Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I've checked Rich's list but don't see what I'm after. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

First I need a source for aluminum. I can easily find 4x10 sheets but finding 5x12 is much more difficult. Anyone have any suggestions on who to call? Closest to NE Indiana if possible.

Next thing will be trim pieces. I would prefer to find deadsoft unless there is a down side to that, rather than have to heat and bend. I have read that many of you anneal the trim, is there an advantage to that? I am finding bits and pieces here and there but is there one source anyone would recommend for top edge angle, t-moulding, drip rails, etc? I would prefer to buy in all one place if possible.


Thanks in advance for any help you have to offer.

Tripmaker wrote:Next thing will be trim pieces. I would prefer to find deadsoft

Thanks in advance for any help you have to offer.

I bought all my trim here:
http://www.teardropparts.com/sub-pages/ ... ldings.htm
It bends very easy!
I don't see any advantage to annealing with the exception of cost savings.

Tripmaker-

Is Elkhart close enough?

Here is a great source:

http://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/catalog ... uct_id=419

Cheers,

Coop

Aluminum Sheets

Examples of grading and sourcing of Aluminum:

The 3003-H14, 5005 & 5052-H32 aluminum sheet grades comes in 48 or
60 wide, and 96 , 120 , or 144 long.
Most prefer to use .032"-.040" thick for the walls and top if possible.
In 4 foot sizes that is very easy to find. The 5' or 60" sizes your choices are slim.
It comes down to manipulation of thicker stock that is the issue.

If anyone finds sources for .032" or .040"in 60" x 120" sizing let us know please.

For the roof the .050" is about as thin as you are going to find.
.050" 60" x 120" any thicker like .063" and people complain its heavy & hard to work.

Aluminum Tutorial and grading:
http://www.ez.org/aluminum.htm

Three examples of Aluminum grades used for TD's:
3003 This is the most widely used of all aluminum alloys. It is essentially
commercially pure aluminum with the addition of manganese which
increases the strength some 20% over the 1100 grade. Thus, it has all the
excellent characteristics of 1100 with higher strength. It has excellent
corrosion resistance. It has excellent workability and it may be deep drawn
or spun, welded or brazed. It is non heat treatable. Applications: cooking
utensils. decorative trim, awnings, siding, storage tanks, chemical
equipment.

5005 This alloy is generally considered to be an
improved version of 3003. It has the same general mechanical properties
as 3003 but appears to stand up better in actual service. It is readily
workable. It can be deep drawn or spun, welded or brazed. It has excellent
corrosion resistance. It is non heat-treatable. It is well suited for anodizing
and has less tendency to streak or discolor. Applications same as 3003.

5052 This is the highest strength alloy of the more
common non heat-treatable grades. Fatigue strength is higher than most
aluminum alloys. In addition, this grade has particularly good resistance to
marine atmosphere and salt water corrosion. It has excellent workability. It
may be drawn or formed into intricate shapes and its slightly greater
strength in the annealed condition minimizes tearing that occurs in 1100
and 3003. Applications: Used in a wide variety of
applications from aircraft components to home appliances, marine and
transportation industry parts, heavy duty cooking utensils and equipment
for bulk processing of food.

Sourcing examples:
Detroit, Michigan:
Factory Steel & metal supply
http://www.factorysteel.com/
Chart to scope out and select your 3003-H14 stock from Factory Steel
http://tinyurl.com/yxgsrg
Note: (For Roof - They have .050" 60" x 120"
That is considered about as thin as your going to find to work with.)
***

Southern Aluminum Finishing * SAF *
Locations click:
(Touted by (Sonetpro) Get over 200lbs shipping is free)
http://www.saf.com/alumsheet.html
Chart to scope out and select your 5005 stock from * SAF *
http://tinyurl.com/yj4ppe
Note: (For Roof - They have .063" x 60 x 120"
That is considered heavy & hard to work. It is do-able though.)

Metal Supermarkets:
Store finder clicky
3003-H14 .040" 60" x144" *The sweet spot*
http://tinyurl.com/yk8xrw
5052-H32 .050 60" x144"
http://tinyurl.com/yk8xrw

I got my aluminum localy at a trailer repair facility. It is 0.040 trailer roof material. Comes 103 wide by any length you want.
Brwbier

Steve,

As always, thanks for your encyclopedic information.

dave

Brwbier wrote:I got my aluminum locally at a trailer repair facility.
It is 0.040 trailer roof material.
Comes 103 wide by any length you want.

BrwBier: Thank you for your input. I read that some stock aluminum
came in wider sizes but that it was another cut and could be wasteful?

As an option could you flesh out your answer and give us the more
information of the trailer repair facility in your Wisconsin area
Maybe a website and any other details of the aluminum you bought for
instructional purposes for those that might use this service in the future

Dave (dwgriff1) wrote:As always, thanks for your encyclopedic information.

Dave (dwgriff1):...You're
As I learn by reading the massive amount of knowledge on this forum, I
feel compelled to put it in a form that would be useful for those that follow.
Finding data and helping those that are walking the path of building a
T&TTT is for me relaxing. Heaven knows the threads here can obscure
information you want right this minute. Having the TD affliction has grown
many a person here with hands on experience. This place allows them to
give back and bring uP the next round of builders as they go on to build
another and another trailer as they enjoy the path again and again.
Thank you Dave for acknowledging my effort on this thread.
I like others here enjoy the hunt for information as a vampire in the night,
and as named by the "MadOne" ...
I am known as the "Search Garoux".

Trip...as previously mentioned, most of the larger truck trailer manufacturers and repair sites usually have a coil of 103" material around. I've found it in .032 here in Calif. The drawback is that it typically doesn't have a plastic skin on it for protection, so let them know what you are using it for and that they need to take extra care in coiling it. You can buy it by the foot, I paid under 10$/ft, allow some extra as the first foot is going to be bunged up by the take up reel, at least mine was, and by all means, take care of it in transport. Minimizing scratches from the start makes for a better tear in the long run. I realize that 103" is way too wide...but it's cheaper to get it this way than finding and paying for the 5' wide material, again...that's in Calif...doug

BrwBier wrote:I got my aluminum localy at a trailer repair facility. It is 0.040 trailer roof material. Comes 103 wide by any length you want.
Brwbier

Me too, I got mine from Lufkin Trailers in San Antonio.
Check this website for a location and call them on the phone. Prices and protocol probably differ from place to place.
http://www.lufkin.com/trailers/

Doug & Rocky:

I see and understand you can save money by buying the 100"+ wide
aluminum. You say waste on the front end of the roll and scratch prone
because of NO protective film.

You must save quite a bit to go that route
It seems for the novice it would be easier to just get the 4'or5' widths to begin with

Can you explain to the novice how he cuts off 40"+ off without scratching
or bunging uP the 60" aluminum you want for the roof and sides

What did you do not to scratch your stock on the floor,
table or grass when cutting the stock & what tools

All of these questions have been answered I am sure but maybe you guys
would be so kind to speak of this process again, please

Good questions Steve....I found that by buying the 103" material I saved a lot of $$. I laid it on the driveway with a couple of sheets of 1.5' foam insulation underneath it so that the saw blade had something to cut into as a sacrifical substrate, used masking tape to mark out the cut, went extra wide on the tape to allow for the foot on the saw, had someone use a blower to keep the chips off the material while I cut it.

To cut it, I laid some blankets on the top side and a couple of scraps of plywood that I could kneel on so I didn't dent or scratch it, and I cut it with a carbide blade in a circular saw. For me, what I found on buying just a sheet of 5x12 in aluminum was 1.5x the price of the coil material, and it was going to take more than 1 sheet to get it done with the galley. I ripped it to that I wanted and still have a sheet left over that Kevin is coming down for. 103" will give you enough material that you can do a 4'6" wide tear and still have a 4' tear left over..but that's if you're building a 4'6" tear, full size bed, not queen...if you go 5' wide...you're gonna have a lot of drop to use elsewhere, probably won't get a tear out of it.

However, I found that it was still cheaper. I think it also depends on where in this country you are, and what materials are available to you...I was building a 4.5' by 10....1 sheet of 5x10 wasn't going to cover the body and the hatch, I would have needed 2 sheets, higher priced, more drop.

the other thing to consider is that I did a different treatment on the surface, which covered up any scratches/gouges....Doug

Doug

A novice for sure could use that information so as not to make a heck of a
mess on all that aluminum.

Recap of your process:
It does take two to be there one blowing and the other cutting.
It is a driveway with and insulation ride and blankets and ply on top for
knees.
Taping the line so as not to have scratches while cutting with a carbide
blade in a circular saw.
Sounds like a bit of work but if it saves you the 1.5 times the price of a
5'x12' stock sheets and you would have had to bought two.

Now one more question... if you please:
What was the different treatment on the surface, which covered up any
scratches/gouges that you used

I unrolled the aluminum on the grass.
I marked a line with a sharpie to cut the roll to width.
I put a 2X4 under the waste side of the sheet (to elevate the sheet) and cut it with an electric shear. A cheapy reciprocating shear from HF.

I bought 4X10 sheets for the sides, they still got scratched up.

Doug & Rocky:

Thank you again for your replies.


Would you use the electric shears or
the carbide blade in a circular saw again if you were to do this cutting again

Is there a better cutting tool for this job or of the two above which is the best and why

Hear is how I cut my aluminum.

I will have to admit, scratches are hard to avoid and I will have to deal with that as time comes. Why did I buy 103" wide? First, my trailer is on a 8' frame and with the curved ends it is about 101" long. I bought 27' of aluminum and from the with I got two peices for the sides. My teardrop is a little taller so the sides are 5' tall, I cut a little extra (5'6") and that left 16'. The length needed was 15'4" for the top and hatch. Because of an idea I am trying on the edges I cut the peice for the top 62" wide, this leaves a 41"x 16' peice to cut the doors out of and a little extra for mistakes on the doors and a peice to make a bumper from. That will be made from a 4" pvc pipe wrapped in aluminum. Any left over aluminum will be used to make a vent hood for my brewing system in my basement.
I paid about $12.80 a foot. I never really investigated any other source because this was 3 miles from my house and transporting it was easy in my van.