Looking at a 1996 Coleman Fleetwood

[evan_nugget]

You cant, he drilled put the corners of the cracks so the will not spread. The only permanent fix is to remove the abs from thw core and coat that with grizzly grip or bedliner. Anything else is a stop gap and will mostly by you time. Once water gets under the abs its kinda game over. The water heats and cools expanding and running under the abs causing more cracks. This is also dependent upon exposer. The roof will not leak with the cracks as the foam core is intact and will not let water in. Search the site for abs roof repair, plenty of people have tried it( me included), and have had various levels of success.

I screwed down the outer ABS skin where the roof was delaminated.

Sjm - Here is what I was referencing. I wasn't too sure if that was possible, as you and others have educated me in my other post, I wasn't sure it was feasible to run screws down through and possibly compromise the watertightness of the foam. It's very possible I misinterpreted the post. As I'd stated, some of the plastic is coming up and forming "ridges" on the roof, though it hasn't gotten too bad yet. If there was a way to smooth it all out I'd be willing to try. Thank you, I do appreciate you and others passing along knowledge of how these campers were designed and helping me learn.

 

[Sjm9911]

You can try a safe for plastics epoxy. I tried that lasted a year or so. If there is moisture underneath its best to pull the abs off. Or just eternabond it, as was done. My epoxy held up fine, i reinforced it with fiberglass tape, used the abs slurry. The moisture moved under the abs and crached the next weakist spot next to my repair. As the water heats up , it expands and moves. Same with freezing and cooling. So , you can try, but if i had to do it all over i would take thw abs off compleatly. Then use the bedliner on the top. Not many come back on and tell of there repairs lasting years down the line. Maybe 1 person saying 3 years long. Most then do as i did sell and move up in camper size. As they outgrow the pup. Good luck.

 

[Sjm9911]

I guess you could screw into it, kinda like using mollys and epoxy or gorilla glue( almost the same thing). But you would be adding holes that would take away from the solid peice of foam and sometimes fiberglass top. That may lead to cracking of the foam core over the duration. I wouldn't do it. Could it work, maybe.

 

[Sherronlee]

To reply to the original question ... We pulled a 1999 Coleman Bayside, with a slide, with a Honda Odyssey. The Odyssey also had a towing capacity of 3500 pounds. We were routinely overweight because I am one who pack everything we could ever need + one to lend a neighbor if they need one. We towed it camping in the mountains fairly often and pulled it from one end of Canada (PEI) to the other (BC) The only time we ever had a problem was once on a pretty steep gravel hill ~ the wheels just spun till we put it in low gear and took it very slowly. The Odyssey did have a towing package and we used a weight distribution system with sway bars. When we bought a new 2009 Bayside, I was surprised to find we no longer needed the weight distribution system or the sway bars but we also drive a Honda Ridgeline now with better towing capacity.

 

[KBull]

KBull - Very good info about repairing the ABS roof on the Coleman. I'm interested to know - how exactly did you screw down the ABS plastic where it delaminated from the roof? I just bought a 2001 Utah, and my roof is (for the most part) in OK shape. It's got maybe 4 serious cracks in the region near the AC where the two halves of the crack have come apart and started to delaminate up. PO had covered them in RV tape and it doesn't appear to be leaking at all. I put a bead of caulk around each piece of tape and figured leave well enough alone. A permanent solution might be nice though, didn't know you could run screws into the roof without them leaking.

In some areas, I drilled the ABS outer skin, coated 1" drywall screws with Gorilla glue, and screwed through the ABS into the foam. Tighten just enough to snug the ABS to the foam. Seal around it. Then I coated over it with Grizzly Grip.

One nice advantage to the ABS roofs is they are one piece. I hated to drill into it. But for this repair, I had to. For mounting my new awning rail, I drilled all the way through, sealed everyting with Gorilla Glue or silicone sealant, then Grizzly Grip over the top. The original plastic awning rail was still securely glued to the roof, but the channel was broken. I had to shave it off, sand it, and mount a metal rail over it, using both 2 part "panel bond" and thru screws to secure it.

 

[KBull]

Sjm - Here is what I was referencing. I wasn't too sure if that was possible, as you and others have educated me in my other post, I wasn't sure it was feasible to run screws down through and possibly compromise the watertightness of the foam. It's very possible I misinterpreted the post. As I'd stated, some of the plastic is coming up and forming "ridges" on the roof, though it hasn't gotten too bad yet. If there was a way to smooth it all out I'd be willing to try. Thank you, I do appreciate you and others passing along knowledge of how these campers were designed and helping me learn.

To prepare the cracks, drill both ends. If it's a an open crack, grind the edges with a dremel to get fresh ABS. To fill cracks, I made the slurry using ABS pellets and MEK Substitute. You can also use acetone. WEAR A RESPIRATOR. Mix in a mason jar. Let sit overnight to dissolve pellets. Stir and apply with a wooden paint stick (like a tongue depressor).

As another poster said, this may not be a forever repair, as my camper sits outside for long periods of time. I imagine each season I may need to drill some new cracks and coat with Grizzly Grip. The problem with that is that, once mixed with accelerant, GG has a 30 day shelf life. Actually longer, you can refrigerate it, but best to use it quickly. On my next buy, I may see if they will sell me the accelerant separately so I can mix up small amounts at a time.

 

[Neptune303]

Hi all,
New here and just bought a PuP. I have a 1999 Coleman Mesa and also have the cracks. A lot of them appear to be super fine. Other then the slurry already mentioned, has anyone tried a two part epoxy like JB weld?

 

[Sjm9911]

Try ahead, as long as its safe for plastics epoxy. If you need a lot of it its $$$$. Best to remove the abs and coat the foam.

 

[Jack Sprat]

On my 99 Coleman Utah once the hairline cracks started around the edges of my ABS top they all spread quickly during the next year. The cracks got much wider and longer. ABS will be replaced later this month. If you use epoxy on the cracks I believe it could make the inevitable removal of your top much more difficult. It might buy a little more time for your current roof. As SMJ noted: $$$$ for epoxy. If not compatible with ABS you could end up with a great big mess. Just my opinion. Welcome to the portal from NC.