Adding diamond plate to exterior

Converting Cargo Trailers into TTTs

Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Pnelson 316 » Sun Jan 12, 2025 6:00 am

Hey guys I have a 6x14 cargo trailer and I have need advice on how to go about adding diamond plate to the bottom exterior. The trailer frame has surface rust and it's reacting with the aluminum siding causing holes in the siding.

My plan is to remove the fenders and maybe the interior walls if I need access to the backside of wall. Cut out 6 inches of the bottom aluminum siding on both sides. Sand and paint the frame to protect the new materials. I would add a piece of flashing to keep everything water proof behind the diamond plate. Im thinking if I use .063 diamond plate screwed to studs every 16" and in the center of the studs. Can I get away with not using a piece of trim on top of the diamond plate?

I see most trailers have a piece of J trim covering the top of the diamond plate. Only reason I don't want to use trim is cost reason's. Im trying to figure out if this trailer is worth building out or should I sell it and find something that needs less work. I built my 6x12 when I was single, now I have a family so I need more room for sleeping.
Pnelson 316
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 15
Images: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:49 am

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Grummy » Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:41 pm

Seems you have the plan most of us would use. You should be able to pull it off from outside. I don't see why you'd have to get the interior involved. I would place a plastic barrier between the steel and the aluminum and then use stainless screws. The plastic can be a heavyweight poly tarp material. There just has to be something there.

I would double stick the barrier on, preinstall the diamond plate with a few screws, remove it, and spray Fluid Film on all the mating surfaces. Then any corrosion will be countered.

The J-track they use is probably an expensive thing to get if your local camper repair doesn't already have it. They often get those long moldings shipped along with trailers they purchase for the lot. Expensive to ship because of the length. Other than that cost, it usually isn't an expensive item.

I would definitely use some sort of trim because you need to caulk that top edge laid over the .030. Just the diamond plate edge isn't much. You could visit your local tile supply company and see if you can find an aluminum molding used for tiling edges. There has to be something that will work, even if it's not a "J". Even a simple small angle can allow you to caulk under the ledge before you put the sheets on, and then a final across the top.
Grummy
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 192
Images: 104
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:51 pm

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Pnelson 316 » Mon Jan 13, 2025 4:30 am

Grummy wrote:Seems you have the plan most of us would use. You should be able to pull it off from outside. I don't see why you'd have to get the interior involved. I would place a plastic barrier between the steel and the aluminum and then use stainless screws. The plastic can be a heavyweight poly tarp material. There just has to be something there.

I would double stick the barrier on, preinstall the diamond plate with a few screws, remove it, and spray Fluid Film on all the mating surfaces. Then any corrosion will be countered.

The J-track they use is probably an expensive thing to get if your local camper repair doesn't already have it. They often get those long moldings shipped along with trailers they purchase for the lot. Expensive to ship because of the length. Other than that cost, it usually isn't an expensive item.

I would definitely use some sort of trim because you need to caulk that top edge laid over the .030. Just the diamond plate edge isn't much. You could visit your local tile supply company and see if you can find an aluminum molding used for tiling edges. There has to be something that will work, even if it's not a "J". Even a simple small angle can allow you to caulk under the ledge before you put the sheets on, and then a final across the top.


Thanks man, it seems we're thinking the same about the trim. I'm just not sure how the diamond plate would look laid overtop the aluminum skin. Im not apposed to trim, I'm not sure how I would trim around the sides door. The tile trim is a good idea, I do think I found some J trim online for a reasonable price.

Another option is to remove the rub rail trim on the bottom and use it to cover the seem. I'll take some pictures and see if it helps with ideas.
Pnelson 316
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 15
Images: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:49 am
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Pnelson 316 » Mon Jan 13, 2025 4:34 am

Grummy wrote:Seems you have the plan most of us would use. You should be able to pull it off from outside. I don't see why you'd have to get the interior involved. I would place a plastic barrier between the steel and the aluminum and then use stainless screws. The plastic can be a heavyweight poly tarp material. There just has to be something there.

I would double stick the barrier on, preinstall the diamond plate with a few screws, remove it, and spray Fluid Film on all the mating surfaces. Then any corrosion will be countered.

The J-track they use is probably an expensive thing to get if your local camper repair doesn't already have it. They often get those long moldings shipped along with trailers they purchase for the lot. Expensive to ship because of the length. Other than that cost, it usually isn't an expensive item.

I would definitely use some sort of trim because you need to caulk that top edge laid over the .030. Just the diamond plate edge isn't much. You could visit your local tile supply company and see if you can find an aluminum molding used for tiling edges. There has to be something that will work, even if it's not a "J". Even a simple small angle can allow you to caulk under the ledge before you put the sheets on, and then a final across the top.


I forgot to add that I found some 4" bottom rub rail trim that I thought of using. I do think using something wider would be better, gives me more room to rust proof everything.
Pnelson 316
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 15
Images: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:49 am
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Pnelson 316 » Mon Jan 13, 2025 7:48 am

174296174295174294174293

Here is some pictures of the poor girl. Needs a ton of work. All 3 doors are soft. The roof has quite a few leaks and id want to pull the subfloor to rust proof the top of the frame. The positive is I would have a clean slate to build a cool toy hauler.
Pnelson 316
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 15
Images: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:49 am
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Grummy » Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:21 pm

>>>> I'm just not sure how the diamond plate would look laid overtop the aluminum skin.

It's what the mfg's do. When I gutted my new trailer, you could see where they used up short pieces of .030 and slammed the diamond plate right over it, with a J-track on the top edge. I would have to look, but I think the diamond is butted up to any vertical mouldings and just caulked. It would be pretty lumpy to try to get door moldings on over the layers of diamond, .030 and the J-track.

The thing is they are using pretty decent caulks these days. Stuff like OSI Quad is both sealer and bonding agent. Excellent stuff. Stinks for a while, but good stuff.

Most cargos have that 3-4" lower edge trim. Mfg's just slam that over the top of whatever is there and caulk the rest. And, we still buy 'em !

I was pretty surprised to see just how many gaps to the outside I could see when I pulled all my walls on my new trailer. Obviously they are built as "cargo trailers"... not RV works of art.
Grummy
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 192
Images: 104
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:51 pm
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Pnelson 316 » Tue Jan 14, 2025 5:24 am

Grummy wrote:>>>> I'm just not sure how the diamond plate would look laid overtop the aluminum skin.

It's what the mfg's do. When I gutted my new trailer, you could see where they used up short pieces of .030 and slammed the diamond plate right over it, with a J-track on the top edge. I would have to look, but I think the diamond is butted up to any vertical mouldings and just caulked. It would be pretty lumpy to try to get door moldings on over the layers of diamond, .030 and the J-track.

The thing is they are using pretty decent caulks these days. Stuff like OSI Quad is both sealer and bonding agent. Excellent stuff. Stinks for a while, but good stuff.

Most cargos have that 3-4" lower edge trim. Mfg's just slam that over the top of whatever is there and caulk the rest. And, we still buy 'em !

I was pretty surprised to see just how many gaps to the outside I could see when I pulled all my walls on my new trailer. Obviously they are built as "cargo trailers"... not RV works of art.


I spent way to much time thinking about it yesterday, the easiest way to repair and still look OK. I like the idea of the 4 inch rub rail, I found some from 20$ per 8ft.

I'm wondering if I could remove the trim and and loosen enough screws to access the frame and do the rust proofing. It would save me time from cutting the skin all around the trailer. Once I'm done rust proofing I could add the trim and caulk.

I agree about caulking nowadays. I use Bostik duo sil urethane caulking at work, it's really good stuff.
Pnelson 316
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 15
Images: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:49 am
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby flboy » Wed Jan 15, 2025 8:57 am

On both my CTCs, I had the diamond plate installed at the factory when I custom ordered the trailer. On both, it is just overlaid on the existing skin, so that should be no issue if you decide to go that route.

I had it installed more for the aesthetics than anything else. Also, I figured it would hide small dents and dings in the lower 2ft of the rig. My thought was that it would protect from rocks and gravel coming up on the roads, but really haven't had too much of that yet. The front is most susceptible from the tow vehicle, but nothing thrown up there but some mud.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk
Don (Flboy)

YouTube Video of Finished 6x12 Trailer:
https://youtu.be/6_-8cVdWUIA
YouTube Video of 7*18 with 2ft V-nose Trailer:
https://youtu.be/MUcMM86LA2g
User avatar
flboy
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 4255
Images: 378
Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 6:13 pm
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby flboy » Wed Jan 15, 2025 9:08 am

BTW, I got a soft door on my 6x12 CTC after 2 years. It is a 24inch RV door I specifically ordered when I had the trailer built. I figured it would be metal frame like the rest of the trailer. It is built out of soft pine 1*2 studs sandwiched with Styrofoam. Looks good and is light, but cheap. It apparently has a small leak on top of trim and was getting water in from day 1. It just rotted away. I ended up reconstructing the door myself using pressure treated wood so if it ends up with another leak, it won't rot. I'll keep an eye on the seals

I was going to weld a steal frame, but the wood was an odd thickness (I hand to plane it) and edge trim holding on the skin wouldn't have worked out with stock metal. In any case, should not have a problem again. If you have to rebuild your doors, try to use pressure treated if you are not going to use a metal frame

After I took the skin off. Extremely poor construction.


Image

After I built a new frame with wider pressure treated wood and a cross member for additional strength, I put in new Styrofoam and put the skin back on. Better than new now

Image

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk
Don (Flboy)

YouTube Video of Finished 6x12 Trailer:
https://youtu.be/6_-8cVdWUIA
YouTube Video of 7*18 with 2ft V-nose Trailer:
https://youtu.be/MUcMM86LA2g
User avatar
flboy
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 4255
Images: 378
Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 6:13 pm
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Pnelson 316 » Thu Jan 16, 2025 4:43 am

flboy wrote:On both my CTCs, I had the diamond plate installed at the factory when I custom ordered the trailer. On both, it is just overlaid on the existing skin, so that should be no issue if you decide to go that route.

I had it installed more for the aesthetics than anything else. Also, I figured it would hide small dents and dings in the lower 2ft of the rig. My thought was that it would protect from rocks and gravel coming up on the roads, but really haven't had too much of that yet. The front is most susceptible from the tow vehicle, but nothing thrown up there but some mud.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk


I'm going to make my doors look like you're trailer with the 2ft diamond plate and J trim on top. My doors have the brake lights on the doors, I'm going to move them to the side like yours. The hinges have started rusting the skin, the diamond plate will hide everything. I'll have to do the tops of the doors also. I should probably by new skins for the doors, but I'm trying to do it as cheap as I can.

I think I'm going with the 4 inch rub rail. It's cheap, looks good and will simplify me rust proofing the frame and covering it up.
Pnelson 316
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 15
Images: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:49 am
Top

Re: Adding diamond plate to exterior

Postby Pnelson 316 » Thu Jan 16, 2025 4:56 am

flboy wrote:BTW, I got a soft door on my 6x12 CTC after 2 years. It is a 24inch RV door I specifically ordered when I had the trailer built. I figured it would be metal frame like the rest of the trailer. It is built out of soft pine 1*2 studs sandwiched with Styrofoam. Looks good and is light, but cheap. It apparently has a small leak on top of trim and was getting water in from day 1. It just rotted away. I ended up reconstructing the door myself using pressure treated wood so if it ends up with another leak, it won't rot. I'll keep an eye on the seals

I was going to weld a steal frame, but the wood was an odd thickness (I hand to plane it) and edge trim holding on the skin wouldn't have worked out with stock metal. In any case, should not have a problem again. If you have to rebuild your doors, try to use pressure treated if you are not going to use a metal frame

After I took the skin off. Extremely poor construction.


Image

After I built a new frame with wider pressure treated wood and a cross member for additional strength, I put in new Styrofoam and put the skin back on. Better than new now

Image

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk


Wow, never seen a door built like that.

On my 6x12 I used 3/4 plywood and Luan strips so it fit in the H channel of the door. Doors are super solid after 4 years, just a little heavy. I should have sealed them with sealer, but I was in a rush while I was rebuilding them.

The doors on my 6x14 look like 3 pieces 3/4 plywood with a piece of Luan on the backside. I like how light they are, but flimsy compared to the 6x12 doors.
I'd like to build the doors with a piece of 1/2 inch plywood with Luan glued to each side, with everything sealed from water. I think I'll probably used 3/4 like my 6x12 just for cost reasons.

You have to be careful with treated lumber nowadays. Treated lumber and uncoated metal will cause a reaction and rust the metal. Im pretty sure the trim on you're doors is clear anodized, so you should be fine. I miss the old salt treated lumber.
Pnelson 316
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 15
Images: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:49 am
Top


Return to Cargo Trailer Conversions

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests