Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Sorry I couldn't find in a search for some reason. What thickness is recommended for the aluminum for the roof? Hoping to go buy a few sheets today.

Jim

Well decided to go with .032. Seemed like it will work just fine

Here is the roof on. Diamond plate rock guard going on lower front....fantastic fan installed. Now need to order the moldings

What are you going to do about edge trim/molding? Did you forget about that?

Have roof edge trim with insert type coming. Wide enough with the Rv tape under should seal fine, I measured and all the staples will be covered with plenty of sealed trim over.

Also going to have a diamond plate in the lower front.... I guess an aluminum trim with the sealant under to make the transition from roof to rock guard.

The shell of this trailer was already built when I got it. Next one I build will be the right width for a full sheet to go edge to edge.....

If I plan on a 5 wide I guess the sheets have to go across with seams????

"If I plan on a 5 wide I guess the sheets have to go across with seams????"

You should be able to get 5 wide sheets of aluminum for a 5-wide.


My first teardrop was factory built. I was surprised to find it's roof had .063 on it with no underlying plywood. It lived through several nasty hailstorms with at least 3/4" bombs. No dents. My build from last summer has .040 on it and I'll be crossing my fingers with it's first hail storm. I'd like to hear what other's have experienced. I think some of this issue must involve the hardness (alloy) vs. thickness of aluminum.

Tony

I used .040 aluminum over 1/8" baltic birch plywood. It lives outdoors and has seen hail with no problems.

I heard that the typical vintage trailer skin is .030.

Also used .040in. aluminum for roof/front/back. Pretty sturdy stuff - not easily dented...

If you are looking for 5 root wide aluminum sheets saf.com is an aluminum supplier that sells 5 foot wide sheets in several thicknesses and lengths. I had them bookmarked.

We wanted low maintenance which meant anodized aluminum. We also needed 5' wide stock and didn't want seams. The only thickness we could find on the west coast long enough to cover was .063, so that's what we did. It's very sturdy and hard to bend to a tight radius. If you do need to bend it to a tight radius, buy a couple of sheets of 1/8" or 3/16" 4'x8' Masonite, take it to a sheet metal shop with a roller and have them pre-bend it for you. Sandwich your aluminum between the Masonite to protect it from damage (scratches and gouges) from the roller. .063 anodized aluminum is amazingly strong but will still scratch.

Cheers,

Dave

I've used .032 aluminum over 3/16" Masonite.