Hi - I am about to purchase a 95 Bison 2H bumper pull.  This trailer has a fiberglass roof.  I've never had one before.   Is there anything I need to do to special to maintain it?  

I've read the archives and so far, the only issue I've discovered is the possibility of leaks.  Are there any other things I need to watch for?

Thanks for your help.

I've had to trailers that had the one piece fiberglass roofs. Both held up great and I did nothing more than an occassional wash.

But I did not keep the trailers longer than 5 years. So I don't know what long term deteriation might take place.

Fiberglass roofs are like any other structure. There are good ones and some not so good. Some like those on my Sidekick are a built up as a solid structure with double walls and a core that insulates. It is very strong, and can be walked upon with no deflection. Others are a single thin skin design, that are little more than a shield against the elements. They will have short life spans and structurally will not support a person's weight.

Fiberglass construction consists of glass threads being held in place by a plastic resin matrix. The resin is usually tinted with a colourant to protect the resin from UV damage, as well as providing a pleasant appearance. Darker colors will be damaged by sunlight much more quickly than the whites. This is why most boats' topsides are white.

In time the resin will be damaged by the sunlight, and will weaken, allowing the panels to flex more over time. This flexing can lead to cracks in the fiberglass structure and eventually a failure of the panel. An easy fix to prevent this from happening, is the application of a good quality paint before the resin is damaged. Then you will have a life time investment.

Fiberglass will expand and contract at a different rate than the steel or aluminum structure to which it is attached. This is usually at the outside edge of the roof during the transition to the vertical walls. A sealant is usually found within this area, and is subject to weather degration with time. It is a probable, that in time leaks will develop within these sealed seams.

When I shop for a trailer, I look at the top and bottom, and then the inside. If the roof will deflect under little pressure from your hand and the supporting structure inside is widely spaced, I would not consider it a well built trailer. If you can walk on it, I would say it is structurally sufficient.

You can't judge the quality of the trailer, by the classification of the materials used in its construction. If used in proper quantities and engineering, many materials can be successfully used to build a trailer.

There are junk steel and aluminum trailers. There are junk steel, aluminum and fiberglass roofs. It is up to you to determine which are worth your efforts. Expensive pricing has nothing to do with quality. There are expensive trailers that are poorly constructed. However, if a new trailer is significantly priced lower that all its competitors, then the materials and labour qualities should be suspect.

A good fiberglass roof will equal or surpass a quality metal roof, in load bearing, wearability, and life span. A cheap one will fail as quickly as the trailer to which it is attached. All roofs need occasional maintenance to maintain their weatherability and longevity. Fiberglass is no exception.

Any single skin roof is subject to condensation, metal or fiberglass. Only an insulated panel made of multiple layers is immune. Any thin, single skin panel can be punctured, metal or glass. A good fiberglass roof will usually weather an impact, while showing less damage than a metal roof. The fiberglass will usually return to its original shape, while the metal will dent. Look at the differences in the roofs after a hail storm; the fiberglass will usually show no damage.

Gard

How many trailer manufacturers use fiberglass, as roof material?

Sidekick, Trailet, Hawk, Equispirit, Bison, Brenderup, Windrider, Cotner, Southland, Heacock Welding, Gore, Cimarron Winstar, .... How many have I missed?

No... Just what I could remember off the top of my head. I'm sure there's alot more. OH, "Rice Trailers" is another.

Yea, too bad the top of my head no longer has a vast amount of hair!!

" Classic"  also has Fiberglass roofs with an aluminum sheet roof underneath

So, in reading all of this I didn't find what I was looking for unless I missed it.  I have a 98 Hawk that I recently purchased.  We will be making a weekender out of it. The side walls are all insulated but not the roof.  Should a person insulate a fiberglass Hawk roof to help with condensation and keeping the hot and cold out? How about the floors?

Thanks again.