gmw photos wrote:
My personal take is that it's a myth that trailers of this design and construction are short lived. The key is in proper maintenance and repair. In my travels I see many, many trailers of this type of construction in the 20 to 30 year old range that are still serviceable. The interiors may be dated in style, but that is easy enough to upgrade.
I guess I'm you're proof. My Starcraft turned 45, this Summer. :B
The poster with a new roof idea is on to something, IMO. Most water intrusion, the #1 enemy of TT durability, is usually up top. If the makers of my Starcraft had Eternabond tapes and decent polymer sealants, the Hilton would have been undamaged for 40 years.
I have a laid seam aluminum roof. When I bought this rig, it had damage in the sidewalls and the roof rafters, all of it from leaks in the roof, principally where the roof edge trim (bonded with butyl tape) met the side walls.
Part of fixing the leaks was to remove various attempts at sealing the roof--tar, silicone, RTV silicone, roof paint, etc. Also, I sealed the edge trim covers with Eternabond tape. Basically, I taped every opening and seam on the roof.
BTW, enclosed utility trailers don't have this issue. The roof is typically a full panel molded down some distance onto the sidewall.
