Aluminum vs. Wood, Foam vs. Batting, Luan vs. Composite

[tragusa3]

I'm in far above my head. I am making a decent sized purchase in the next week, and don't want to make any critical mistakes.

I've been searching terms like "Azdel", and trying to learn of the future in construction. As anyone else, I'm scared to death of all the rotting and delaminating trailer photos on the forum!

We were at a dealership this weekend, and I asked them to steer me to the brands that use all aluminum construction, solid foam insulation, and composite instead of luan. They pointed me towards the Apex and Forest River Surveyors.

The Apex all had stickers that they were built with Azdel. But does that mean some Azdel? all Azdel?

We really liked the Surveyor 245BHS. I wanted to get the construction practices from the horses mouth, so I called Surveyor directly, and spoke to a very polite and helpful person. He told me that the Surveyors were all aluminum framing with foam core, except for the ceiling that used batting. He also said that the floor was doubled luan, the walls were all luan and the ceiling. This wasn't exactly what I heard from the dealer, and a bit disappointing.

Am I putting too much importance on this? If my trailer is kept in dry storage and the roof is maintained well, doesn't seem like it would matter what was inside the outer shell.

Is what I'm looking for even available in the $20-25,000 budget? Does any brand within that budget stand out in these respects?

Any thoughts, information, advice, etc. is appreciated. If nothing else, maybe some of us can learn a few things!

[Liketoroam]

Good luck with your new Trailer. Hoping for more trip reports from you. They were great.

[tragusa3]

Thanks again guys. We just put a deposit on the Surveyor 245BHS today. Scheduled for PDI Friday afternoon! We shopped a 4 hour radius from home, and ended up with the best deal pricewise that we'd seen on the same floorplan. Ended up buying at Adventure Motor Homes right in our home town, 20 minutes from the house. They have a huge inventory and service department, so I think buying with them is a plus.

Dadmomh, if you could point me towards any information on Surveyor construction, I would appreciate it. What I mentioned in my first post came from a phone call to Forest River, but I've found nothing else.

It's curious that you said the Surveyor was out of budget. I had the impression the Rockwoods were a step up? It's hard to determine where all the product lines fall in quality. I know we were really impressed with the Rockwoods we went in.

[BillB800si]

Take a real hard look at the Rockwood & Flagstaff line up (Made by Forest River).
Both lines have a one piece Alpha Roof that is rolled over the edge of the roof and attached at the top of the wall. No seams on top to leak.
All six sides are aluminum framed with foam insulation throughout (no wood). Holding tanks have 12 Volt DC heating elements on them.
2nd year warranty from manufacturer is $150.

Alpha roof video Alpha 1

and: Video 2

Good luck,

[dadmomh]

We looked at a Surveyor before we bought our '07 HTT and loved it. At the time, it was not what we were after even though we loved it, was over weight and over budget. When we moved to the TT, the darned Surveyor was still the same weight and just not a good, safe choice for our F150. We bought a Rockwood product both times and have had no issues....it is stored undercover 2/47. Suggest you do a search for the Surveyor website and their brochure. At one time, there was quite a lot of info on how they are built, which DH was impressed with.

The Surveyor will be a bit higher than the Rockwood, but you might want to take a look at the Rockwood line. Strongly suggest you go online to RVWholesalers and take a look at their Rockwood lines. They do not list prices, but will email them to you PDQ. They do show the mostly fictional MSRP and you can guesstimate 30%+ off that price. The 26' trailer in our sig had an MSRP of right at $32,000....we paid $20,000 and change. Good company, reputable, lots of happy customers here and you may find it well worth your efforts to take a mini-vacation to Lakeview, OH and still come out ahead. We saved over $4000 on our HTT and even more on the TT, after travel expenses. Good luck, big decision and sticking to your budget is tough, but you can do it.

[93Cobra2771]

tragusa3 wrote:
If my trailer is kept in dry storage and the roof is maintained well, doesn't seem like it would matter what was inside the outer shell.

I think the above is the important statement. Kept in the dry and normal roof maintenance, whatever TT you get will last a LONG time compared to those not kept out of the weather.

[fla-gypsy]

BillyW wrote:
My wood trailer with a rubber roof and aluminum siding has been living outside, uncovered for it's entire 11 years. Sometimes it's buried under 3 or 4 feet of snow. Sometimes it just bakes in the sun day after day. Zero leak problems. A little maintenance and upkeep goes a long ways, even on a cheap model renowned for leaks (like mine).

X2, my el cheapo is pushing 10 years baking in the Florida sun and enduring tropical storms with no issues.

[TurnThePage]

My wood trailer with a rubber roof and aluminum siding has been living outside, uncovered for it's entire 11 years. Sometimes it's buried under 3 or 4 feet of snow. Sometimes it just bakes in the sun day after day. Zero leak problems. A little maintenance and upkeep goes a long ways, even on a cheap model renowned for leaks (like mine).

[wvabeer]

4X4Dodger wrote:

tragusa3 wrote:
Thank you all. I had watched the Lance video. That's what I was basing my expectations on. Even if I negotiated down to $28k or so, it would still be a third again over the Surveyor. I understand the why. And appreciate it, or I wouldn't be asking. I just can't let the budget continue to stretch.

I'm afraid, that at the end of the day, I'll have to settle. As mentioned, it will be carport kept, and I'm good with maintenance. We don't feel like we're settling much with the floorplan and appearance.

I dont think you are "overthinking" this as some have said. You are doing the right thing when you purchase something you dont know a lot about.

However All of the construction below the roof depends almost entirely on how well the roof is constructed. If there was an area where I would make sure the construction was really good it would be in the roof. Make sure there are real wood trusses used that have a definite arc to them for run off. with sturdy overlay so you can walk with confidence on the roof. And of course the roof coating has to be very good.

Good luck with your decision.

I purchased one brand new RV it had good material for the roof white EPDM rubber, I washed and sealed the roof twice a year. I STILL GOT WATER IN IT. The sheathing absorbed water and started swelling. I was pissed!! the trim inside got wet and started coming apart. I was pissed. Thats why I will never get another RV roof and trim made out of wood. Sometimes even if you do everything right, it could leak........

[4X4Dodger]

tragusa3 wrote:
Thank you all. I had watched the Lance video. That's what I was basing my expectations on. Even if I negotiated down to $28k or so, it would still be a third again over the Surveyor. I understand the why. And appreciate it, or I wouldn't be asking. I just can't let the budget continue to stretch.

I'm afraid, that at the end of the day, I'll have to settle. As mentioned, it will be carport kept, and I'm good with maintenance. We don't feel like we're settling much with the floorplan and appearance.

I dont think you are "overthinking" this as some have said. You are doing the right thing when you purchase something you dont know a lot about.

However All of the construction below the roof depends almost entirely on how well the roof is constructed. If there was an area where I would make sure the construction was really good it would be in the roof. Make sure there are real wood trusses used that have a definite arc to them for run off. with sturdy overlay so you can walk with confidence on the roof. And of course the roof coating has to be very good.

Good luck with your decision.

[fla-gypsy]

You are really overthinking the whole thing IMO. It doesn't matter what the materials are as long as they are put together right. Some of the best reputation RV's in the industry are stick built. I own a cheapo Keystone Hornet (stick built w/aluminum siding) that is 9.5 years old and never had a bit of trouble with it. Don't get hung up on materials as they all will fail if not properly constructed. Pay more attention to individual units and the care used in putting it together. In the end no matter what it is made of it will come down to build quality and proper maintenance.

[wvabeer]

That is the very reason I went with Livin'lite. http://www.livinlite.com/
I am tired of fixing rotten wood, which I have dealt with in every single rv I have owned.
Quote from their ads "Not a stitch of wood to mildew or rot anywhere at any time."

[tragusa3]

Thank you all. I had watched the Lance video. That's what I was basing my expectations on. Even if I negotiated down to $28k or so, it would still be a third again over the Surveyor. I understand the why. And appreciate it, or I wouldn't be asking. I just can't let the budget continue to stretch.

I'm afraid, that at the end of the day, I'll have to settle. As mentioned, it will be carport kept, and I'm good with maintenance. We don't feel like we're settling much with the floorplan and appearance.

[FrankShore]

My Roadtrek wrote:
Check out Lance TT, I'm surprised they didn't show you some.
Lance factory tour.

For the size your looking for a negotiated Lance will run around $28,000, or a little more depending on options. Cost a little more, but there a good quality Trailer.

+3

Lance uses Azdel and Evergreen RV uses something called Compositek. I love my Lance, very roomy and well constructed.

[pira114]

mosseater wrote:
That's one reason I chose SunnyBrook (now Winnebago Towables).

I was wondering what happened to them!! Almost bought a SunnyBrook several years ago. Seemed like the best constructed TT on the market back then. Wonder if they're still as good...