Forgot I had registered here

[Dodge trucker]

I haven't been here in a while I guess but I probably will be more as time goes on. We just got a 2003 jayco KIWI TOO 28R yesterday. We don't have it home yet, PO is nice enough to let us use his (already paid for) storage for a bit til we can sell our old camper. (Which isn't a jayco) I don't have room for 2 here ..
Anyway our new camper is in pretty good shape, needs new tires and some recaulking around fenders, etc ..
There is no evidence of water damage anywhere, but the scariest part of this camper so far is the flex in the left side of the main entrance (not the door by the back bedroom). The floor doesn't seem compromised when looking at the bottom where the step bolts on but it feels soft when I step on the step with my left foot.
I plan on welding up a stiffener to bolt onto the step to tie it into the bottom of the frame so it has something to bear against.
I'm also gonna need a new mattress ("short queen"? ) and a source. All I see so far are over a grand which ain't gonna happen. Do I "have to" buy an "RC mattress specifically?

 

[Route 66 Traveler]

Welcome back. This is the mattress we bought about 3 years ago:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072M8KWW1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[Grumpy]

Can't help with the mattress, but

 

[JFlightRisk]

Welcome back to the JOF!

Mattress choices are very personal depending on your height, weight and what firmness you prefer. No single answer for it. Measure the old mattress or the space it occupies to determine if it's a short queen which will measure 60"x75". A full queen is 60"x80".

There are adjustable step braces you can get for under the bottom step to help with step flexing, but they aren't a cure-all.

 

[Dodge trucker]

It isa short queen, 60x74 I did measure.
I own it at this point, cash is gone and I have the title but I don't have the rig home yet.

As far as the step bracing I have a torch and a mig and just bought some steel to make it stronger. Have it built in my head, need to get it home to measure it and then get cutting metal. The frame rail isn't far behind the step, I'm gonna brace it to the bottom of that. There's 3 square holes on the sides of the step itself to hold carriage bolts from turning, I'm gonna bolt it to there, weld up a triangulated brace with an angle iron kicker to the side and bottom of the frame rail so it has something to bear against and not flex

 

[Dodge trucker]

Any other suggestions?