would take is a flying rock or piece of road debris from the tires to pierce this material and cause a point for water intrusion. Has anyone had issues with this? I am thinking of lining with sheet metal myself for added protection.
Any thoughts from anyone on this?

[therink]

84 views and not one response? C'mon guys....

[Festus2]

I haven't regularly checked the material underneath the slide. When I have had reason to look in that area (spray slide mechanism, etc.) I have had a quick peek at that covering and not noticed anything unusual - rips, holes, etc. It seems to have remained intact.
At this point, it seems to be holding up well and I don't have any concerns about its integrity.

[Txoutback]

Mine is different material than the thicker, softer insulated material that is covering most of the underside. It looks like a moisture barrier sheet covering something hard like luan. I agree this should be a regular inspection point especially as she ages. It wouldn't take much to secure a thin guage aluminum plate there. I admit that I never did look under my last one I had for seven years so I do not know what was there or what shape it was in.
Dave

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

On my older TT had galvanized sheet metal liners in both wheelwells.

This one (see signature), has some sort of reinforced 'fabric'????? That doesn't mak much sense? WTF ???:confused:

Had a blow-out on I-70, in Ill. last Summer with the TT. Front Left. Tore the wheelwell skirt up and beat the crap outta the galvanized ..... but it held-up to the task :).

Think they (Keystone and repair shops), got together on this one. Can't charge for a repair that doesn't need done...

my two pence worth;

hankaye

[therink]

I'm sure I'm worrying about something that hasn't gone wrong, but can't help think that this material wont stand the test of time. Like I said this material is the same stuff used under the slides (not belly) and it is cushy to the touch with nothing backing it (feels like insulation). I dont think we are talking kevlar here. Anyway, I plan on keeping this rig for a while and worry about water intrusion. I consider myself a caulk nazi. I have already had one small leak in slide wall that I caught and corrected. Just trying to be proactive.

[JRTJH]

Ours, like yours has the darko wrap in the wheelwells. I'm thinking of getting a couple of old (give away) pickup truck bed liners (the hard black plastic) and cutting the front end off to use as a wheel well liner. I'm thinking the weight would be much less than comprable strength galvanized steel. Just my thought, but the width of the bed liners is just about the same as the length of the wheel wells and I think they should fit without a lot of resizing. Any thoughts?

[therink]

Alright, now we are getting somewhere. I like the bed liner idea, but that could be hit or miss depending on what you find plus it might not seal well over the top of it allowing wet crud to accumulate. Lets keep trying here. I thought galvanized flashing would work if done right.

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

The galvanized 'pans' that I spoke of eariler were about 0.040" thick.
strength to weight ratio is (IMHO), far and away stronger than the plastic of the bedliners. Also, much more puncture resistant. Again, IMHO.

hankaye

[Txoutback]

You also have to think about mounting it. Something flat would be easier to install. There are a line of screws along the edge on mine that could be removed and used for installation. The flashing would not be a bad idea if sized correctly.

[hankaye]

Txoutback, Howdy;

Rule we used to use when workin on our Military's finest Helicopters was simply this;

Cut to size...

File to fit...

Paint to match...:D

hankaye

[Txoutback]

Looking at mine a thin flashing could slide between the deck bottom and the frame but I do not know how far. A feeler gauge would answer this question. That ties one side and the screws mentioned before would tie the other. Radius the edges so not to cut the barrier. This actually looks like an easy mod.

[JRTJH]

Txoutback, Howdy;

Rule we used to use when workin on our Military's finest Helicopters was simply this;

Cut to size...

File to fit...

Paint to match...:D

hankaye

Hank, You forgot the most important (assuming you can't find the file) If it won't fit, get a bigger hammer. LOL

[THedges]

I have the same material and recently threw a tire thread and tore the heck out of it. I repaired the hole with a 1/4" thick sheet of vinyl. That is a terrible design. :mad:

[therink]

Thanks for the responses. I am hearing that everyone has the same soft material in their wheel wells as mine (?). And that no one has had issues with punctures, etc? Just curious. I am not going to line mine if I don't need to. Trust me, there are about 100 things I'd rather be doing, but will do this if will possibly add protection to the underside. These trailers aren't put together that well and I just want it to last. I think of that every time I make that payment.:eek: Yikes.

[bdaniel]

I want to do something about this but have not yet. On my previous Wildcat here is what I did.

Fabric Above Tires (http://www.bobbystuff.com/RV/index.php?blog=FabricAboveTires)

Bobby

[therink]

Thanks bdaniel. Exactly what I was thinking. I'm glad I'm not the only one out there that lies in bed thinking of these things :)

[trucker LOU]

I had same problem as THedges and also used vinyl 1/4" sheeting also upgraded to D class tires. used lots of caulking to prevent water behind paneling. getting ready for cross country trip hope all goes well.

[scottb2222]

I recently had the treads come off on two of the tires on my trailer just purchased new in May. The tire pressures were normal and the unit was not overloaded, just a few clothes and food for a weekend trip.

Like you, I am very disappointed about the "corner cutting" in this area and even more disappointed with the response from the Keystone warranty people, which was to eff me off to the tire company to try to file a claim. The side of my trailer is now damaged and bent due to the faulty tires and the failure to re-inforce the wheelwell.

Once I get this fixed, I am looking at options to have the wheel well area re-inforced. I think something stronger than galvanized sheet metal is in order, the amount of damage that a tire tread can do would surprise you. Maybe 1/8" aluminum plating...

[mhs4771]

Which brand of exploding Chinese tires did you in?? Inquiring minds would like to know.

[KrowNB]

Resurrecting this thread. We recently purchased a 2017 Hideout and I just noted our trailer has this fabric over the wheels. My first thought was that I'm going to have to build some sort of wheel well that will better stand up to the elements. In searching forums I see this construction has been used for at least 5 or 6 years. I was expecting to see lots of complaints about the fabric tearing or wearing out and subsequent structural issues. However, there's almost nothing to be found about it, except (as in this thread) when a tire blowout tears everything to bits. Do I take this to mean that this "landscape" type fabric actually lasts through miles of traveling without coming apart/shredding/leaking?

Keith

[JRTJH]

Keith,

The fabric you see in your wheelwells is called "DARCO". It is a polyethylene coated nylon fiber material (think blue poly tarp), It is commonly used in almost all "trailer" RV wheelwells and is surprisingly durable, as you've commented. Virtually nobody has any issue with it unless they have a tire damage it or, possibly towing in extremely cold weather and have ice accumulation that they try to physically move by "knocking it out of the wheelwells"....

Keep in mind that "light weight" trailers use "lightweight" materials. That said, if a manufacturer decided to "beef up" the wheelwells by adding 100 pounds or so to the wheelwells, then where would they "cut the weight" to keep their model competitive with the other manufacturers? It's more a "balancing act" than you'd think, trying to keep weight down, costs competitive and products reliable. If you do decide to add extra protection to your wheel wells, understand that if you have a tire tread separate at towing speeds, you're going to have a 20 pound whip slapping against your improvements. Few materials can survive that kind of destructive force without damage, so I'd suggest that since there's so little complaint of damaged DARCO, likely your efforts wouldn't benefit you as much as using that weight, money and effort on some other area of your trailer. Improvements are personal, priorities of one owner aren't usually the same as another owner, but think any wheelwell improvement through completely before stepping off the deep end with that kind of mod.

[bdaniel]

I put roofing V-tin under my 2002 Wildcat. After my tire blowout on my 2014 Keystone the black stuff was destroyed and you are right, the puffy stuff is insulation. That was gone also.

I repaired the damage myself. The local Camping World said they use a piece of the corrugated plastic underbelly to repair tire blowouts. They gave me a piece for free.

I consider myself a caulk nazi also. Water is an RV's number one enemy. I am confident my repair will last and is water tight. Eventually I plan to put the corrugated plastic on the other side.

It is light weight and can probably be held in place with adhesive caulk with no screws. By being a little pliable I think it will dent when hit by rocks where something more firm like flashing might be punctured.

Just my 2 cents.

Bobby

[KrowNB]

Thanks for your replies, John and Bobby. I did a bit of reading about the polyethylene fabric. Seems it been in use since the '80s, though on stationary homes. It's apparently much more durable than it looks. I think I'll leave well enough alone and just keep a close eye on it for tears, rips, etc. "If it ain't broke..."

Keith

[sourdough]

I've never had any problem with the Darco in normal operation. I will say when I had a tire self destruct and tear out the fender well the Darco shredded completely....along with part of the underbelly...$7000.00 worth. The Darco is probably OK for normal use except for something like a blow out, or as mine was, the tread separating from the tire and whipping everything into pieces. I've had trailers before that had thin sheet metal for lining instead of the Darco....they leaked every time I was in rain (Jayco). I guess I will stick with the fabric until I come up with something else.

[Tbos]

I had a tire take out a 6x8 area of the DARCO. I patched it with gorilla tape and Flex Seal. Seems to be working well.

[KrowNB]

I've never had any problem with the Darco in normal operation. I will say when I had a tire self destruct and tear out the fender well the Darco shredded completely....along with part of the underbelly...$7000.00 worth. The Darco is probably OK for normal use except for something like a blow out, or as mine was, the tread separating from the tire and whipping everything into pieces. I've had trailers before that had thin sheet metal for lining instead of the Darco....they leaked every time I was in rain (Jayco). I guess I will stick with the fabric until I come up with something else.

I'm thinking a shredded tire would destroy almost anything reasonably light in the wheelwell. Polyethylene is probably easier to patch than metal. Neither do you want anything there that traps water/dirt behind it. Wondering if comprehensive insurance would cover unforseen damage like that.

[KrowNB]

I had a tire take out a 6x8 area of the DARCO. I patched it with gorilla tape and Flex Seal. Seems to be working well.
Looking at their site I see they sell a tape specifically for repairs.

[oldfamer]

I don't know if you can put anything above the tires that will stop everything. This past July I had a tire shred going down the interstate. It tore the lining above the tire and ripped a hole the size of 2 footballs in the wooden floor and tore cabinet door off the hinges. After seeing how it shredded the wooded floor I don't think sheet meatballs would help.

[sourdough]

I'm thinking a shredded tire would destroy almost anything reasonably light in the wheelwell. Polyethylene is probably easier to patch than metal. Neither do you want anything there that traps water/dirt behind it. Wondering if comprehensive insurance would cover unforseen damage like that.


Insurance covered it all.

[Dave W]

Ours will be receiving a metal 'coating' as that wheel well fabric cover was damaged last year by virtually launching the 5er into low orbit on interstate bridge approaches and compressing and driving the tires into it. Currently the damaged area is coated with bed liner spray. I added a 1" spring spacer this year and even after a few more interstate launches, that seemed to put the damaged area into remission. First and foremost, ours has, IMHO, too light springs (5200#) for the 12,000 pound, ready to travel 38' trailer and possibly the MORryde CRE/3000 which allows too much suspension deflection. This will be cured with some 6000# springs and possibly a better equalizer/suspension - but to repair that damage, metal will be installed (16-18ga steel I have on hand) then sealed to the surface, again with bed liner spray. The tires are LTs, no sign of an ST Blow Max on our home away from home, including the spare:D.