UNDERBELLY CAME OFF

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2shiv
Posts: 4
Joined: April 17th, 2018, 8:11 pm

Re: UNDERBELLY CAME OFF

Post by 2shiv » October 28th, 2020, 10:04 pm

This post is a bit old, but it caught my eye since I recently took a hard look at my underbelly. I had a leak issue (2018 24RLS) that gave me reason to spend some "quality time" underneath my camper, and I was shocked at how much underbelly sag I had, forward of the axles. Upon closer inspection, the underbelly had entirely or partially torn through most of the machine screws that hold it in place. I did some research - apparently, all underbellies are going to sag. But when the coroplast is pulling through the screws, that's got to be a precursor to having it tear off. I think Starcraft could go a long way towards preventing this by using washers on the underbelly screws. That's the first thing that I did - bought myself a handful of the biggest stainless steel fender washers that I could find, and put them on all the machine screws forward of the axle. I was amazed at how much just having the washers lifted the sag. I was still not satisfied that it wouldn't continue to sag, so I took it one step further. I put four pieces of galvanized metal electrical conduit cross-ways across the underbelly, spaced about 2 feet apart. To attach them, I used the same conduit C-clips that one would use to attach conduit to a wall or joist. These already have a hole for mounting, so I just mounted them using the existing frame screws. I take that back - I did have to drill a couple holes, where the tongue goes under the frame. There weren't existing frame screws there that I could use. The clips hold the conduit very tightly against the frame. Although I haven't towed it since this mod (living in it full-time, temporarily), I am not worried that they will work their way loose going down the road. It takes both hands and a fair amount of torque to even rotate one of the rods in the clips. I'm not sure how long they will last before they get rusty, especially since I occasionally use the camper after the roads have been salted. But they'll be easy enough to replace, and I don't have to worry about an underbelly tearing off going down the road.
2018 Launch Outfitter 24RLS
2002 Silverado 5.3L 270K miles, still pulls!

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kuba122
Posts: 307
Joined: November 1st, 2015, 10:17 pm
Location: Dallas Texas
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Re: UNDERBELLY CAME OFF

Post by kuba122 » June 7th, 2020, 11:18 pm

They have repair kits you can buy with some material and glue. I found a kit on ebay.
2014 Starcraft AR-One 15RB
2006 Chevrolet Silverado

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tfgruf@gmail.com
Posts: 4
Joined: July 9th, 2018, 1:31 pm
Location: Michigan

UNDERBELLY CAME OFF

Post by tfgruf@gmail.com » May 28th, 2020, 5:45 pm

I have a Launch 24LS, the underbelly came loose while traveling, so I cut out a section to avoid further issues while traveling.
Has anybody had this happen and tips how to repair, unfortunately I do not have the piece that was cut-off,
TFlaunch201424ls

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