I bought my Barth from a guy who only had it for a year. The PO before him had it 14 years. I had a phone conversation with him yesterday and he told me the reason he sold it was rusting and it had sagged in the rear. He said the frame was made up of iron square tubing and it had deteriorated. With my naked eye I cannot see that the rear of the coach is sagging. I know the chassis is iron and he said the chassis was fine and that only the house portion sagging. I thought the house frame was made out of aluminum. How can itbe sagging?

Barth did not use flimsy, undersized frame rail extensions as many mfrs have. What is almost certain to rust out are the storage compartments and square steel tubing supporting them. Sagging or buckling of the body is almost unheard of.

The floor framing of Barths are built from steel tubing. it is possible that it can rust out. Most rust issues have been with lower framing structure below the floor line. The floor is built up starting with an aluminum skin, then steel framing, followed by 3/4" plywood. Here is a link to DustyJeeper framing to give you a ideal of construction.

Doorman
Thanks for the link. I now understand that the PO was referring to the floor framing steel tubing. The walls are studded with aluminum... correct?

I have no way of knowing for sure. But it would seem to me that the metal in a 1990's model would be fine unless years of neglect of an ongoing moisture intrusion problem exists. IMHO.

Believe you are right. This coach has spent most of its years in Florida. I looked the coach over up down and sideways and I can see no sign of sagging or obvious deterioration. Thanks for your responses.

If you go back to the documents lists on this site there are early brochures of the Barth factory. They show the framing (steel) that was used in the front and rear of the chassis that supports the floors and acts as a Tri.ss for the compartments that literally hang from the floor. There is 1" and 2" square tube that was welded into a smi monocoque. All that rusts, principally because of contact with the aluminum skin. I have had no sagging, but lots of those rails were rusted, particularly the front lower cross members where the bumper sill below the headlights attach and the rear section of the lower corners and across the back below the engine doors. Replacing them involves drilling out rivets and peeling away the skin then cutting out the rusted tube and welding in new stuff. Not particularly difficult if you can weld and have some shop tools to cut and form the bends. I welded them back using a TIG welder so there would be less heat and no spatter to cause fire or damages. All the coaches I have seen have some degree of this, but it can be fixed and will cure any issues. If you have sagging then there will be popped rivets and noticeable buckling of the skin, if the rivets hold. If you press down on the stainless sheet between the bumper and the coach wall and it moves then the rivets are gone and the tube is likely gone as well.

Yeah, we all sag a little as we get older…

I see no signs of buckling of the skin or loose rivets. There is a local weld shop in town that I trust. I will take it to them and have them check it out. Thanks!

What I wonder is this: what if the "box on top of the frame", with the aluminum framing and aluminum skin, is so rigid, that it has moved as a single unit, rotating as if there is a hinge at the front of the unit, and perhaps the supporting iron cross members are rusted and weakened, and able to deflect. Maybe this is only a quarter of an inch along the rear edge of the box....

To check this, you'd need a laser, level it on the floor at the front of the coach, and measure along the path to the back, to see if there is any difference in the measurements between the laser beam and the floor.

You might find that the prior owner was mistaken. Or you might find a need to install additional cross pieces, to get the coach solidified for another 25 years of service.

The phrase "galvanic corrosion" is one I've learned in this forum, and my worries are that the salty air of sunny Florida have aided the process. If that is the case, then the junctions of the aluminum framing, and the iron tubing will be of concern. I think that might be along the edge of the coach. I took off wall panels at one time on mine when I was installing new windows, and didn't see any harm from an inside view. Maybe you can get inside one of the cabinets in the rear of your coach and install an inspection window and see what you've got.

Happy Motoring,
Matt

About two years ago, I had to have the plate/floor supporting the engine batteries replaced - rusted so badly it was a wonder I had not lost one battery while driving.

Braley in OH

My Breakaway has very little signs of corrosion or galvanic action. there is some but minimal. My battery area was corroded as all battery boxes will and I replaced it with stainless steel.

What I do have and others have had or seen is the effects of poor engineering to attach the steel frame work of the body to the steel chassis frame. Either from the effects of the 4 point jacking system, or from general use, the attachment bolts have been drawn done and are now loose. About 50% of the bolts thru the chassis attach points have at least a 1/2 inch gap.

The bolts, 3/8 inch, are thru the 2x2 square flooring from the top down thru the bottom of the square tubing thru the plate on the frame rails. As the coach twists either from jacking or driving, the heads of the bolts can draw down the top of the tubing. It is a VERY POOR design.

Frame attachment bolt

It is a BIG job to replace these bolts and secure them properly. One owner cut away the side of the 2X2 to open and area to place the bolt head on the bottom of the 2X2 frame and thereby preventing any way they can loosen. I like that idea but there are ares that I can not get to so I will have to cut out the flooring and replace the bolts with a larger bolts and a thick steel washer to prevent collapsing of the 2X2 tubing.

Most aluminum skinned coaches with show some buckling along the sides as the aluminum has a much greater rate of expansion than the steel sub-structure. This buckling will work on the rivets and can pull or pop rivets over time. The buckling will usually appear between frame rails and will be most obvious when it is hot and the sun is directly on one side. I have one area that looks particularly bad right over the rear wheels. I have measured and sighted the frame and floor, nothing appears bent or twisted.

After talking to the PO again, I re-inspected the coach and found the square tubing supporting the engine compartment has rusted nearly away. I also found a small area of buckling at the rear drivers side on the top curvature. Everything else appears to be solid. I have an appointment this afternoon at a local welding shop.

Looks good Kevin. I assume you welded that yourself. I don't have a welder and wouldn't know how to use it in a skillful way if I did. I just returned from the weld shop with the Barth. They did a great job and hopefully my sagging issue is over.... for a while anyway. It cost me $565, which I thought was very reasonable for the work they did.