Attachment points pulling out of plywood on 80's Fleet

j_f

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Joined
Feb 1, 2023
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I noticed that the plywood around the attachment points seems to be deforming/cracking/etc. I'll post some photos when I can get a daylight shot. This obviously needs to be rectified before it goes on the truck, so my questions are these:

1) How did this happen? The cracks look new-- the exposed wood isn't oxidized/discolored/ dirty. So far I have only strapped it to the dolly, and I doubt I could do that much damage via Harbor Freight ratchet strap. I made sure it was very secure because the dolly is high (necessitated by the delivery trailer) and we had to cover some rough ground, but I didn't crank on them excessively.

My camper came from a junkyard in CO, so it's possible that the guys who removed it from the original vehicle and moved it/loaded it railed on the eye bolts. The structure of the camper (and really the whole exterior) is in remarkably good condition otherwise and has no damage, rot, etc.

2) What do I do about it? It looks like that part of the camper is just half-inch ply stapled together. I'd like to repair with something more robust, even if its just thicker ply and threaded fasteners. Anyone got any suggestions?
 
I have rebuilt a couple from frame back to a damn near new camper. You will want to replace any rotted/broken plywood.

New eyebolts should have backing plates to spread out the load..
 
IMG_4434.jpgSee below. You're looking at the inner edge of the access hatch from below the camper. Eye bolt below, nut and small steel backer above. I really dislike that the attachment point is a single sheet of ply fastened by staples! Suggestions welcome. EDIT: photos not uploading on my end-- apologies if there multiples.
 
you might want to "upgrade" to the newer bracket that bolts to the underside of the camper and eliminates the old eye/elevator bolts.
 

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