Metal strap over one tire?

[Alyssa]

I was recently patching the frayed darco areas over the wheels of my 2016 Springdale when I saw this torn up metal strap over the front right wheel. It is only present on the one wheel but I think that it is factory original since it comes from under the coroplast underbelly and then attaches again under the aluminum siding.

Does anyone else have this on their trailer? What is it for? Mine was all twisted up and is ripped almost all the way through (i pulled it back into shape for the photos.) I don't know if I should to try and repair/replace it or just cut it out altogether.

Any help appreciated!

[Northofu1]

Not sure what it is, but you have too little space between tire and darco. Springs, wrong size tires, or the shackles are flipped under the equalizer. Where is your fender?
Sorry for the 3rd degree

[Northofu1]

Welcome to the forum , sorry again for my manners.

[Alyssa]

Thanks for the welcome and the quick reply! I think that the too little space is because of the way the trailer is parked. There is more room between the tires and the darco on the left side of the trailer.

Originally Posted by Northofu1

Where is your fender?
Sorry for the 3rd degree

it's on a picnic table i took it off to get better access for this project

[Northofu1]

LOL that's good. I have no idea what it could be holding.

[sourdough]

How thick is that strip? Looks like very thin gauge so don't know that it would do any good as a support. Thought it might be something to hold the bottom of the fender material in but it's not in the right place and too thin.

Looking at the darco I think you have a bigger problem with those tires in the wheel well than just how it's parked. That tire appears to have been hitting the darco and torn through it. That shouldn't be happening. Northofu1 had some ideas on that. Are you the first owner? Have the tires been upsized? That issue needs to be determined and fixed before repairing the darco because it's just going to do it again looks like to me.

As far as repairing the darco, what is your plan? IMO you should not go back with more darco, darco/scrim tape or anything like that. They all deteriorate and leak water then ruin the flooring above. Other members have used various methods to cover the darco with different materials to eliminate the darco failures. I would recommend looking into that and doing a permanent repair vs waiting for the darco to fail and ruin something.

[JRTJH]

It's called a "hurricane strap". There should be one at specific locations along the trailer perimeter. Their purpose is to tie the vertical wall frame to the trailer floor/chassis "outrigger" rails. They are a vital part of all "wood framed trailers"...

If you go to the Keystone website, you can download the 2016 Springdale brochure. Look at the construction features diagram on page 08/09, item #3 to see the hurricane strap depiction. https://www.keystonerv.com/media/229...-west-2016.pdf

You can also see a hurricane strap on the vertical wall stud, just forward of the front tire in that same drawing.

[Northofu1]

This is apparently what they are for :|

"If you have the time and resources and had done a bit of planning beforehand, it is possible to actually anchor the chasses of your rig to the ground. The ground has to be soft enough to dig in, you will have needed to obtain a couple of junk tires, fifty feet of three-quarter inch nylon rope and a couple of those ratcheting cargo straps. Bury the tires under a couple feet of earth or even semi-sandy soil. Wrap three loops of nylon rope around the tire before burying it. Attach either the hook of the ratcheting strap or three more loops of nylon rope around the frame (near the axles), then ratchet the strap down tight enough to pull the rig downward at least three or four inches. Eight-thousand lb. ratchet straps are good enough. Campers should have the anchor points right at the camper to truck bed mounting brackets. Note that tires must be buried deeper than two feet in soft sand or earth. Bury them flat and not standing upright."

[flybouy]

Where was that quoted from Dan?

[Northofu1]

https://www.rversonline.org/ArtMexHurricane1.html

[flybouy]

Thanks. I've seen the kits with the augers with the knurled bolts to wrap the strap around but thought they would be useful in sandy soil. Those kits are typically required by code in the Mid Atlantic region which obviously is not in the Hurricane region.

[JRTJH]

There is a difference in "hurricane straps" for mobile homes and for wood frame travel trailers...

In mobile homes, there are several "steel straps that go from one side, over the roof and down the other side". Those straps are attached to the 5' or 6' "augers". Their purpose is to prevent the mobile home from rolling over or twisting on it's pier foundation in high winds. The straps also help "hold the roof on the structure".... They are an integral part of the mobile home code as required nearly everywhere a mobile home might be located for living....

In wood structure RV's, hurricane straps are "short strips of steel" (about 24" long) located on vertical wall studs to help fasten them to the wood perimeter of the floor, which is mounted on the outriggers which are welded to the chassis rails (I beams or C beams) The "RV hurricane straps" are not "user/owner accessible" on properly installed wood frame RV's. They are "hidden under the trailer skin, screwed/nailed/bolted to the underside of the floor structure and usually hidden by the DARCO underbelly liner. The fact that the OP found his, gives me a hint that his underbelly was not intact at some time and/or the hurricane strap came loose from its mounted position. It shouldn't be "hanging out in the wind"..... In RV's, the hurricane straps are NOT intended to be used to secure the trailer to the ground, rather they are a part of the structure that secures the sidewall to the floor.

Hurricane straps are also used in conventional buildings. Here's a link to some that are commonly available at Lowe's: https://www.lowes.com/search?searchT...icane%20straps Most of us, when looking at that link, will think, "Oh yes, I've seen and used them before"..... The ones "used in RV's, just don't have all the "prepunched holes" and probably are not as thick as the commercially available straps....

[flybouy]

I' m very familiar with hurricane strapping in all it's forms as well as foundation anchoring. I've never hear of of "anchoring" to the ground any trailer other than mobile homes. Here in the NE/Mid Atlantic area most codes don't allow the use of a camping trailer to be "permanently affixed" to a property. I know in some more rural states they do. I suppose it could be done when storing it at home but that would require living in an area that allows it.

The article was talking about securing the "frame near the axles" and then references campers in a way that I can only assume he means slide in campers that set in the truck bed.

So never heard of "burrowing tires" or using nylon rope in the ground. I'm guessing that advice might work if you lived in an area where there's no building inspector's poking around. In the county I live in the permitting dept actually use satellite images to see if anyone has installed a structure without pulling a permit. I guess setting at the computer beats getting out of the car, probably less risk in spilling your coffee......

[Alyssa]

Originally Posted by sourdough

How thick is that strip? Looks like very thin gauge so don't know that it would do any good as a support. Thought it might be something to hold the bottom of the fender material in but it's not in the right place and too thin.

Looking at the darco I think you have a bigger problem with those tires in the wheel well than just how it's parked. That tire appears to have been hitting the darco and torn through it. That shouldn't be happening. Northofu1 had some ideas on that. Are you the first owner? Have the tires been upsized? That issue needs to be determined and fixed before repairing the darco because it's just going to do it again looks like to me.

As far as repairing the darco, what is your plan? IMO you should not go back with more darco, darco/scrim tape or anything like that. They all deteriorate and leak water then ruin the flooring above. Other members have used various methods to cover the darco with different materials to eliminate the darco failures. I would recommend looking into that and doing a permanent repair vs waiting for the darco to fail and ruin something.

Thanks Danny, yeah, upon second inspection I agree that the tires are too close to the underside of the trailer. I'm not the first owner of the trailer so I'm looking in to why this might be. Tires are the specified size but we have load range D rather than load range C so I have them inflated to 65 psi (tire specs) rather than 50 psi (trailer specs.) It seems hard to believe that would make such a big difference though. I'll have to check on the other possibilities Northofu1 mentioned.

My plan for now is to fix the darco with a flex mend tape and patch kit to keep the water and rodents out for the winter while i figure out how to better protect the underside of the trailer. I know I'm echoing every post on this subject....but how can Keystone get away with selling TRAVEL trailers with nothing but fabric over the wheels???

[Alyssa]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

It's called a "hurricane strap". There should be one at specific locations along the trailer perimeter. Their purpose is to tie the vertical wall frame to the trailer floor/chassis "outrigger" rails. They are a vital part of all "wood framed trailers"...

If you go to the Keystone website, you can download the 2016 Springdale brochure. Look at the construction features diagram on page 08/09, item #3 to see the hurricane strap depiction. https://www.keystonerv.com/media/229...-west-2016.pdf

You can also see a hurricane strap on the vertical wall stud, just forward of the front tire in that same drawing.

Yup, this seems to be what i'm looking at! Thanks! Now I just need to figure out why it is on the outside of the construction rather than inside. It is definitely attached on the outside, rather than having fallen out somehow. Has anyone ever heard of this before? Looks like I'm off to search more threads.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Alyssa

Thanks Danny, yeah, upon second inspection I agree that the tires are too close to the underside of the trailer. I'm not the first owner of the trailer so I'm looking in to why this might be. Tires are the specified size but we have load range D rather than load range C so I have them inflated to 65 psi (tire specs) rather than 50 psi (trailer specs.) It seems hard to believe that would make such a big difference though. I'll have to check on the other possibilities Northofu1 mentioned.

My plan for now is to fix the darco with a flex mend tape and patch kit to keep the water and rodents out for the winter while i figure out how to better protect the underside of the trailer. I know I'm echoing every post on this subject....but how can Keystone get away with selling TRAVEL trailers with nothing but fabric over the wheels???

Upgrading from LRC to LRD did not do that. There is something else wrong. Check out the suspension as was suggested. As far as the darco over the wheelwells.....??? I'm with you but it is a common practice My suggestion on that would be to cover the wheelwell with a harder material. Several different ways to go. I am having the bottoms of my slides (darco) replaced with uhmw and I've told them I want the excess to cover the wheelwells.

[koda57]

sourdough, Do you have to remove the slide to remove the Darco in order to install the UHWW, or lay it over the Darco with the slide in place.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by koda57

sourdough, Do you have to remove the slide to remove the Darco in order to install the UHWW, or lay it over the Darco with the slide in place.

To be honest I don't know exactly. When I had uhmw placed previously they had to jack up the slides, hyper extend them then install the uhmw strips so they could secure them at both ends without screws etc. in the middle sliding over the wear bar. This time we are covering the entire bottom of the slides with uhmw sheets attached on the front and back ends along with retaining strips down the sides. They are going to heat and mold the uhmw around the front edges of the slides to clamp on them and keep them in place. I don't see how it can happen without the slide at least being hyperextended. It should all happen this week and I'll be "in the middle of it" as best I can. No more torn, frayed, leaking, deteriorated darco!!

[rhagfo]

Wow, Hurricane strap doesn't look like it is heavy enough to hold much. My guess before the brochure would have been electrical bonding strap between frame and aluminum siding.

[fritschw]

When my tires hit the top of the wheel well like that my suspension was worn out on my 2015 Keystone 5er. Upgraded the suspension and lined the well with aluminum flashing material. No problems since and a much better ride!