Greetings! Newbie With a Question

[Prem]

Hey Prem. First off there is no wet suit. I decided long, long ago diving in the Great Lakes requires something a little more substantial like a dry suit.

Thanks Jeff. Got it.

Revised Note to Self: Buy dry suit for the 2010 Dam Gathering.

Prem

[SmilinJack]

OK, guys. I promised pics. There are now several in my Album. I haven't had time to start a build thread yet, but hope to have time soon. Most of the pics in the Album either have tags explaining what's going on or are self explanatory.

Another question: I'm planning to mount a 5,000 BTU air conditioner in the rear wall. Any suggestions on how high in the wall to mount it? I saw one somewhere here that was low enough that the door could be used when on the ramp as a small table. I like that idea, just don't want to cause any problems for the a/c when in use...

[Prem]

SmilinJack,

Now *that* is slick. Why didn't I think of that?

I've been thinking about a way to keep the rear doors unlocked and unlockable at a campground. That's it. I'm off to go buy a stainless steel eye bolt.

Prem

P.S. How about a front angle, full length shot (exterior) of your trailer on the right side for us to see.

[Capt. Home Slice]

Why not just put the padlock through the handle latch without having the handle in place??

[Prem]

Capt. Home Slice,

Welcome to the forum.

Why not just put the padlock through the handle latch without having the handle in place??

On mine, you can still pull the handle over and behind the lock when it's in the handle latch. So it's possible to be locked in, unless one has a side door. (I do.)

I have slider gate locks on the inside of the rear barn doors so they can be locked from the inside. They slide down into holes in the aluminum edge of the floor. I just need a device to make sure someone can't annoyingly lock me in by the back doors. That eye bolt is it.

Have you got a trailer?

Prem

[Capt. Home Slice]

Thanks for the welcome! Sure I've got a trailer, that's why I joined the site. Seems like a great bunch of people with a lot of neat ideas. The beginning of my build journal link is in my signiture. Though after pawing through many more threads, plans have adjusted slightly. The above pic is a failsafe method to keep the bar secure and away from the latch, that is true, I just figured I'd kick out an idea for some that don't have this mod, or don't want to and have the ability to just run the padlock through the latch without worry of having the bar lock with it. I have a slight concern that some joker will lock me in mine (once it's complete) and I'll, as I'm sure many others will and have, provide some means of preventing that. That's the last thing I'd want, to have to break out of my own trailer!

[Prem]

Capt'n,

I have a slight concern that some joker will lock me in

That's it.

BTW, I posted on your electrical thread.

Prem

[SmilinJack]

Prem,

You asked "P.S. How about a front angle, full length shot (exterior) of your trailer on the right side for us to see." I posted one to my album. I'm going to try to include one in this post. (Bear with me. It's the first time I've tried this.)



By the way, the eyebolt idea wasn't mine. I copied it from someone else on this forum. Works slick though. And I stole your idea about adding the nailers at the roof/wall juncture so I can put a flat piece of luan there. Thanks.

[Prem]

SmilinJack,

Well, the eye bolt solution is a good one. I'm going to do a variation on it. You brought it to my attention, so thanks!

Nailers. Cool.

T'were I you...I'd spray foam the front fiberglass piece so that it can never leak at the rivets or its seams with the sheet metal, or be shattered easily by a low, small branch. 5-6 inches of Great Stuff would be a good depth for structural integrity against branches. (A few cans!)

Best wishes and keep the photos coming.

Prem

[SmilinJack]

Prem,

The spray foam has already been bought, just not applied yet.

As an aside, if I were to buy a trailer today, I wouldn't buy this one because of so much information I've gleaned from this site. Particularly about the roof and that front figerglass...

One of the seams on the roof has separtated, and I need to repair it. About 6 to 8 inches long. Should I pop rivet it before I seal it?

[Prem]

SmilinJack,

One of the seams on the roof has separtated, and I need to repair it. About 6 to 8 inches long. Should I pop rivet it before I seal it?

Argh. Pain.

* Rolled, crinkled seam that runs the width of the trailer?

*Or seam that runs along the length of the trailer where the roof curves down to the wall?

First, check your wall structure. Are metal uprights (studs, ribs) metal fatigued above or below welds or in the middle?

If the separated seam is along the trailer's width, I would patch it with metal sheet of the same gauge using a heavy bead of butyl caulk in the tube (not the tape) and then pop rivet it every 3 inches and around the pre-drilled holes for rivets. If it's a sheet steel roof, use sheet steel; aluminum for aluminum. Same for rivets: steel for steel and aluminum for aluminum. (Corrosion results where dissimilar metals touch.) I would anticipate more problems along the same seam, so I would make the sheet metal patch run the entire length of the seam. If it's really bad, I would use a stacked patch where the bottom one is 8 inches wide, centered on the tear. The second is 4 inches wide, centered on the tear.

If the separated seam is along the length of the trailer where the roof curves down to the wall, call the factory and ask where to take it to get it fixed / welded / rebuilt.

Watch for future stress tears.

Because of this problem, I would advise putting some structure in that curve of the fibergalss cap now. Steel or aluminum tube or even a 2x4 that you tie in with metal strap on the ends to the side walls.

Basically, the fiberglass cap is non-structural, so you have a box with a gaping hole where a strong, solid metal edge should be.....and it's bouncing down the road. That puts stresses on the sides and the roof. (The floor is more solid than the sides or top of the box.)

Lastly, it looks like the ceiling paneling you've got is just inserts between the ribs. Is that correct? If so, paneling the ceiling with sheets of plywood that tie ribs together will add some more structural integrity so that the stresses are less on the roof metal. With the paneled rear door(s) cinched shut, if the interior walls are paneled, the weakest side of the box is the unpaneled roof and its fiberglass front cap.

Good?

Prem

[SmilinJack]

Prem,

Thanks for your suggestions on repairing the roof. I've made an appointment with the dealer that sold me the trailer to have the roof repaired.

Today I took the side door apart to reinfore the area where the RV style door latch will go. When I got it apart, the bottom was ROTTEN. Three years old and the door was all rotted along the bottom. Replaced the rotten parts and the interior luan on the door. Took the top drip cap off, cleaned the area, reinstalled with some gooey type tape (don't know what it's called) that a local dealer suggested instead of caulk. Very little caulk had been installed at the factory. I think I'll also caulk the top of the drip cap as well as everywhere else I think water might infiltrate.

[Prem]

Dealer repair is good. Let me know how they fix it.

Prem

[SmilinJack]

Prem,

I had the trailer roof repaired by the dealer. They heated the metal roof with a torch and applied a tar like substance that came in a big roll with a foil backing. Then they sealed the edges of that with another type of sealant. We talked about riveting it, but they said that as the trailer flexed going down the road, the rivets would eventually tear the metal and make a bigger problem.
Here's a shot of the repair:


They say that should last 4 to 5 years.

I've started applying Great Stuff foam insulation to the fiberglass cap as you suggested. Problem is, you have to hold the can upside down to get the insulation to flow out. So how do I get it all the way up into the top of the cap? Any tricks?

I think what you were seeing in the ceiling picture was the insulation. I had removed the paneling to stain it. I've reinstalled it and will post a picture in a couple of days.

[Prem]

Jack,

You can use the can without the long plastic tube. Then you just have to turn the can 45 degrees and spray the stuff in. You can build a dam with wide masking tape to hold it until it hardens. Little by little you build it up. Shape the hardened foam with a Surform plane.

Nice clean fix from the dealer! Sounds like they have done that before.

Prem
(from Playa Azúl, Michoacán, México)