spongy floors?

[L0veless]

the 5th wheel did great on our first trip out west have a few minor warranty issues to get taken care of, here is my main concern we noticed that the floors were spongy in different areas. called yesterday to find out how things are going (its been 2 months) asked about the floors and his answer he wasn't going to do anything about them because "All" Keystone floors are spongy.
just wondering if everyone else has spongy floors and or what are my options?

[chuckster57]

Spongy can be subjective. How much does the floor flex? The way trailers are made, the floors don't feel like the ones in a house.

[talk2cpu]

Mine are getting softer and softer. Mostly feels like the top layer of ply has delaminated , but only in areas that did flex. still solid over the floor joists and most of the non-traffic areas. it's a 2011 so no warranty and I doubt Keystone would have stood behind it even if it was new. I'm going to wait until I hear the plywood crack before I deal with it further. Not looking forward to figuring out how to replace the floor.

[JRTJH]

talk2cpu,

The floor in your Passport is not constructed like the floor in the OP's Montana. In your trailer, there are two sheets of thin luan with a bonded foam panel "sandwiched" between them. That panel is used to eliminate some of the weight of a "solid wood floor decking". The luan will "flex and bend" as you walk on it. In some places this is very easy to notice, in other places, it may not even be possible to detect.

The OP's floor is a single span 5/8" Dynaspan (wood component) deck. There is no "sandwich" floor in his Montana. The Dynaspan is supported on floor joists that sit on the trailer frame. Depending on where the joists are attached to the frame and to the floor, there may be some "give" that is designed into the floor and there could also be some "loose or broken" components that are allowing the floor to flex more than it should.

Although there are some similarities between the sandwiched light weight trailer floor and the old fashioned heavier conventional floor, they behave quite differently when in use. There's quite a few years of reliable use with the sandwich floor and it does save weight, but it doesn't "walk the same" as the older technology "solid floor".

To the OP, if you're concerned with "soft spots" on your floor, you might want to do some comparisons by walking in several "similar model trailers" on dealer lots. That would give you something to reflect as to whether your trailer floor 'feels the same" or "feels different" than other "same trailer models". Armed with that information, you can make a decision on how to proceed. If I were you, I wouldn't want the dealer (no matter how great their service department might be) tearing into the framework and structure of the trailer "just to see if something's not right"...

[talk2cpu]

Thanks John
Was not aware the construction was different.
Ours was 1 year old when we bought it and the floors had no detectable flex in them except at the floor vent in the middle of the walkway. We use it about 4-5 months of the year and the flex has increase significantly. I can flex the floor with my finger and that makes me pretty sure it is the top layer of luan ply that has delaminated from the foam. It is not the vinyl flooring glue that has separated. No matter, no simple fix and I am not going to look at the expense and work to replace.

I think when I hear the ply start to actually fail, I will cut it open and install some sort of supports then put in a vinyl laminate floor covering.

At this time this and a still leaking slide are the only problems with the unit. Keep looking for an upgrade, but no floor plan has been acceptable in a "cold weather capable" rig, and I know what that and "Polar Package" mean.