Replacing Underbelly

Has anyone ever replaced the cardboard underbelly of their Cat?

I'd be interested in that too. Mine is very sloppy with lots of gaps. Am planning on removing fasteners and trying to pull it tight over the winter ( in the garage ). I was thinking of adding a metal strip along the edge to sandwich underbelly material between frame and strip to compress it and make a good seal.

KH

Someone, I think maybe on here, got some galvanized conduit, flattened the ends. Then drilled holes through the flattened ends that matched up with the screws/holes that are already there holding the underbelly up. I think they did this every 4 feet.

If it was on this forum, hopefully they will chime it. Maybe it was on www.rv.net, hmm, senior moment!!!!

I thought about doing something also. What I was going to use was the trim they use for autos. You know the rubber/plastic kind that has the metal crimp/fastner in the middle. I can't remember what its called at the moment. I even searched for it and found it by the foot.

oldelmer1 wrote:Someone, I think maybe on here, got some galvanized conduit, flattened the ends. Then drilled holes through the flattened ends that matched up with the screws/holes that are already there holding the underbelly up. I think they did this every 4 feet.

If it was on this forum, hopefully they will chime it. Maybe it was on www.rv.net, hmm, senior moment!!!!

Tom,

If memory serves (and mostly it fails) I think that post was on the old Wildcat site. Haven't been there in a dog's age and not sure that it's still up.

This is what I did to reinforce the underbelly.









Scruffy

I'm gonna use fender washers and self tapping screws.

I was looking at mine the other week ,,,, I like your Idea Scruffy.

WVHunter wrote:I'm gonna use fender washers and self tapping screws.

That is what I have done and actually the way it came from FR. However it does nothing to support the middle. I plan to pull mine all apart in the spring and install a second water tank; I'll probably put it back on with braces; angle iron or conduit. The conduit is probably the cheapest way to go.

Angle iron would be stronger, but Scruffy liked the idea of conduit because it didn't have any sharp edges that could cut into the underbelly. Seems to be holding up well.

Tater, I noticed in one of your pictures you can see a screw/washer right in the middle of the underbelly. Is that one that Scruffy put in or was that from the factory? If I just put some of those in, it would solve my problem. I never thought about it, but there are metal supports running across from side to side.

I am concerned with the gaps all along the frame. You can see it in Scruffy's photos. That is exaclty how mine is and I guess most of the units are probably like that. Like Mark indicated I think you need a strip of some kind of rigid material to run continuous along the frame and then sandwich the underbelly between this and the frame. That would help seal it to keep critters, insects and water out.

KH

Scruffy is taking a nap right now. I don't think he put anything in the middle of the underbelly. Maybe before he put in the conduit he felt there was a lot of strain on the screw/washer in the middle.

Next time he logs on, he'll probably see this message and let me know.

Tater

oldelmer1 wrote:Someone, I think maybe on here, got some galvanized conduit, flattened the ends. Then drilled holes through the flattened ends that matched up with the screws/holes that are already there holding the underbelly up. I think they did this every 4 feet.

If it was on this forum, hopefully they will chime it. Maybe it was on www.rv.net, hmm, senior moment!!!!

That was me (or is it "I") that did that. Worked out great, did it a couple of years ago. I didn't do any kind of sealing along the frame rails, though, as I was simply trying to take some of the up/down movement out of the one piece belly covering. I used 1/2" emt conduit cut to length and flattened on both ends, secured to the frame rails with 1/4" bolts, nuts, and lockwashers, placed every two feet. Interesting side note to the installation is that while I was working on this project one day, lying flat on my back under the 'Cat, on a hot summer day, a black snake, 3-4 ft. long crawled up under there with me, to check out the progress I suppose, (but more than likely was looking for water). I got REAL still, only easing my arm up to fend him off in case he struck at my face, but after he was satisfied and approved my work, he "slithered" out the other end. Let me tell you guys, a snake's tongue is truly "forked", as I can attest to that!!!!