Sunova 34A Storage Compartment Repair After Blowout?

[Riverguy42]

New member here. We've owned a lot of RVs over 30+ years (but all of them were boats ;-). So we're newbies, and need some expert advice on a repair.

We just bought a very nice 2006 Itasca Sunova 34A (Winnebago Sightseer) -- GREAT condition, low miles (33k), etc. The previous owner had a right-rear outside tire blowout, the the tire shredded and destroyed the forward end of the sheet-metal storage compartment immediately behind the axle. The door and outer frame of the box are ok.

Has anyone here had a similar experience and perhaps can share how you went about repairing it? Looks like the entire box can be replaced (with enough money), but wondering if there is an easier, cheaper way to fix it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Morich]

I just had a local guy do the job way back when.
But before doing that, it might be a good time to review WHY the tire blew out to cause all this trouble?
There's a big difference in boats and motorhomes and one of those is the tires and what we need to do to prevent blowouts!
Most blowouts are now preventable if we set up monitors like TPMS to keep us from running on underinflated tires!
If you have a reasonably new car, it comes with TPMS in a cheap form. I like the type that gives me lots more info like temperature as well as pressure on each tire and an alarm to let me know as something begins to go wrong.
But for some odd reason, folks resist putting this safety item on a much larger, much more expensive RV that certainly makes a much bigger wreck if it goes in the ditch!

 

[HiBanky]

I agree that tire pressure monitoring system is not a bad idea. I use one myself and although it can be a bit annoying it's a good safety feature. To answer your question about the damaged compartment if you have car body skills you may be able to just hammer it back into shape either on or off the coach. If you don't have those kind of skills you may be able to find a Body Shop that will do this.

 

[Morich]

In my case with the compartment damage, it was not a big deal to cut out and weld in a new section. Flat work is much easier than things like fenders, etc. so I did not feel it required super skills and just went to folks who do work on cattle trailers and such.
They cut out the damaged side, end, and bottom and built a basic box shape to weld back into place. It did leave a joint where the new met the old but it was an agreeable price at the time and the appearance was not a big factor on that old beater.

If one wanted to cut the cost but trade it for personal labor, it might be simple enough to cut it out and bolt in new?
An angle grinder can cut thin metal like this and with some thought one could bend and bolt in the new section?

Some depends on what you want the result to look like for any resale. If it's a nice one, I try not to devalue it, but if it's just a fishing cabin, etc. then the look of the job becomes less important!

 

[RiverRVer]

I just had a local guy do the job way back when.
But before doing that, it might be a good time to review WHY the tire blew out to cause all this trouble?
There's a big difference in boats and motorhomes and one of those is the tires and what we need to do to prevent blowouts!
Most blowouts are now preventable if we set up monitors like TPMS to keep us from running on underinflated tires!
If you have a reasonably new car, it comes with TPMS in a cheap form. I like the type that gives me lots more info like temperature as well as pressure on each tire and an alarm to let me know as something begins to go wrong.
But for some odd reason, folks resist putting this safety item on a much larger, much more expensive RV that certainly makes a much bigger wreck if it goes in the ditch!

Thanks, the previous owner had the presence of mind to add the TST system and sold it with the RV. Works great and monitors temperature and pressure.

 

[Morich]

I look at all the places we buy insurance to pay the cost AFTER something happens but then we see people miss the chance to PREVENT this sort of damage because it costs too much!
When I balance the small cost of a TPMS against the potential loss when a tire blows out, it really isn't hard for me.
In this case it was an outside tire and only did a small amount of damage but if it had been an inner tire, it could have taken out a bunch of those parts in and under the RV. Things like the brake lines, maybe flip up and grab a water line or the propane?
What does it cost you to get you and the RV back home from several hundred miles away? Maybe you motel for a few nights, rent a car to get home and have the RV towed?

When a big old truck tire comes off the rim at 60 MPH, it can swing around and do a lot of damage before the RV stops!

We often find they come with any new car we buy but we don't stop to add them to that big expensive RV we buy? What kind of excuse can we come up with to explain that line of thinking?