Forum Discussion

starlord's avatar
starlord
Explorer
Aug 30, 2016

Idea for TT fenders

Well, my ABS fenders have cracked in several places and as I have read in the past, this is very common and WILL happen again even with new ones. So...I'm thinking about it and have decided that I need to stop the flex from the air when moving down the road. Solution: Repair the existing fenders with epoxy and then take simple wire coat hangers, straighten them out, attach one end to the outer screws by forming a circle in one end and run the screw through it into the screw mount, take the rest down and bend up behind, form another circle and screw a new screw into the upper wheel well area. That should stabilize the fenders and keep them from flexing and re-cracking, especially if I do that to each screw mount. Anybody see any flaws in my thinking?

7 Replies

  • starlord's avatar
    starlord
    Explorer
    Sep 13, 2016
    Just an update....they worked great on the trip....no flex, no further cracking.
  • starlord's avatar
    starlord
    Explorer
    Sep 06, 2016
    Well, had the hangers when I did the first post so I went ahead and used them, they have a white plastic coating so that should help keep rust away. Only change to original idea was there is no inside on most of the screws (meaning there is no wheel well to screw other end into) so I simply put the inside loop directly inside the back of the fender and used each screw to go through the outside (with a small washer) through the fender, through the inside hanger loop and then into the hole in the trailer. Did that to each fender screw and tightened it all up and it seems nice and sturdy, hardly any flex at all. Trip to Colorado coming up Wednesday so we'll see how it does.
  • mabynack's avatar
    mabynack
    Explorer II
    Aug 31, 2016
    The sheet metal screws that hold my fenders on came loose on a trip. I bought some sheet metal at Lowes and mounted it behind the RV sheet metal. I used a punch to make the screw holes to give the screws more contact area. The screws now go through the fender, the RV sheet metal and the new mounting pieces. The additional metal makes the fender more stable and cuts down on the flexing.
  • bobsallyh's avatar
    bobsallyh
    Explorer II
    Aug 31, 2016
    I'd make up new ones out of aluminum diamond plate, sometimes called "Tread Bright".
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2016
    If you're going to dismount the fenders, maybe backing them with a tin sheet glued to the inside would afford a lot more strength.
  • mobilefleet's avatar
    mobilefleet
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2016
    the problem isn't necessarily the fender itself, it's the way assembly line factory workers hurriedly install them. They usually take a self tapping square head screw (usually with no silicone either to stop water wicking) and install it way too close the the edge of the fender which will make it crack where the screw is put in, once it flexes going down the road. With a new fender I'd install the screw further in from the edge, and put a rubber grommet on each side of each screw along with dipping the screws in silicone before installation.
  • BobsYourUncle's avatar
    BobsYourUncle
    Nomad
    Aug 30, 2016
    Good idea, yes.
    Coat hangers are very weak and soft metal.
    Try a piece of steel welding rod instead. It's like coat hanger but a lot more rigid. Comes in about 32" or so lengths.
    Not the ones for a stick welder but the ones used for gas welding.

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