Recently there was a discussion about the bright finish on the Bison trailers. I speculated that the finish was a roller applied finsh, another poster stated that it was an anodized process.

Yesterday I contacted five Bison dealers for the answer. Two of the listed Bison dealers were no longer selling their products, because of business disagreements. The other three raved about their product, and had no clue what it was, or how to repair it when it becomes damaged. I then called Bison Inc and spoke with one of their sales people. In addition to the dealers, he was unfamiliar with the contents of the specific product, and could offer no information.

I finally reached a knowledgeable soul in parts and service, who was able to offer an intelligent answer. The exterior bottom half siding of Bison trailers, is a stainless steel product, roll coated with a clear, "lacquer type" finish.

When the finish is damaged it "albeitely is unlikely that the sideing can be restored to its original finish and looks". The "fix" is to strip all the coating from the siding, highly polish the metal, and recoat with a clear product.

Trailers with this type of coating and ones with painted surfaces, should NOT frequent truck stops for acid washings. The citrus baths are acceptable, but no harsh ( alkaline) chemicals should be used as a cleaning product. Automotive cleaning products commonly used on painted surfaces usually work well. The many types of available finishes, can offer some protection from abrasion and UV damage.

Coated stainless steel is what Bison uses for their "Brite Dip" panels.

Nice detective work, Gard!

Bartley Heath
bartley@DoubleDTrailers.com
Buy Factory Direct and $ave at DoubleDTrailers.com

Good  work, Gard!

I had a 4 Star with the coated polished sides. I was told the citrus wash was ok for it. But, evidently , the truck wash folks must have used brushes that had some residual acid, because the trailer had what resembled "water spots" after it dried. We never could get them off so they just went with the trailer .

Imagine that.  You couldn't get answers from a salesman! They are used to saying, "Ain't it pretty?  Why don't you buy it?"  I've always found that you talk to the people who service the product to get the real answers.  In fact, when I buy any vehicle I stop in and talk to the service writers of the nearest competitor to find out what problems I might have.

Glad you were able to find the answer.  Must be nice to have the time to call around for other people.  Can I get your job?!?

Gard,

I wrote the original "what is this" post about the Bison Trailer side panels.  Thank you for looking into it.  You got the information I was trying to get out of the Bison dealers, and the main office itself.  (perhaps they did not want to talk to a woman). 

I  agree with a poster that the water spots that came with our trailer are there forever.    I now beleive that before we purchased our trailer something similar happened when the trailer was washed at a dealer.  We have the same "run down" water streaks.  that I cannot get rid of.  (Thank goodness I never tried any harsh methods to try to rub them out).

We have been very happy with our Bison Stratus, but I do think that somewhere in all the Bison literature the care of the side panels should have been addressed.  Also any one who deals with the trailers, whether sales or service, should be able to tell you what the panels are and the proper way to care for them.  I searched Bison Brite dip and did see a website that showed the Brite Dip panels on the newer models.  I have spoken with 4 different companies on using their cleaning products on this type of metal.  I am still confused!

If money were no object I would have our panels replaced so they would look as nice as the rest of the trailer. It is disapointing to spend the time properly caring for the trailer and have the panels not look very good. I guess I will just keep the Brite Dip sides as clean and shiney as possible. 

I hope all this discussion helps someone else avoid damaging their Brite Dip .

(Thanks again Gard!  Sorry I misspelled your name in my original post)

I found this info on why water spots are difficult to remove:

"Whenever washing off dirt, or if your plane gets wet for some other reason such as rain or even dew, it is important to dry the surface properly.  If you let the surface dry then water marks will form, and water marks are both highly visible and difficult to polish off.  This happens for two reasons:

• The presence of the evaporating water accelerates corrosion of the aluminum
• The dissolved minerals in the water will be left on the aluminum surface as the water "carrier" evaporates, leaving a visible white "crust" or ring where the water droplet used to be.  These minerals in solid form are very hard and adhere tightly to the aluminum. "

Remember, this is for bare aluminum, not coated. A coated aluminum can be treated as a painted surface such as your car.

       I heartily agree that Gard is very important to this forum!   Thanks again.