Loose trim & stripped screws holding on skirting

[Devin_Noel]

Some screws holding trim on the joint between the wall & skirting stripped out. I peeled off the rubber, cleaned off the caulking, removed the worst of the loose screws. Looking at the aluminum skirting & trim bracket are a bit wavy. I'm guessing the screws got overtightened & contributed to warping & stripping.

Any suggestions on how to put it back together?

Remove the trim bracket all the way to the back to try & move it a few millimeters down & remove the slight wrinkles?? Drill more pilot holes & put in a pile more screws? Is there anything resembling studs behind the fiberglass? They miss those putting the screws in? There are a few black screws in the mix. Those likely to indicate a stud or anything special? Or just probably random? I'll see if I can't find some fatter screws with deeper threads to put in the stripped holes, but am limited on the size of the head that fits in the aluminum trim bracket.

Obviously re-caulk over the rubber/plastic trim piece I removed as it was before. Debating pumping some caulking or glue behind the skirting to help the screws hold things together.Attachment 36217

[sourdough]

First, you don't give any info whatsoever about the trailer year, model etc. RVs DO come with various kinds of J panel material and having some idea would be a great benefit and give you better answers. Go to the User CP in the upper left corner of the page and fill in your signature so folks will have some idea of what is being discussed.

Loose trim (and j panels) along with the strips are common. The "techs" installing them have self tapping screws, a 20v electric drill and know to "push and spin until the head is sitting on the strip". That's usually about 20 turns after it stripped out the hole - no finesse and no "feel" for when a screw needs to stop. Had to mess with them on most of my trailers (along with a thousand other "stripped out" screws).

How is the panel holding on the bottom? Does it want to slide down? Is it secured tightly and have good supports behind it or are they stripped out too? I dislike going to bigger screws because the material(s) behind that strip don't hold much of anything over time with all the abuse an RV takes on the road so you run out of sizes to use and the hole becomes unmanageable. IMO, if the bottom panel fits well and your screws are stripped; run a drill bit through the hole and put a rivet in it; won't wobble or wear loose, won't strip etc. If you need to remove the strip a drill bit and about 3 seconds and the rivet is out with zero damage. Doing that eliminates any need to put anything behind the strip to help the screws hold. Then I would replace the vinyl insert (couldn't tell if was new, old or decrepit), run some ProFlex over the edges of the strip then pop a top.

[boatguy]

Originally Posted by sourdough

First, you don't give any info whatsoever about the trailer year, model etc. RVs DO come with various kinds of J panel material and having some idea would be a great benefit and give you better answers. Go to the User CP in the upper left corner of the page and fill in your signature so folks will have some idea of what is being discussed.

You need more info than just a single picture to tell what it is ?

Hmmm , lets see .......
What is a ......... Keystone Carbon 35 - bumper pull - toy hauler , Alex

If it were me , I would add some additional screws on the trim to secure it better, then pull out the stripped ones , and try to use slightly enlarged size screws that have a better bite in the stripped holes. Use sealant on all of them .

[Devin_Noel]

Originally Posted by boatguy

You need more info than just a single picture to tell what it is ? [emoji38]

Hmmm , lets see .......
What is a ......... Keystone Carbon 35 - bumper pull - toy hauler , Alex

If it were me , I would add some additional screws on the trim to secure it better, then pull out the stripped ones , and try to use slightly enlarged size screws that have a better bite in the stripped holes. Use sealant on all of them .

Ya, 2017 Carbon toy hauler. The issue is just over the hatch for the fuel station, which is providing additional support to the aluminum skirting. No additional issues other than the stripped screw holes & gap on the trim & bracket that covers the seam. I know it's fiberglass probably vacuume glued to foam, maybe with a layer of Luan in there. I know there are some aluminum frame or studs in there, but not how many or where. I'm guessing not to many & few if any to catch with most of those screws.

I'm definitely aware of the quality of construction & stories of the skill generating that quality. At least I was generally aware of the likelihood was prior to jumping into a bigger trailer. Still depressing to see firsthand.

[dmcc625]

Had same situation on 2 prior keystones. I replaced the screws with some small headed stainless steel coarse thread screws from lowes. I don’t remember the size of the screw, but they worked well. I had to move mine a fraction to take out the warping of the metal as well. I wish I could remember the size, but I just took one of the original screws to Lowes and bought a 50 pack that was a touch larger and longer.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by boatguy

You need more info than just a single picture to tell what it is ?

Well, yes, more info would be helpful.... If it's a "new, in warranty trailer" I'd suggest a different approach than I would on a 10 year old trailer with probable multiple issues, along with the aluminum molding. And yet a different approach on a 2 or 3 year old trailer..... No, it's not "dramatically different" but knowing the year, model, brand and warranty status does help formulate a more "tailored response"....

On the OP's trailer, I'd pull all the screws, check EVERY one of them for rust and mark the location where the rusty screw was removed, clean the aluminum molding and straighten it if there's any bend on the molding strip, clean the trailer sidewall/J-wrap union, apply new butyl putty tape to the molding and reinstall it, paying close attention to any place where the screw doesn't feel "quite right". On those screws, I'd either "reline the screw hole" or install a slightly larger screw. None should be "longer screws" as there is a lot of "stuff in that 2" wall" that doesn't need to be "damaged by a longer screw". Then, any screw locations that were annotated to have rusty screws on disassembly, I'd use sealant to cover the screw head, hopefully to prevent "condensation wicking" on those screws. Finally, finish the job by installing a new "vinyl trim cover, securing it at both ends with a "double fold and a screw to prevent shrinkage"...

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by boatguy

You need more info than just a single picture to tell what it is ?

Hmmm , lets see .......
What is a ......... Keystone Carbon 35 - bumper pull - toy hauler , Alex

If it were me , I would add some additional screws on the trim to secure it better, then pull out the stripped ones , and try to use slightly enlarged size screws that have a better bite in the stripped holes. Use sealant on all of them .

Where did you glean that information in this thread?? I thought not.

So hmmm, let's see....
there was a request to post the proper information so answers could be provided more accurately.....Roger....without reading prior posts/threads to find out.

[boatguy]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Well, yes, more info would be helpful.... If it's a "new, in warranty trailer" I'd suggest a different approach than I would on a 10 year old trailer with probable multiple issues, along with the aluminum molding. And yet a different approach on a 2 or 3 year old trailer..... No, it's not "dramatically different" but knowing the year, model, brand and warranty status does help formulate a more "tailored response"....

Originally Posted by sourdough

Where did you glean that information in this thread?? I thought not.

So hmmm, let's see....
there was a request to post the proper information so answers could be provided more accurately.....Roger....without reading prior posts/threads to find out.

Wow , you guys do realize that was a JOKE right ?
A lot of you guys are pretty knowledgeable with Keystones , so I was joking that you needed more than just one obscure picture of an RV to discern what model it was . If you were to read between the lines, you would see that was more of a compliment , not a jab . Thought the laughing face would have shown that .
But I get it , everyone should be filling out there signature , so proper help can be given ........

[wiredgeorge]

Devin, the OP, didn't fill out his "about me" profile where it mentions year, make or model of camper OR tow vehicle. I try and ask new members to put a signature in place so answers to their questions will have context. Devin has been here long enough to know this info is critical and chose to be obscure. That is why I didn't attempt to help in this thread. ALL new members should be required to at least fill out their "about me" profile fully but then I am not in charge thankfully.

[Devin_Noel]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Devin, the OP, didn't fill out his "about me" profile where it mentions year, make or model of camper OR tow vehicle. I try and ask new members to put a signature in place so answers to their questions will have context. Devin has been here long enough to know this info is critical and chose to be obscure. That is why I didn't attempt to help in this thread. ALL new members should be required to at least fill out their "about me" profile fully but then I am not in charge thankfully.

I thought I had it filled out, I'm generally good about that when joining a new forum. I've tried to update it a few times & the website just throws an error. I'll retry again from my work machine to see if that makes the forum software any happier.

2017 Keystone Carbon 35. 2014 F350 Powerstroke double cab short bed.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by Devin_Noel

I thought I had it filled out, I'm generally good about that when joining a new forum. I've tried to update it a few times & the website just throws an error. I'll retry again from my work machine to see if that makes the forum software any happier.

2017 Keystone Carbon 35. 2014 F350 Powerstroke double cab short bed.Attachment 36249

There is a box that you have to check ✔ something about show signature..

I just know that if you want to mess with George you can un-check it... 😁

[Devin_Noel]

Thanks for the advice...

Pulled the whole strip of rubber trim off
Pulled the whole aluminum strip underneath the trim mounted to
Removed all the old caulking from the fiberglass & rubber
Put 6 odd small molly bolts in the stripped out holes
Put new stainless screws back in the original holes.
Put in an equal number of new stainless screws between the original holes & actually hit the 3ish aluminum studs (could see them if I peeled the J panel back)
Reinstalled the rubber trim
Ran a bead of caulking along the top & at the ends of the rubber trim strip

It's all back together. Nothing is stripped out & it should be a lot sturdier that it was before so nothing comes loose again.