I have searched extensively for alot of information on this but need some expert help. I am looking to buy a teardrop style trailer for surf fishing trips down the beach in South Texas. There are a bit off really bumpy sections for the first 6 miles so the trailer needs to be durable. One of my main concerns is how a wood framed trailer would hold up to the gulf/saltwater environment with the constant high humidity. Alot of the manufacturers I look at like Teton X for example do not list what the actual trailer frame is made of. I am guessing they are wood framed trailers with a skin of aluminum. Would a wood framed trailer be able to last 10-15 years in this environment? Some of the trailers that have an aluminum frame are VRV and inTech. But the inTech has a wood floor which I think may be a problem. The trailer will be kept in the garage all of the time and I would probably use it 30 weekends out of the year. Air conditioning is a must and I am not too keen on the portable climate right one as they done seem too great, but I have no experience with them other than reading reviews.
Aluminum Framed Trailer vs Wood
- Thread starter GkraneTX
- Start date
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
My experience with wood constructed trailers (A Sticky) is not good given your 10-15 year planned ownership and use environment. IF you will store the trailer in-doors as stated and will provide the care, maintenance and cleaning needed you might have a chance with a "Sticky" built teardrop.
Let's face facts. The reason most RV trailers of any make/model go to Hell is poor construction techniques, cheap materials along with the lack of care, cleaning and storage conditions by the owner/purchaser. If it sits outside over time it will leak! Most sticky's are stapled together. They are NOT nailed, screwed or jointed just stapled. Most teardrop manufacturer's are smaller boutique type of trailer manufacturer's so their quality tends to be better than the the Indiana based mass market trailer manufacturer's throwing em together and getting them out the door.
My second concern in a teardrop that will see lot's of off-road travel is the appliances, A/C and accessories that are standard fare for a teardrop trailer. These items are not designed for the beating and banging of off-road use as are the overland trailer accessories used on Australian manufactured overland trailers as an example. You might want to consider a upgrade to appropriate appliances and A/C in your teardrop that will better cope with the beating and banging of off-road use.
The wood floor in the aluminum teardrops might or might not be a problem in the next 10-15 years. That all depends upon what type of wood they use. Is it marine grade plywood? Advatech sub-floor material? USB chip board? Plain ole untreated plywood? Good questions to which you need answers. I think the single biggest issue with a wood floor in a teardrop trailer given your use and storage conditions you describe above will be you. You should not have any problems IF you do the proper maintenance, care and storage you describe above.
My suggestion to you is to go spend part of your trailer budget on TRAVEL to go look at and personally inspect the teardrop trailers that interest you. A well built sticky teardrop just might meet your needs just as well as an aluminum teardrop. You won't know until YOU go look!
Let's face facts. The reason most RV trailers of any make/model go to Hell is poor construction techniques, cheap materials along with the lack of care, cleaning and storage conditions by the owner/purchaser. If it sits outside over time it will leak! Most sticky's are stapled together. They are NOT nailed, screwed or jointed just stapled. Most teardrop manufacturer's are smaller boutique type of trailer manufacturer's so their quality tends to be better than the the Indiana based mass market trailer manufacturer's throwing em together and getting them out the door.
My second concern in a teardrop that will see lot's of off-road travel is the appliances, A/C and accessories that are standard fare for a teardrop trailer. These items are not designed for the beating and banging of off-road use as are the overland trailer accessories used on Australian manufactured overland trailers as an example. You might want to consider a upgrade to appropriate appliances and A/C in your teardrop that will better cope with the beating and banging of off-road use.
The wood floor in the aluminum teardrops might or might not be a problem in the next 10-15 years. That all depends upon what type of wood they use. Is it marine grade plywood? Advatech sub-floor material? USB chip board? Plain ole untreated plywood? Good questions to which you need answers. I think the single biggest issue with a wood floor in a teardrop trailer given your use and storage conditions you describe above will be you. You should not have any problems IF you do the proper maintenance, care and storage you describe above.
My suggestion to you is to go spend part of your trailer budget on TRAVEL to go look at and personally inspect the teardrop trailers that interest you. A well built sticky teardrop just might meet your needs just as well as an aluminum teardrop. You won't know until YOU go look!
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dreadlocks
Well-known member
My intech looks like plain 3/4in plywood on the floor, but the bottom is sealed/insulated with coroplast and top with heavy duty rubber flooring.. I'm not worried about its longevity, but I live in a desert so im not concerned.. the interior walls are plywood too, but the skin and frame are all welded aluminum so the structure is not going to get any weaker over time like a wood framed trailer will over rough terrain regularly.. very worst case in 20+ years it'll need floor replaced and interior refreshed, but the structure should still be solid as a rock.
Even in a harsh marine environment I'd not expect the flooring to be a problem in 10-15 years unless you let it get flooded out or something.
Wood is not inherently bad, especially if its not used as structural members.. I like being able to bolt down anchors or mount stuff anywhere on the wall without gluing/riveting/tapping/anchoring.. the problem is when you frame it off with wood and then take it off road, it will let trailer flex and joints and stuff will start working loose and it basically falls apart, imagine if you had a truck made of wood/screw structure.. it'd probably go a long time on smooth paved roads, but fall apart in quick order on any rough terrain.
Even in a harsh marine environment I'd not expect the flooring to be a problem in 10-15 years unless you let it get flooded out or something.
Wood is not inherently bad, especially if its not used as structural members.. I like being able to bolt down anchors or mount stuff anywhere on the wall without gluing/riveting/tapping/anchoring.. the problem is when you frame it off with wood and then take it off road, it will let trailer flex and joints and stuff will start working loose and it basically falls apart, imagine if you had a truck made of wood/screw structure.. it'd probably go a long time on smooth paved roads, but fall apart in quick order on any rough terrain.
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Teardropper
Well-known member
All well-built commercial teardrops are constructed with wood (and then sheathed).
If you purchase a top of the line 'drop such as a Camp-In, So-Cal, Vistabule, or TC it should last long enough to make an entry in your will. If you purchase junk... it might make it through the three-year warranty.
Be leary of manufacturers that have a limited number of trailer photos on their webpage. They may be working on serial #003.
T
If you purchase a top of the line 'drop such as a Camp-In, So-Cal, Vistabule, or TC it should last long enough to make an entry in your will. If you purchase junk... it might make it through the three-year warranty.
Be leary of manufacturers that have a limited number of trailer photos on their webpage. They may be working on serial #003.
T
From what I have noticed by looking at all of the websites is that the wood framed drops do not offer roof mounted A/C units possibly because the frame will not support it. I cant imagine a wood constructed trailer being impervious to the constant moisture levels and humidity that is present on the gulf coast regardless of how well they are sheathed.
Louisd75
Adventurer
Camp Inn offers an AC that is built into the roof of their trailers and they're wood framed. Their trailers are also completely sealed with varnish inside and out prior to installing the aluminum skin.
Keep in mind that it takes a lot of juice to run an AC and I haven't seen many teardrop manufacturers with shore power connections. Also note that most teardrop trailers use different construction methods than larger trailers. Solid plywood walls and the boxing done by the partition between the living space and galley make for a very solid construction with far less flexing between components than larger trailers will experience. I can (and have) worked on top of the roof of my teardrop and used it as a work platform when installing lights in my garage.
Ultimately it seems to me that you're going to be learning some new fabrication skills to get what you want.
Keep in mind that it takes a lot of juice to run an AC and I haven't seen many teardrop manufacturers with shore power connections. Also note that most teardrop trailers use different construction methods than larger trailers. Solid plywood walls and the boxing done by the partition between the living space and galley make for a very solid construction with far less flexing between components than larger trailers will experience. I can (and have) worked on top of the roof of my teardrop and used it as a work platform when installing lights in my garage.
Ultimately it seems to me that you're going to be learning some new fabrication skills to get what you want.
Camp Inn offers an AC that is built into the roof of their trailers and they're wood framed. Their trailers are also completely sealed with varnish inside and out prior to installing the aluminum skin.
Keep in mind that it takes a lot of juice to run an AC and I haven't seen many teardrop manufacturers with shore power connections. Also note that most teardrop trailers use different construction methods than larger trailers. Solid plywood walls and the boxing done by the partition between the living space and galley make for a very solid construction with far less flexing between components than larger trailers will experience. I can (and have) worked on top of the roof of my teardrop and used it as a work platform when installing lights in my garage.
Ultimately it seems to me that you're going to be learning some new fabrication skills to get what you want.
If I had any fabrication skills at all I would be putting them to good use for sure, but I dont. It looks like Colorago teardrops and VRV have all aluminum frame and floor. inTech has an all aluminum frame with a wood floor covered by some type of plastic on the bottom. I am leaning towards the first two for a base model and then learn some skills by slowly adding features and mods. After looking again it looks like Colorado has a wood floor as well. I would love it if VRV had a timbren option but they do not.
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rudee13
Member
I have zero experience but I've heard complaints about roof mounted a/c units and the noise levels. Personally fond of separate standard a/c units (5-10k btu) that are piped into the camper and used as needed. Fall/spring/winter camping just leave it at home. Pretty easy to add ports and duct and cheap to replace once you have the cover fabricated or buy from guy on forum. Most noise/vibration stays outside. Also frees up top of camper.
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I can see how this makes sense. The only portable one that I have seen is the climate right one which seems to not get such great reviews.
TexomaPowerboater
Adventurer
Wood by itself is not a problem. Think of all the boats out there with wood frames (stringers). Cheap wood is the problem. Good wood will maintain it strength for years even when its completely saturated and encapsulated in fiberglass. I would not write off a model on account of wood being used - you need to dig further and find out what kind of wood is being used or see if they will build to your spec (marine grade plywood with waterproof glue, stainless screws/nails, etc). There is likely a good reason to use wood especially in the floor of an aluminum framed RV. The wood floor will give more than the aluminum framing. If the floor and frame were aluminum and there is a lot of twisting then there is more potential for welds to pop loose or bending of the frame over time, or gaps developing in corners. The wood floor would likely eliminate or reduce those expensive repairs and instead shift it to something much easier to repair....the wood floor.
My family has an all aluminum houseboat restored in 1995 with marine grade plywood flooring. That boat sits in 90% humidity year around and not a single problem with the wood floor. Don't be scared of wood, be scared of bad/cheap wood.
My family has an all aluminum houseboat restored in 1995 with marine grade plywood flooring. That boat sits in 90% humidity year around and not a single problem with the wood floor. Don't be scared of wood, be scared of bad/cheap wood.
ottsville
Observer
Aluminum does very well because a protective oxide coating forms on it when it is exposed to oxygen. After a day at the beach with something like a beach chair the aluminum legs will look great but the screws in them wil show immediate rusting. All of the fishing rigs and platforms for trucks and boats down here are made from aluminum. I have never seen one that had any signs of corrosion and they are being hit with salt spray directly from the gulf. I would imagine rinsing the trailer off with the hose after every outing would help the trailer by getting rid of any accumulated salt from the air or from contact with wet clothes or fishing gear.
The Aluminum tubing used for T-tops and brightwork on boats is anodized. Look closely and you can see where the welds corrode and the tubing does not.