Why aren't travel trailers made this way ?

[theoldwizard1]

People have complained about the build quality of TT for years. The biggest disaster is a water leak. These typically occur at the roof seam or around a window. Once the water get inside the wall it migrate down to the floor and in a couple of years the floor is rotten and you have a VERY EXPENSIVE repair on your hands !

Now look at the picture of the cargo trailer.



Notice the nice, smooth transition from the roof to the side wall. Sure there is a seam on the vertical surface, but water would run right over that.

How about the horizontal roof top ? How is it seamed to that edge piece ?



That is a continuous 1 piece aluminum extrusion. The joint at the roof (top right) is part of a half lap joint. The roof metal would be formed just the opposite so the 2 would hook together. This is very common joint in HVAC duct work. If pressed together it is a very long lasting LEAK PROOF joint !

Notice the little protrusion on the lower left side ? This "kick out" rain water so it does not run/drip down the side !

WHY CAN'T THEY MAKE TT LIKE THIS !

[Jackfate]

The Work -n-Play brand seems like what your asking for

[free_radical]

js6343js6343 wrote:
Oh and a smart lawyer somewhere should put together a class action lawsuit against these EPDM roofs. Its an outrage.

:h

[free_radical]

steve-n-vicki wrote:
my 24 ft enclosed race car trailer, weighed 3500 pounds empty, the skin was attached with 3m tape ,had 1 piece aluminum roof, so they are not light weights

Im guessing that chassis is made of heavy gage steel?
Thats what makes it heavy..

Look up aluminum campers made entirely from aluminum,,yes they do exist,,youll be surprised how light those things are..


https://youtu.be/UGmKsL2_m2I

[free_radical]

rockhillmanor wrote:

The biggest disaster is a water leak. These typically occur at the roof seam or around a window.

Owner Maintenance.

Checking the seams on the roof and resealing them as needed is imperative owner maintenance.

Those that think this part of "routine" RV maintenance is not needed are the ones with leaking roofs. Not inferior products. Just saying.

My roof has no seems,ergo requiers no resealing,,and havent leaked yet in 10 years I owned it,,
if I can do it why cant RV manufacturers?

[steve-n-vicki]

my 24 ft enclosed race car trailer, weighed 3500 pounds empty, the skin was attached with 3m tape ,had 1 piece aluminum roof, so they are not light weights

[js6343js6343]

Oh and a smart lawyer somewhere should put together a class action lawsuit against these EPDM roofs. Its an outrage.

[js6343js6343]

I have seen it said so many times.....

"Nothing will change because we keep buying them". "They don't build quality because we are to cheap to pay for it". So I get it now, its OUR fault.

Neither is true. For some of us experienced owners who know better:

1) I will never buy an RV again. (they are junk)
2) I would have gladly paid more for a better quality RV if I had known better. (and it doesn't have to be a $100K Airstream either)

[Cloud_Dancer]

rexlion wrote:

Cloud Dancer wrote:
YES, the proper way to design, construct a RV roof has been around for 30 years (that I know of). The emphasis most certainly should be in keeping water OUT!....for the reasons mentioned (I can attest to it).
The way to start the ball rolling is for the buyer to insist on a detailed drawing of the roof-to-wall area BEFORE committing to the purchase.

What would you look for (desirable features) in that area?

Actually, your question kinda steers us to the core of the issue. If we the buyers where well versed on the subject of what makes for a good roof design (including roof-to-wall attachment) then we would be more inclined to ask for the detailed drawing, or better yet, a cut-away model of it.
For me, a well-built one-piece molded fiberglass roof (properly crowned and one that includes the curve-down portions on the sides), that's well-supported by roof-frame trusses,...is an acceptable start. THEN, the method and design of the attachment to the top of the walls has to be of the best quality. The flashing on the sides and the joint seal at the front and rear also has to be of the best quality. NOW, a big complaint that I have is the mickey mouse way that they use for mounting and sealing the roof air conditioners to the roof!
I can go on and on talking about the substandard methods used by RV manufacturers, but what for? The first thing that will happen is that I will be told to buy a Foretravel or a Prevost.

[pnichols]

That single piece aluminum roof looks to be built about the same as the single piece fiberglass roof on our 24 foot Spirit (Winnebago Itasca) Class C motorhome:

1. Nicely crowned for good vertical strength (for walking on and air conditioner support) and water runoff.

2. The roof has an edge with about a 3 inch roll-over all along the top of both sidewalls so that the sidewalls end up inside the roof's rolled over edge.

3. Both the front and rear end caps are large with a lot of overlap.

Also, regarding the trailer in that photo:

1. Is that trailer's substructure steel or aluminum instead of wood?

2. Will that trailer's aluminum roof get dented in a hail storm?

3. There's a lot of rivets in those (one piece?) sidewalls and endwalls. Do aluminum rivets ever corrode/oxidize and then let water in around the rivet's shaft?

[captnjack]

DiskDoctr wrote:
"solar oven" 😉

Paint it white!

[captnjack]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Doesn't everyone realize that RV's are no different than any other product being manufactured and sold? Yes, we've had the technology to make a light bulb that will last 100 years. But "they" won't manufacture it, because once someone buys the 100 year light bulb, they will never have to buy another one again, and maybe even their kids won't have to buy one either when they inherit that light bulb. If they are made that well, there is never any resale. Build them so well, no one will ever need another one, means the manufacturer WILL go out of business, socks will fail, and the CEO won't get his Christmas bonus.

They are designed to fail, forcing the consumer to purchase another one in time. That guarantees repeat business for the manufacture. It's not just RV's, it's EVERY single product we purchase!

Except we now have light bulbs that last 20 years or more, which is way longer than most people own their homes these days. They just charge more for the one time purchase and make their same profit.

[rexlion]

Cloud Dancer wrote:
YES, the proper way to design, construct a RV roof has been around for 30 years (that I know of). The emphasis most certainly should be in keeping water OUT!....for the reasons mentioned (I can attest to it).
The way to start the ball rolling is for the buyer to insist on a detailed drawing of the roof-to-wall area BEFORE committing to the purchase.

What would you look for (desirable features) in that area?

[Cloud_Dancer]

YES, the proper way to design, construct a RV roof has been around for 30 years (that I know of). The emphasis most certainly should be in keeping water OUT!....for the reasons mentioned (I can attest to it).
The way to start the ball rolling is for the buyer to insist on a detailed drawing of the roof-to-wall area BEFORE committing to the purchase.

[JimK-NY]

I cannot help but equate this to the car industry in the 60s. The big 3 made crappy products and sold them based on looks. It took foreign competition to even start to make the needed changes. As far as I can tell they are still fighting to catch up. For Ford, quality is still "job one". If they ever catch up maybe they can move on to safety or efficiency.