TT Outside Construction

Yep Jeremiah, I understand where you are coming from and knew that when I posted. However, my post was for the members, to advocate by example, for them doing required maintenance on their rigs, not really to challenge you or your statement.

You are correct that the members of this site are probably more "fussy" then the general public and are more aware of the possible problems that can come up from a lack of maintenance on their rigs. That is possibly the result of their participation here and is one of the reasons I continue to post and serve as a moderator on RV.net.

Your posts are appreciated and I apologize if I caused you any "heartburn" over my challenge to your statements. It was certainly not intended in that way. :)
Barney

BarneyS wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
Aluminum sides are easier to repair if the wall is damaged. Fiberglass suffers from Delamination...always...every fiberglass camper will eventually delaminate to some degree or another.
Snip...

Jeremiah

I agree that aluminum sides would be easier to repair BUT can't see how you can say that fiberglass sided trailers will ALWAYS delaminate. The only thing that will cause that to happen is water intrusion or faulty manufacturing. My trailer has gel coated fiberglass sides and end caps, has never leaked, and I make sure it never will. My trailer also has NO delamination, is now over 13 years old, and I plan on it staying that way and lasting for many more.
Barney

Hi Barney, My logic is the same as saying All Wood Framed Trailer will eventually have to deal with some sort of rot. I know that you, and many on this forum are meticulous about their camper's maintenance but sadly this is not the standard. Any trailer will have issues when water gets inside. As owners, we should do everything we can to prevent it but we are one bad seal, accident, natural disaster, Health Scare, etc away from having water get in. Also, the people who buy our campers after we own them may not maintain them in the same manner. When I say ALWAYS what I am saying is somewhere in the life span of the trailer.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

More to think about:

One of the new fiberglass sided TTs with light grey or tan color, swooping graphics and a pronounced curved front cap look pretty sexy. Add frameless windows and they look even sexier. However, beauty is only skin deep.

A fiberglass sided TT superstructure is very rigid due to it's aluminum framing and composite sandwich construction. As any owner knows, trailers bounce like heck travelling down roads. The vertical movement in the I-beams of the main frame is worse in some if they have one of the weaker frame designs (I-beams made from 3 pieces of steel welded together). Even strong frames flex up & down somewhat.

All the vertical movement in the I-beams gets transferred to the superstructure above and in a rigid aluminum-framed one, can cause welded joints to fail. Reason I know is that it happened to a previous TT we owned as shown in this photo. It only had literally a few thousand miles and most were from the delivery from Indiana to the west coast. I accidentally came across this while doing a mod inside the pass-through compartment. Could have been more failed welds, will never know as it went back to the dealer.

A TT with wood framing will have a lot more give in all the joints/connections and would probably be a better choice for someone planning to do back country camping on rough roads. I think it's Outdoors RV that have aluminum framed walls but use wood trusses?

What I don't like about fiberglass or metal siding is that the impervious vapor barrier layer of the "wall assembly" is on the outside. That's opposite to how houses get built. Moisture laden air will migrate to the exterior skin and condense on the interior side of it leading to rot and corrosion or delamination. Composite walls use open cell insulation which lets moisture through it and closed cell foam would stop moisture issues but of course, costs more. Camping in the winter without properly and adequately venting the moisture outside, or using a dehumidifier, can cause some serious damage in the long run and one type of siding may not be better than the other. TT manufacturers do a cr*p job on insulating, including the ceilings.

Have owned a TT with both types of siding. From a structural perspective, I'd go wood framing/aluminum siding. For looks and easier washing/waxing, a fiberglass sided unit. Regardless, gotta make sure to prevent leaks and water intrusion or else it won't matter...

The aluminum sided, so called Stick and Tin, is an older and well developed technology. It lends it self to simple box like designs and is often found on the less expensive models, because it does not molds specific to a particular model.

Fiberglass siding is the newer construction method, although it too is decades old. It lends itself to more sculpted shapes, and dazzling artwork which seem to becoming more popular.

The pros and cons are listed above. In my opinion; if the floor plan, cost and towing ability are what I want, the outside makes little difference.

However, judging from the paint jobs or decals I have seen on some units, I may be in the minority. :)

jerem0621 wrote:
Aluminum sides are easier to repair if the wall is damaged. Fiberglass suffers from Delamination...always...every fiberglass camper will eventually delaminate to some degree or another.
Snip...

Jeremiah

I agree that aluminum sides would be easier to repair BUT can't see how you can say that fiberglass sided trailers will ALWAYS delaminate. The only thing that will cause that to happen is water intrusion or faulty manufacturing. My trailer has gel coated fiberglass sides and end caps, has never leaked, and I make sure it never will. My trailer also has NO delamination, is now over 13 years old, and I plan on it staying that way and lasting for many more.
Barney

theoldwizard1 wrote:

keymastr wrote:
My trailer has filon with 2 inches of styrofoam sandwiched in between. Way better than the 1 inch of fibreglass batting they loosely fill parts of sheet metal trailers with.

Very unusual !

Most RV aluminum stud walls are either 1" or 1.5". Most RV wood stud walls are 2".

Most RV wood stud walls are 2". Which in real life means they are 1.5" x 1.5".

keymastr wrote:
My trailer has filon with 2 inches of styrofoam sandwiched in between. Way better than the 1 inch of fibreglass batting they loosely fill parts of sheet metal trailers with.

Very unusual !

Most RV aluminum stud walls are either 1" or 1.5". Most RV wood stud walls are 2".

jerem0621 wrote:
Aluminum rots in its own way so it's not perfect either.

Aluminum "rot" (oxidation) is MUCH slower than wood rot. Delamination is a totally different issue.

You typically only find all aluminum floors in "toy haulers" because they require the extra strength. It is possible to build an aluminum joist, foam insulated floor with a non-wood covering, but many (most ?) of these have shown to be less durable than plywood.

Note: I have also NOT seen one fiberglass "skin" manufacturer (such as Filon) approve their product for flooring.

Usually that difference in skin reflects a difference in construction. The aluminum siding is popular on "stick-built" structures, wood-stud walls a light weight version of how frame houses are built. The wall gets its strength from the framing.

When you see fiberglass skin, you are usually looking at laminated panel construction, an aluminum perimeter-framed foam core with skin glued to both sides, skin can be wood or other composites. The wall gets its strength from bond of skin to the core.

There are some exceptions, as Winnebago started out with aluminum outer skin when it developed the first laminated panels, and some builders like Northwood have put fiberglass skins on wood-framed walls. Then there are the high-end manufacturers (like Excel) who built an aluminum studded frame structure and cover it with with composites, or Holiday Rambler who used to build an aluminum studded frame and cover it with aluminum, then later switched to fiberglass skin.

My trailer has filon with 2 inches of styrofoam sandwiched in between. Way better than the 1 inch of fibreglass batting they loosely fill parts of sheet metal trailers with.