Installation of Winegard Traveler on rubber roof

I installed our Trav'ler on our rubber roof a couple of weeks ago. I did install the large plate to help protect the roof. It may or may not be overkill, but I always err on the side of caution. Our roof does have a slight crown but it was not a problem. I feel the peace of mind and extra protection to the roof is well worth the extra expense. It added about 5 minutes to the installation. Chuck

Bruce Brown wrote:

Mile High wrote:
I installed my SK-1000 on my prior 5th wheel myself. It had an Alpha roof system which recommends using Alpha sealant products. I didn't know at the time so I used Dicor non-leveling lap sealant as the main bead of sealant under the base of the antenna, and Dicor self leveling lap sealant over the top. Seemed to work fine on the Alpha roof.

I did put a roller plate on from Winegard - SKA-004 Roller Plate

I just installed an entire Alpha roof for friends of ours. The regular Dicor sealer will work but it causes the material to swell and balloon. The people who sold him the material also sold him the wrong sealant - I used it on one pipe vent and didn't like it even a little. He did have a few tubes of the new Dicor 2 part sealer that was just fantastic. He bought more to finish the job properly.

If I were doing any work on any TPO roof I'd use the proper sealer. They say with the other stuff it's just cosmetic and the swelling will go down. I still wouldn't use it.

I did get some swelling and ballooning around the antenna base. I wasn't sure what caused that but it did go away.

Mile High wrote:
I installed my SK-1000 on my prior 5th wheel myself. It had an Alpha roof system which recommends using Alpha sealant products. I didn't know at the time so I used Dicor non-leveling lap sealant as the main bead of sealant under the base of the antenna, and Dicor self leveling lap sealant over the top. Seemed to work fine on the Alpha roof.

I did put a roller plate on from Winegard - SKA-004 Roller Plate

I just installed an entire Alpha roof for friends of ours. The regular Dicor sealer will work but it causes the material to swell and balloon. The people who sold him the material also sold him the wrong sealant - I used it on one pipe vent and didn't like it even a little. He did have a few tubes of the new Dicor 2 part sealer that was just fantastic. He bought more to finish the job properly.

If I were doing any work on any TPO roof I'd use the proper sealer. They say with the other stuff it's just cosmetic and the swelling will go down. I still wouldn't use it.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

Mile High wrote:
I installed my SK-1000 on my prior 5th wheel myself. It had an Alpha roof system which recommends using Alpha sealant products. I didn't know at the time so I used Dicor non-leveling lap sealant as the main bead of sealant under the base of the antenna, and Dicor self leveling lap sealant over the top. Seemed to work fine on the Alpha roof.

I did put a roller plate on from Winegard - SKA-004 Roller Plate

Looking at the SKA-004 roller plate I think I can fabricate something similar our of some sheet aluminum that I have. Instead of putting four new holes in the roof I'll try just adhering it to the rubber roof with the Dicor. Thanks for the info.

Making a small plate is a good idea as is the electrical box cover plate. The Winegard Thin Roof Mounting plate is not necessary if you can stand on the area where the antenna will be installed. I installed more than 100 on rubber roofs and I always added a roller but never once use the mounting plate. It really is designed specifically for things like cargo trailers which have nothing in the way of roof structure other than ribs and thin alum. sheet.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

Mile High wrote:
I installed my SK-1000 on my prior 5th wheel myself. It had an Alpha roof system which recommends using Alpha sealant products. I didn't know at the time so I used Dicor non-leveling lap sealant as the main bead of sealant under the base of the antenna, and Dicor self leveling lap sealant over the top. Seemed to work fine on the Alpha roof.

I did put a roller plate on from Winegard - SKA-004 Roller Plate

Looking at the SKA-004 roller plate I think I can fabricate something similar our of some sheet aluminum that I have. Instead of putting four new holes in the roof I'll try just adhering it to the rubber roof with the Dicor. Thanks for the info.

I wondered if an electrical 4x4 cover plate wouldn't have worked just as well - agreed, but Don makes some good points above on using something not rigid.

Just a note on the full plate that Winegard also offers (SKA-008} - they are a) expensive, b) work well to cover over old work on a flat fiberglass roof motorhome, but c) they enlarge the footprint of your antenna and on a rubber roof with any crown to it (curve for water runoff), they don't do well because they don't conform to the crown. To secure that plate down to the roof, you are actually pulling up on the underlayment to force it flat like the plate. If you walk near the antenna afterwards, you run the risk of pulling a screw or separating that lap sealant because the underlayment will want to lay back down from your weight and the plate won't let it.

Just my experience - .

Good Point and I'll tell my Son to order the plate from Amazon. Thanks

I would be inclined to "bite the bullet" and use the aluminum plate that Winegard makes. I didn't use it on my installation (a fiberglass roof), but, on a rubber roof it would be a good idea. Heat softens the glue that holds the roof membrane down and any resistance in the roller will cause the membrane to stretch, ever so slightly, but, over time that stretching can lead to loss of adhesion, cracks and then leaks. Aluminum sheeting, while the same idea is not going to be thick enough, IMHO, to prevent that softening and by not screwing it down it will push and pull the membrane the same as it not being there. The heavy plate unit will block some of the heat and the screws will firmly anchor it in place against adhesive loosening and shifting from wind going over the roof. There are reasons why everything on your roof is screwed down...4 more well sealed holes are not going to significantly raise the risk of leaks.

Mile High wrote:
I installed my SK-1000 on my prior 5th wheel myself. It had an Alpha roof system which recommends using Alpha sealant products. I didn't know at the time so I used Dicor non-leveling lap sealant as the main bead of sealant under the base of the antenna, and Dicor self leveling lap sealant over the top. Seemed to work fine on the Alpha roof.

I did put a roller plate on from Winegard - SKA-004 Roller Plate

Looking at the SKA-004 roller plate I think I can fabricate something similar our of some sheet aluminum that I have. Instead of putting four new holes in the roof I'll try just adhering it to the rubber roof with the Dicor. Thanks for the info.

I installed my SK-1000 on my prior 5th wheel myself. It had an Alpha roof system which recommends using Alpha sealant products. I didn't know at the time so I used Dicor non-leveling lap sealant as the main bead of sealant under the base of the antenna, and Dicor self leveling lap sealant over the top. Seemed to work fine on the Alpha roof.

I did put a roller plate on from Winegard - SKA-004 Roller Plate

Thank you. It seems that there is no difference between installing it on my aluminum roof except I have to use a different sealant. There was nothing in the installation manual about a plate for the roller but I thought I better ask.