Hey Guys, just to follow up on my situation (bashing not needed) ….. I’ve spoken to several of the Grand Design folks from engineering, product management and marketing and one thing is for sure, Grand Design is totally committed to complete and total customer satisfaction (I believe this is certainly a part of that “Setting New Standards in the RV industry”……), and I feel a lot better now. I’m a bit blown away!!
Seems GD has certainly considered aluminum roof trusses in the past but have realized the overall benefits of wood trusses falls closer in line with the company’s overall commitment to product quality. And after discussing with these gentlemen and doing a bit more reading myself, I now totally agree!
And just to share a few of the key benefits:
Screw Retention – many screws connect the plywood roof deck and there is far more bite for the screw threads into wood than thin metal tubing…totally agree!!
Stronger deck – wood to wood bonding is stronger and more sturdy….certainly makes sense to me!!
Insulation – Hollow metal tubing is a conductor of Hot/Cold …. Wood is not. Easier to retain the insulation RValue / And AC ducting runs through rafters…no doubt!!
Condensation – aluminum sweats and condensates, wood does not….have definitely witnesses this phenomenon in person, many times!!
Memory – Metal bends, and stays bent, wood has some flex….totally agree!!
Roof attachment to wall structure – the top of the tubular aluminum wall structure is stuffed with wood, and large screws are used to fasten the wood rafters structure to the wall structure. This means the entire length of the screw bites into wood.
All points that I have not considered…..I’m sold!!
My interest in a well built RV has nothing to do with the quality of the picture on the TV …….. but everything to do with my trailer successfully following me everywhere I go for the next many years……..
You will soon see a Grand Design product in my driveway!!!!
