Soft wall repair
 

Sagebrush mentioned in one of her posts that her beloved Hi-Lo has a soft wall. I'm not sure if it's an interior or exterior wall but ever since I read her post it's been on my mind as to how something like this would be repaired.

If you know how then please share. If you have a soft wall issue then jump in and tell us more.

Soft Wall Repair
 

If you have a water leak, and if the interior paneling gets wet enough the paneling may need to be replaced. First I would find and fix the water leak. If the leak was in the roof section, I would remove the roof following factory instructions with the roof setting on (2x4) across the lower section, I would remove the paneling that is bad. You need to use a rasor knife and a strate edge to cut the bad section out, using a putty knife, work it between the paneling and fome backing and peal off the bad paneling. Cut a replacement sheet of paneling ( you can get from H&t) glue the new paneling in place. Use a bat molding to trim cut edges.
Sam

There is wood around the door frame and around windows that gives a area to screw too, to install and remove windows and doors. Also there is wood at the band board area (that is 4" ) around the bottom of the roof the gasket is stapled too.

Some older towlites have total wood framing inside the walls.

The floors are made of ply wood.

Sam -
Is there wood on the exterior walls too?

Thanks Sam!
We addressed the leaking this Fall before storing it for the Winter. Dear Husband resealed the top seams, especially where we have the soft wall. It's the exterior wall around the door, on BOTH sides of the door. Dang it. I am not too concerned about replacing the paneling or "covered paneling" it's just that it won't match the rest of the trailer:(, but at least I won't worry about it caving in......

wood rott
 

You cam remove the door frame by unscrewing the metal frame, cutting the sealant then removing the upper door with the frame. The door opening is framed with 2x2. You can remove the bad wood by taking a putty knife and push in about 2 inched between the fiberglas and 2x2, then slide the putty knife between the paneling and 2x2 then remove the wood framing. YOU WILL FIND SEVERAL SCREWS IN THE WOOD REMOVE THEM. You can cut new 2x2's to fit and hammer in place and screw to the metal frame. Then rescrew the door frame to the new wood. reseal the door frame to the fiberglass. If you have rotten wood in the gasket area of upper wall, with the roof removed you can remove the stacked paneling, then take a 2x4 cut to the lingth of the bad area and replace the bad wood. Note: on some of the band boards wiring is run between the wall and band board (the band board is the stacked paneling) If you are replacing the area of band board with wiring you can use a router to cut out a area for the wiring. When replacing band board I always replace the wood with presure treated wood.

The entry door is paneling on the inside and fibergalss on the out side with ridgeded fome between. H&t does have replacement doors for most year modles.

Wood preservation
 

One of the most aggrevating things about wood is that it rots.
I ran across this article and think it has a lot of merit for those of you who are laboring mightily, knowing that in a few years you might have to do it over again. Here goes:

Chemotherapy for Wood Rot

Once rot gets a toehold in wood, it is difficult to cure completely, like a cancer.
Digging out the rotted wood will still leave spores and water in the sound wood. After these cavities, produced by the digging, have been filled with material such as epoxy, rot will continue to flourish underneath. Some products purported to make rotten wood sound and prevent future rotting, penetrate only until they meet water. Generally, under the repair, the rotting continues
Commercial Products sold as a treatment for dry wood to prevent further rot are most ineffective against established rot in wet wood. There are two inexpensive and commonly available materials which will kill rot in wood. and prevent its recurrence. First, there are the Borates (Borax, Boric acid mixtures,) which have demonstrated to prevent new wood from rotting and killing rot organisms and wood-destroying insects in infested wood. Second, there is ethylene glycol, most readily available as automotive antifreeze/coolant, For killing rot spores and wood-destroying organisms, nothing works better than ethylene-glycol antifreeze, unless it is antifreeze mixed with borates. Glycol is toxic to a broad spectrum of organisms, from staphylococcus bacteria to mammals. (be extremely careful your pets don't get into the sweet-tasting stuff!).
Both borate solutions and glycol penetrate dry and wet wood as well because they are water-soluble; penetration by glycol is especially assisted by its extreme hygroscopicity (its strong attraction to water.) Neither of these is a permanent solution solution to rot in wood which is constantly exposed to water because below waterline, they eventually will be extracted (dissolved) out. Glycol was first perceived as a wood stabilizing agent, rather than a fungicide or rot preventative.
There are two types of borate products commercially available for wood treatment: solid sodium octaborate for making solutions in water (Tim-Bor and Ship-Bor) and a 40% solution of sodium octaborate in ethyl glycol (Bor-Care.) Equivalents and more concentrated solutions can be easily prepared from Borax, boric acid and antifreeze at a much lower cost.
Glycol has an advantage over solutions of borates in either water or glycol. Glycol penetrated rapidly through paint, varnish and oil finishes (except epoxy and polyurethanes) without lifting or damaging those finishes in any way. The dyes in glycol antifreeze are so weak, they do not discolor even white woods such as pine. Once bare wood treated with glycol or borate solutions dries, it can be finished or glued. When a borate solution leaves a white residue, the surface should be washed with water and allowed to dry again.
A preferred method to treat rot might be to soak the soft wood, or evidence of rot, in antifreeze, even if you can’t do any other repairs at the moment. Paint it on or stray it on with a coarse spray. Avoid mist-like spraying to avoid breathing in unhealthy amounts of glycol.
Glycol should be used lavishly on suspect wood, which may readily absorb 10%-20% of its weight in antifreeze. Surfaces well away from damaged wood should also be coated. Extract weak, rotted wood and add additional glycol to thoroughly wet exposed wood. Add a 25% borate solution and allow to soak for several hours. Fill void with epoxy putty or a piece of sound treated wood as required.
Make your own home-brewed borate wood preservatives by using the formals listed below and you will produce a borate wood treatment which will work as well or better than commercially available products.
Home-Brew Water Solution of Borates:
Based on U.S. Navy specs, a ration of 60% borax and 40% boric acid gives the maximum solubility of borates in water. A mixture of 65% water, 20% borax and 15% boric acid (by weight) will yield a solution containing 15.8% borates. Borax costs $.54/lb in a U.S. supermarket, boric acid costs about $4./lb in U.S. drug stores, but boric acid roach poison, about 99% boric acid is cheaper in discount stores. To make this solution, mix required quantities and heat until dissolved. Boric acid in particular, dissolves slowly. A stable solution (no crystals) can be stored overnight in a refrigerator and costs a small fraction of Tim-Bor and Ship-Bor.
Home-Brew Glycol Solution of Borates:
This solution consists of 50% glycol antifreeze, 28% borax and 22% boric acid. To make a stable solution, mix ingredients and heat until it boils gently. Boil off until thermometer shows 260o This removes most of the water of crystallization in the borax. This solution is stable at 40o (in the refrigerator) and has a borate content of 26%. Dilute the solution with an equal volume of glycol antifreeze to make fluid enough to use handily. With antifreeze at $6/gallon and borax and boric acid as listed above, this solution costs about $15/gal compared to Bora-Care at $70/gal.

So treat your parts before installing them.