Lance has a video showing the strength of the TPO nose...... and if you'll let the video continue to run Lances new water proof, sound absorbing side material is explainedClick here...Very good... I wish that my 2003 model 1161 had both... I think that most manufacturers will be using both. We are all better off as our different manufacturers inovate. sleepy

Interesting....but personally I would not produce a promotional video for my products with a dumpster behind me.Unless I was in the trash business.

portscanner wrote:Interesting....but personally I would not produce a promotional video for my products with a dumpster behind me.Unless I was in the trash business.Gee! I didn't notice the dumpster... but then again... I'm not a janitor, a busboy, or a garbage hauler...I'm obcessed by all things truck camper... all brands, all innivations, and all of the places they'll take me and my wife... BTW.. she didn't see the dumpster either... and no body else commented.. Hummmmmmmm! :S...................For years the Bigfoot had a real advantage... nose, roof, and sidewalls all fibreglas... but heavy (no grocer haulers would carry them.)Anything that protects the nose and the side walls is an advance... way beyond what most of us have... and these have the added value of light weight.Do any of you have these new features... would you please report? I just might go look at them.... sleepy

Interesting, but its the first time I heard that RVs were being damaged by birds. ;). Seriously though, the biggest issues seem to be with leaks through the holes in the nose. I didn't see anything in the demo that helps with that. Finally, the normal process to fix bumper covers is to remove them.Fail!I would have been impressed if they showed that they had an aerodynamic advantage similar to sleepy's air foil that directed bugs and air away.

....we've got a TPO roofing membrane stretched over an aluminum roofing frame, on the Outfitter. TPO is indeed extremely resistant to tearing, impact and incoming ultra violet radiation (in fact, TPO loves UV; it thrives under UV radiation).Thanks for the video link!Silver-

portscanner wrote:Interesting....but personally I would not produce a promotional video for my products with a dumpster behind me.Unless I was in the trash business.Yes I noticed that also. I have to agree with you on a marking point of view.

Lance truck campers TPO Nose construction | Good Sam Community

28 Replies

skipbee
Explorer
May 15, 2013
I recently, just missed being bashed by a wild turkey here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It would have been a very damaging hit.

Luck not skill was with us, I think the frontal wave pushed just enough for a miss

We also have a TPO roof on our 2005 Lance 1121. It has been trouble free. 18 months ago we were steered to Liquid Rubber as a replacement for Dicor for the roof seams. It has worked well and is MUCH easier to apply. Our Lance dealer suggested it.

We had some experience with carbon fiber in marine applications. The costs will make you weak in the knees, way beyond what RV users would accept, I believe. The Americas Cup sailing classes are into Carbon Fiber, a mast can cost 1 million!
silversand
Explorer
May 14, 2013
Carbon Fiber maybe??....it ought to be titanium and carbon fiber..

...some Azdel product is quite a bit stronger than steel, I read!
silversand
Explorer
May 14, 2013
Hanwha Azdel Inc. composites has a Lynchburg plant (Forest, Virginia, USA), and Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, and Ontario (Canada). This is where the US consumed Azdel product comes from. The plant(s) is quite massive, with a train yard, outdoor composites hoppers for train loading, the works. Hanwha Azdel Inc. is OWNED by the Korean corporation: Hanwha Corporation (or, the Hanwha Group).

Azdel is used in MANY small quantity applications, and shipping a few containers at a time from Korea to the USA would be hellaciously costly (both time-wise and the cost of shipping itself) to their US/Canadian customers (could you imagine !?).

Azdel (from the public patent office) makes light-weight reinforced thermoplastics (LRTs and LWRTs) and low density glass mat thermoplastic composite (GMTs), and hybrid thermoplastic composites (HTPCs).

S-
Jeepers92
Explorer
May 13, 2013
my wish would be for a 3500 lb camper with 3 slides....including the couch. Carbon Fiber maybe??? I say...if it cost over $40,000...it ought to be titanium and carbon fiber...
RobertRyan
Explorer
May 13, 2013
nyscsteve wrote:
I think the video said Azdel was a USA product. In any case, looks to be an improvement especially with weight.

It is actually Korean. A Lot of it is made in Korea as well as elsewhere. We get a lot of composites from Korea and Japan.
Hanwha Azdel Inc. manufactures high-performance thermoplastic composites designed for both interior and exterior applications across many different industries. Major segments served include automotive, heavy truck, recreational vehicles, industrial, and other transportation applications. Hanwha Azdel, Inc. is an affiliate of Hanwha Living & Creative (L&C) Corporation, which is a division of Hanwha Corporation, a major Korean company with 30,000 employees worldwide.
travelnutz
Explorer II
May 12, 2013
The Azdel used in RV's manufactured in the USA is made in the USA. Don't know where the Adel if any RV's using it that are made in Canada get theirs from.
nycsteve
Explorer
May 12, 2013
RobertRyan wrote:
sleepy wrote:
And...AZDEL a replacement for Luan.... I would pay as much as $3000 to have the "skin" on my 2003 truck camper replace with the replacement that Lance (and Others?) have come up with.

Those Asian sourced composites are common here as well for all sorts of RV construction.

I think the video said Azdel was a USA product. In any case, looks to be an improvement especially with weight.
RobertRyan
Explorer
May 12, 2013
sleepy wrote:
And...AZDEL a replacement for Luan.... I would pay as much as $3000 to have the "skin" on my 2003 truck camper replace with the replacement that Lance (and Others?) have come up with.

Those Asian sourced composites are common here as well for all sorts of RV construction.
silversand
Explorer
May 11, 2013
Travelnutz wrote:
Your Outfitter roof "testing" sure does answers so many questions! Sorry it happened but somebody had to do it! Now I don't have to experiment. Didn't want to do it anyway as I'd rather leave it up to a professional. haha

...trust us to scrape branches, run into hail, and drop steel cutting heads on the camper!

:B :B
travelnutz
Explorer II
May 11, 2013
silversand, your new title will be: "The Official Tester of TPO"! You have earned it and thanks. Your Outfitter roof "testing" sure does answers so many questions! Sorry it happened but somebody had to do it! Now I don't have to experiment. Didn't want to do it anyway as I'd rather leave it up to a professional. haha