Soft spot in floor 2015 Forza

[JeanLey]

Hello
I looked at a 3015 forza and found a soft spot in the middle of the living area. Vinyl floor. I could depress about 1/2 inch.
Can anyone with experience suggest a fix/cure snd approx time / cost to fix?
Thanks

[Decuct CoCo]

I've used Minwax wood hardener which worked well
If wood develops low spot wood filler can be used, personally I used Bondo fiberglass reinforced filler that was on hand..

[nzfrank]

Originally Posted by Decuct CoCo

I've used Minwax wood hardener which worked well
If wood develops low spot wood filler can be used, personally I used Bondo fiberglass reinforced filler that was on hand..

Many thanks for that. How did you get under the vinyl floor?

[wahoonc]

You have to take the vinyl up then harden up the plywood. There are multiple techniques depending on the severity of it.

Fiberglass, epoxy filler, etc.

Aaron

[BirchyBoy]

Is it is soft spot in the flooring or a deflection from inadequate support? I’ve read where some people order bracing from Winnebago that goes in from underneath.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by BirchyBoy

Is it is soft spot in the flooring or a deflection from inadequate support? I’ve read where some people order bracing from Winnebago that goes in from underneath.

I don't know if Winnebago does it or not. The unit I purchased has a couple of sketchy floor spots. One has been supported from underneath by a flat plate and some angles. However, due to delamination of the floor assembly, I am still going to have to harden up the top with something. The floor was flooded at some point.

Aaron

[BirchyBoy]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I don't know if Winnebago does it or not. The unit I purchased has a couple of sketchy floor spots. One has been supported from underneath by a flat plate and some angles. However, due to delamination of the floor assembly, I am still going to have to harden up the top with something. The floor was flooded at some point.

Aaron

Sorry :( I’m pretty sure Winnebago parts sells the correct reinforcements if you want to fortify everything once you’ve fixed the water damage.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by BirchyBoy

Sorry :( I’m pretty sure Winnebago parts sells the correct reinforcements if you want to fortify everything once you’ve fixed the water damage.

Our floor was fortified by the dealer before purchase. They used a plate with angles welded to it. They jack it up into the area between the floor frame and attach it to the frame tube with screws.

The floor sandwich from the bottom up appears to be a thin plastic sheet, 1/4" luan, expanded polystyrene insulation, and 3/8" luan. I don't know if there are any internal supports in the sandwich or if it is continuous. I suspect continuous.

We will be working on the floor later this year or early next year. The previous owner put LVP directly over the original floor so it is solid enough to walk on for now.

Aaron

[Oldchinahand]

Given our floors are a "sandwich" composite, I do not see bracing from underneath solving soft spots.

We solved our soft spot easily by injecting fiberglass resin into the foam core. Our floor consists of a foam center with an aluminum lower side and a plywood top.

We purchased a few dozen 30cc syringes from the big A, a couple of quarts of fiberglass resin and a bag of 1/4in x 2in wood dowels. We lifted the tile, and drew a grid of four inch squares on the ply to extend past the edges of the soft spot. At each intersection we drilled a 1/4in hole through the ply and foam to just kiss the aluminum sheet - not through it. We mixed enough resin to fill several syringes, injected the resin through the 1/4in holes into the soft foam until resin began exiting an adjoining hole, then plugged the resin filled holes with 1/4in wood dowels driven down to the aluminum sheet. We repeated the process until all the holes were filled and doweled.

When the resin was set, we sanded the area flush and re-layed the tile.

Not counting gathering materials and waiting for resin to set (we let it set overnight), less than four hours total work for an area about 3ft x 2ft.

Several YouTube videos on the process. Interestingly, all we saw were British made.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

[dickb46]

We had a 1994 Vectra that had 2 small "I" beams screw up to the bottom of the floor (12' front to back) to reinforced the floor, accessed from inside the bays.
Dry rot weakened the wood (plywood) so bad that the screws would not hold and the "I" beams stopped supporting the floor.
It got so bad that I went into the bays and and put supports under the beams in various spots to shore up the floor.
That was 20 years older so it's hopefully not the same problem.
dickb

[rdchildr]

This is a known issue with Forza's and Solei's. Winnebago put the floor cross beams too far apart and you get some sagging near the center of the coach. I bought 4 crossbeams at $52 apiece from Lichtsinn Rv and put them in myself. They are made by Winnebago, so they fit between and attach to the rails with self tapping screws. Solved my problem.

[JeanLey]

Originally Posted by rdchildr

This is a known issue with Forza's and Solei's. Winnebago put the floor cross beams too far apart and you get some sagging near the center of the coach. I bought 4 crossbeams at $52 apiece from Lichtsinn Rv and put them in myself. They are made by Winnebago, so they fit between and attach to the rails with self tapping screws. Solved my problem.

Many thanks for that, I will get some crossbeams from Lichtsinn