Blew out a tire and need advice on repairs

[dustycoyote]

Heading home from our initial summer camping trip with my Carbon 357 fifth wheel and blew out one of the trailer tires. The tire pretty much exploded and I really feel like we were really blessed and got off pretty easy.
Not only did it not cause a crash or damage any other cars, I think that the damage to the camper is pretty minimal compared to what it could have been.

Even though it was a sunday evening, we found a tow company to come out and fix the tire and the guy they sent was fantastic.

It appears that I need to repair the following;

• The aluminum siding around the wheels got blown out pretty good but is salvagable. It doesn't appear to have any sharp or deep creases.
• There is a rubber flap that runs lengthwise along the frame that got disconnected and needs to be reattached
• The fender skirt got blown off and I need to buy a new one
• and the all seasons vinyl membrane along with the insulation above it is all torn open. The particale board flooring is exposed above both wheels.

The last two items are what I'd like some help and advice with.

How do I know which exact fender skirt to buy, and where do I go to buy it? My local dealers' prices are ridiculous for everything. I see that there are some online dealers that offer the skirts for less. (still seems to be too expensive for the part, but definitely less money than from a local dealer)

Can anyone tell me how to patch up the vinyl membrane? (honestly it looks like it's just basically a woven vinyl tarp with a thin layer of insulation laying on top of it)

If it helps I can post a couple picks.

Thanks for any help,

[gearhead]

Maybe look at Trekwood.com for parts.

[LuvsPalmTrees]

Wow - glad you all are okay and like you said the damage is repairable.

[jsmith948]

X2 on Trekwood. The Darco protective covering can be repaired using something called "scrim" tape. Don't know how badly it is damaged. If it is just torn and not completely shredded, the tape will work. You might also try Gorilla tape. If you search the forum, there are some posts that reference the tape.

[sourdough]

Will your insurance not pay for the repairs? When mine blew Geico paid for all the repairs.


For the membrane you can use the scrim tape, which is expensive, or this
https://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Belly-...ords=flex+mend
which is virtually the same thing.

If the patch is larger than the tape will fix you can also get a product called "mobile flex" which is basically Darco. I carry a 172" x 4' piece with me along with spray adhesive and the tape above.

[dustycoyote]

thanks everyone for all of the help.

I ordered some SCRIM tape and, even though the hole is pretty big, I think I can fix using a generous amount of tape. I appreciate the guidance

I like the idea of having some scrim tape, darco repair materials, and spray adhesive in my RV. I'm going to add some to keep on hand.

[anthonbloom]

When I had a similar experience deep in the heart of Texas I performed an emergency repair of the underside using woven plastic sandbags and Gorilla tape. That lasted 3000 miles! When it all started to sag and separate I used some stainless steel heating duct which I flattened out, leaving a little curve, and attached to the frame rails with self drilling hex head screws. I have another 10,000 miles done and it is holding up well. It even survived another blowout!