Hay Gays/Gals, has anyone re-paneled a Aluminum sided toy hauler, My Sister purchased a 2005 fs 23ft Attitude that was in a hale storm on one side, I checked with camping world and they wanted $175.00 for each panel and $250.00 to ship it.

Is that a good price on Panels?
How Hard is this job?
Does anyone have any pics?

Camping world wanted $8000 to do the hole job, I am pretty skilled and think that it should be time consuming put not to hard, any tricks (should you cut out the windows or can you use a router)?

any advise would be appreciated.

I think if you are feel good about doing it go for it.
I dont know what prices are but anything at CW is overpriced.

I've worked for dealerships before for about 9 years. I've done this. Take off all the affected panels, and start at the top of what's left. Make sure you're doing it straight, by a level, don't trust your eye, get a level. put the panels up, make them level, staple the bottom of the panel and do it again with the next one, until ya get to the bottom of the trailer. It really is simple, follow the guidelines and you'll be happy with the savings!!!!! Use the KISS priciple.....................Keep It Simple Stupid. (not calling ya stupid, just the saying!!!!


BBtank

I replaced 2 panels on my Carson Funrunner Took me 2 days and $100 It is not all to hard to do.

I'm the Parts Manager at Camping World RV Sales of Mesa. If our Vegas store quoted you a price I think their quote is probably right. Sure, it seems like a lot of money, but that is because it is a lot of work. I understand wanting to do it yourself, and if you can do it, good for you. Just be warned, we have techs that do this stuff daily and have been for years and it still takes them tons of hours.

If it is white aluminum sheets get some shipped to you from Denver Sign Supply. About $60 a 4' x 10' sheet and their shipping is really cheap.

http://www.denversignsupply.com/category.c...atname=Aluminum

Do you have pics of the damage?

Just looks like a trailer sitting on a driving range for a week, Sample I think you are thinking on different panels, these i think should be 1ft by 23ft, I think your web page is for cargo trailers. thanks for the support.

were did you get your panels from? Camping world was $200.00 a panel with shipping is that market on the panels or is that out of line?

I am fortunate enough to live 45 minutes from Carson and bought them direct made to order.

oops, yes they are the kind that are used on cargo trailers.

Never done it, but post pictures of the process!

I agree.

Called the local carson Dealer and they said Free shipping to the local lot and $90 plus tax, that seem a Camping world, Carson told me they make their own panels and have dies for other designs. Also talked with Jwcarguy on the board and he is a finis carpenter, he has done a one before and suggested to chalk line the side to make sure they are straight,

Still, any advice is great!

Cool. What are the dimensions of the panels anyway?

A level works good, but only if the trailer is perfectly level also. Use the chalk line. Measure from the bottom of the trailer, or another set control point to mark for each chalk line. If you use that same control point to measure from, you can fix any slight imperfections from pannel to pannel. If a pannel get 1/16 or so off, the next pannel will correct it.

Here's a site that has everything you need to rebuild/repair a trailer/RV:

http://interstatemetals.com/cat_alu_dia2.htm

Rockwood: The trailer is a attitude fs23 2005, they paid about $8000 and the inside was perfect, just the one side, it got hit from the hale storm in the Sturgis Bike Rally, we just picked it up last weekend for my sister, her first trailer, and came with a Reese weight dis hitch. The side looked like it was sitting on a driving rage at a golf coarse, but everything else seems good,

adbrothers: that is good advise!

Glassman: nice site anymore you know of?

Here's another site you might try: http://www.hemetvalleyrv.net/rollforms.html

I did this stuff for a living for a while. Did I have to insult somebody and say level the trailer?

I hope that would be a given, but in the heat of the battle i bet there are a couple of people that thought of that half way through the repaneling stage.

Sorry BBT, I didnt mean it like you didnt know what you were doing. I work around a lot of people that wouldnt have thought of it, so thats why I mentioned it. I've worked on a few yachts and one of the guys was trying to use a level, to level it (and it was in the water), not as a straight edge. These were guys that "have been doing it that way for 20 years".
If someone else is around the trailer it can also move, or someone leans on it, it could move was what I was thinking.

I watched Thor replace the panels on my rig, they removed the windows prior to install. The panels were installed and windows cut with tin snips following the install. Then the windows were re-installed.

adbrothers, now that's funny right there, I don't care who ya are. I forget sometimes about the ignorance of people. I work on military aircraft and there is NO room for error. I didn't mean what I wrote in a bad way, if it was read that way





And here again, I didn't think to write about removing the windows. That was a given to me, once ya look at it, or remove the first panel around a window.
Just point and laugh at me and go...........DUH!!!

I have never had a window out, your saying panel the trailer then cut the windows out? how close to the edge do you have to be or can fold the excess over with a mallot, say if there is 3/16 hanging over, or does it have to be perfect?

When I had to change panels I would use my Matco air saw. You know the kind with the small "hack saw" blade that sticks out the front? Is it called a reciprocating saw? Anyway, I would use that to trim the panels right to the edge of the window.

The windows are easy (2 person job) to remove. Clean it before putting it back in. Use putty tape from an RV dealer, or like I did, from Ace. If you need help, and are close enough to Tucson, I'd be happy to help any way I could. If nothing else works out, phone calls help sometimes. Let me know what I can do?


BBTank
520-237-1989

About the trailer having to be level...think about this...

The siding is parallel to the frame/bottom of the trailer. Your tape measure and a chalk line are your best friends...level is good, but it isn't necessary if the panels run lengthwise. If the panels are perpendicular to the bottom, you must be level.

However, I would make it level just because my construction background kicks in whenever I do this kind of stuff.

A reciprocating saw may shred the siding unless you know what you are doing..a cutoff wheel may be a better choice.

A cut off saw is hard to get to cut on the rounded corners of some windows. The reciprocating saw I'm referrring to is a small hand held air saw, a one handed kinda tool. Really easy to guide it around corners. It's not what a reciprocating saw that most everybody thinks about first, that's a big ass saw. My air saw has a 3-4" blade on it that's only 3/16-1/4" wide? Is really is the tool for the job. As a matter of fact, a siding job was the reason I bought this saw in the first place. I've found alot of other uses for it too!!

Thanks BB that is geat advise will order the Saw from Matco, Love my Matco rachets and mini die grinder.

Mine has a 3 ft. hose instead of the swivel fitting. Either is good

Gotcha...thanks. I didn't think about round corners...so I just may go and buy one of those little suckers, cause ya know, a man can't have enough tools...!!!

Good advice, BBT.