Structural Adhesive used in New F150
I have heard that Adhesive is used in the new Aluminum F150 Body. Seems that the adhesive is called Dow Betamate structural adhesive. Here is a Link to a post concerning this. I'm wondering ...
Forum Discussion
WyoTraveler wrote:
I'm just a rural guy. I've looked at a lot of aluminum horse and stock trailers. Never saw one yet without a lot of stress cracks and broken welds and broken re-welds. I suspect the newer PUs will be OK. Older PUs with add ons or minor repaired damage may not be as good. In rural areas we need BIG strong steelbumpers in case we hit a deer on the highway. Just seems like these add ons will cause lots of bi-metal corrosion. Even afer market hitches etc. Sometimes a lot of these big changes look good on paper. I'm not sure we can compare an aluminum aircraft that requires a registered mechanic for inspection and repairs to an aluminum PU that any back yard mechanic can inspect or repair.
Here in the salt water environment aluminum boat trailers have all but replaced steel galvanized trailers. My boat trailer is now 12 years old and I've replaced the steel leaf springs twice and the galvanized axles once, but the rest of the aluminum frame is all original with no corrosion issues at all. Also my trailer is bolted together and not welded, but I have seen aluminum frames crack at welds.
Keep in mind the aluminum on the Ford's is an alloy that consists of other materials to make it strong and durable. Also Ford doesn't weld these bodies together like your typical welds. They use a combination of welds, screws, rivots to assemble these bodies.
