Molded Fiberglass Trailers

Ever wonder why an airplane doesn't have a blunt flat front and the same blunt flat exit rear end? Sure would be cheaper to build them like a tube with a flat front and rear!

NO, Egg Campers are presently not offered in different lengths but they may be soon. There is NO seam in the molded side when the mold is extended as there's a filler exactly the same shape as the either side of the space it fills that goes in the middle and extends the mold to different lengths required. Each side is a one piece molded section from front to back, NO seams.

For simple thinking, just cut the mold in half and move each end back 2-1/2' and put a 4' filler in the middle and the alignment pins go in the holes to exactly align the insert with the 2 ends when you slide the 2 end section each 6" toward eachother and the result is a 4' longer mold and a molded side in ONE piece with NO seams. It's done all the time in compression type rubber molds to make different lengths from the same mold and note that a fiberglass mold doesn't even use any compression or force but rather spray and lay the components against the mold shape for a one piece molded part. Same principle as a boat hull and deck molds. I've designed many rubber molds and plastic injection molds in the past in my engineering business and have done a few boat hull and deck molds also. Egg Campers are much larger/wider inside than the competition and it sets them apart from their competition.

Obviously, Valhalla does NOT understand aerodynamics and what rounded corners and fronts and rears mean to air flow as air resistance requires 3+ times power the rolling resistance does with squared off or small radius corners. Owners of heavy Airstreams etc sure know the difference! The upper and lower areas of the front vertical end of a trailer being a large radius will take less than half the POWER required of a flatter square or small radius frontal. Same for the suction created by the squared flat rear wall. That suction pulls backward on the trailer. Sailors with sailboats when racing fully understand smooth airflow, high pressure side and low pressure side suction creation as it's what makes the sailboat move and allow an airplane wing to SUCK a 600,000+ lb 747 off the ground at only ~140 mph. Suction action is extremely powerful! The fuel used to pull a rounded trailer is significantly less! Do some research on what makes an airplane fly!

Thanks from me, too, Valhalla- I'd never heard that Eggcampers were available in different lengths!

Now if they'd just offer a from-the-factory propane system option....

valhalla360, Thanks for explaining the extensions. I didn't know about them. I don't see a place on the website where they discuss different lengths.

I like the look of this type of trailer. I guess it is a dated look. I'm not sure the current look of many TTs is anything more then utilitarian.

The rounded shape of Airstream or Avion trailers vs. towing a box style trailer of similar size is significant. The rounded trailers tow much better and are not affected by cross winds or passing semi trucks anywhere near as much as the box style trailers. I have towed plenty of both for many miles and there is a huge difference.

travelnutz wrote:
valhalla360,

Apparantly you have never seen how the Egg Camper is made as there are 24 hours in a day and over night is dead time anyway. All molded fiberglass components that are done in a mold require curing time so there's very little additional time lost. Even at 50 weeks of five 8 hour days alone per week, there could easily be 250 total trailer bodies molded. Molded travel trailer manufacturers are very small companies and 250 trailers/year would be "big" to them.

As for the roof holes molded in areas, that's not an issue at all as it's only and 22' max trailer from the molds and the roof thru holes will still be in the same places. I take it that you don't understand spreading inserts in non pressure mold forms, The ends are spread and an insert is put in the mold to add to the length of the end to end length of the molded one piece side. The Egg Camper is 7' 4" wide unlike the 6' 5" of most other molded trailers.

Also very important is the true rounded lower air resistance front surface and the rear surface also that will not suck backward like a square or flat rear surface and therefore, will require a lot less engine power at highway speeds and result in increased MPG's. I do not own an Egg Camper or have anything to do with the company but I sure do understand air resistance created from moving the frontal flatter surface and the sucking action created from having a flatter back surface when traveling at highway speeds. A 6.5' X 6.5' surface for example, takes a lot of energy to push it thru the wind at 60 mph and then the same size rear sucking backward force as the air fights to return to fill the voided area where the trailer was. Aerodynamics 101!

No I've seen them.

Night isn't dead time at most factories. That's when the night shift comes in. So sitting in the mold curing is lost time.

Yes, I do understand extending fiberglass constructions and the seams are problem areas.

As long as you are willing to give up flexibility, the roof piercings won't move but it creates very limited options for producing more than 1 model and they appear very dated because they look pretty much the same as 40yr old units which isn't good for new sales (short sighted for buyers but true).

Rounded sounds nice but you will be hard pressed to notice the difference pulling a traditional trailer of similar size. It's just not a big issue beyond the theory of saving MPG.

RaceAcreFarm wrote:
tatest, Which companies? Just interested.

"
What I'm starting to see is mass production manufacturers trying to produce a conventionally constructed laminated wall trailer that look like it has a molded hull, and selling it as something premium."

Forest River, as one example, with the Aviator line.

jerem0621 wrote:
Here is a 40+ year old molded fiberglass Motorhome that my father in law owns. The top seam has split and it leaks like a sieve now. They can all leak, even airstreams can leak



The floors are destroyed along with the interior. The issue with water is that even though the fiberglass holds up everything else deteriorates. The other issue is that fiberglass WILL deteriorate eventually. Especially once water gets to the non gel coat side.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Hot direct sunlight also does damage to fiberglass over long periods of time. Check out an old fiberglass boat that has been setting outside without a cover, in places like Phoenix Arizona. They will have little cracks all over them.

valhalla360,

Apparantly you have never seen how the Egg Camper is made as there are 24 hours in a day and over night is dead time anyway. All molded fiberglass components that are done in a mold require curing time so there's very little additional time lost. Even at 50 weeks of five 8 hour days alone per week, there could easily be 250 total trailer bodies molded. Molded travel trailer manufacturers are very small companies and 250 trailers/year would be "big" to them.

As for the roof holes molded in areas, that's not an issue at all as it's only and 22' max trailer from the molds and the roof thru holes will still be in the same places. I take it that you don't understand spreading inserts in non pressure mold forms, The ends are spread and an insert is put in the mold to add to the length of the end to end length of the molded one piece side. The Egg Camper is 7' 4" wide unlike the 6' 5" of most other molded trailers.

Also very important is the true rounded lower air resistance front surface and the rear surface also that will not suck backward like a square or flat rear surface and therefore, will require a lot less engine power at highway speeds and result in increased MPG's. I do not own an Egg Camper or have anything to do with the company but I sure do understand air resistance created from moving the frontal flatter surface and the sucking action created from having a flatter back surface when traveling at highway speeds. A 6.5' X 6.5' surface for example, takes a lot of energy to push it thru the wind at 60 mph and then the same size rear sucking backward force as the air fights to return to fill the voided area where the trailer was. Aerodynamics 101!

travelnutz wrote:
An interesting molded well insulated smaller TT is the Egg Camper. Made different from the normally thought of molded small trailers and it allows for true 360 degree effective insulation between the inner and outer walls and retains greater structural strength without having between the walls framing because of it's unique design and build. Only one mold of one half is required to make each size trailer which reduces the mold cost by 1/2. Using inserts to lengthen the trailer length further allows one basic mold to make many different lengths of trailer coach models which even lowers the mold making costs so much more. Simply increase the length of the chassis frame the molded coach structure sits on/bolted to. Very innovative! Somebody's really thinking!

Innovative but you need to tie up the mold for twice as long to mold both sides, so not a lot of cost savings there.

Inserts if done right can be fine (so can traditional construction) but they are potential failure points.

Still has lots of limitations as you can't move piercings thru the roof.