Potential 5th wheel issue

[wiredgeorge]

The front cap on my old 2002 Cougar has a trim strip that runs from side to side that covers the juncture between nose cap and fiberglass siding which contains the front access panel. Unfortunately the Keystone factory installs the 5ver hitch prior to putting this trim on and doesn't use screws for about 18" in the center of the trim piece as there is no way to get a drill in (frame backs the nosecap and fiberglass).

The only thing holding the trim for those 18" is the bead of silicon. When this breaks as it may over time, water gets inside the trim and runs out to the ends inside the trim. The screws that are in place a self tapping zinc and rust and then begin to just break off and the whole trim piece can start to flop in the wind.

What I did was to remove the trim and re-install using #8 stainless sheet metal screws about an inch long. This took care of everything but the middle which sags so I used silicon sealer/adhesive and filled the area and put a couple of pieces of two by four under the sagging place with the silicon to hold it in place while the silicon sets/cures. Today I will will seal all the edges and put in some new screw hiding insert (have a spare roll from past trailers). The old insert (it is a 2002) was kind of brittle and I don't think it would make it in before cracking.

If you see separation, in that piece of trim, it will eventually have to be fixed. As an alternative, you could unbolt the hitch and let it pivot down but you will need an impact driver and I didn't want to mess with it. You could drill some pilot holes where they should have gone originally and install screws the entire length of this trim.