Posted 2009-03-04 9:39 PM (#100688) Subject: What is the deal with these walls?
Regular
Posts: 76 Location: WI
As you can see in the photo, my trailer walls are more than just aluminum braces. It has this white wall on it. I believe this is how it was manufactured. Question is do you know if it would come insulated behind that? If not, would it make sense to remove it, insulate it and then build my walls over that (I plan on doing a DIY LQ) or should I just insulate/build over the top?
Posted 2009-03-04 9:45 PM (#100689 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
No photo. What is the wall construction? Metal, fiberglass, hardboard? How is it attached? Rivets, screws? It might make a difference whether you want to remove it or not.
Posted 2009-03-04 9:56 PM (#100690 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Regular
Posts: 76 Location: WI
I am really not sure what the wall is made out of. If I had to guess maybe either fiberglass?? Its white shiny and smooth, does that help, lol? It appears riveted on so I am thinking it could come off...?
Posted 2009-03-04 10:38 PM (#100692 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
Is it possible to get up in the nose area and see or feel up behind the wall? It doesn't look like there isn't any insulation or paneling in the way up there.
Posted 2009-03-05 5:13 AM (#100697 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
That is an FRP wall, if you look at a door frame or window frame you will see that the wall is only about 3/4" thick. In other words when you are looking at the inside wall, that is really the backside of the outside wall. There are no wall studs in this instance. Probley an older Merhow, Trail Lite, maybe a Gore trailer. They were known to be very heavy for the size. As far as finishing it out you can attach firring strips to the wall and go from there.
Posted 2009-03-05 6:59 AM (#100703 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Location: Central Arkansas
Could be a Sooner Dynasty or a Featherlite Touch of Class. Both were aluminum framed FRP trailers.I think I got my first FRP trailer back in 1986 and my last one was in 1990. Seems the fad just ran it's course. One of my fondest memories, was that you could make it look brand new with a little clorox water! I loved that the stall dividers cleaned up so nicely in just a matter of minutes.
Posted 2009-03-05 8:28 AM (#100711 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
If it's riveted on, I would place a new wall over it. If it is only 3/4" thick, you won't loose much interior space and it makes a good surface upon which you can add new materials. It would be much easier than installing a wall over open studding.
Posted 2009-03-05 11:43 AM (#100718 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
It is FRP. The old FRP was a sheet of plywood with fiberglass on each side. There will be no inner sheet to remove. Your inner wall is your outer wall. There are no posts inside of it.
Posted 2009-03-05 12:05 PM (#100722 - in reply to #100721) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
Originally written by stef73433 on 2009-03-05 12:03 PM
So if there are no posts in in, by which I assume you mean braces??, what is holding my trailer together? If I attach furing strips to attach wall material, will it hold the furring strips if I screw them to it?
The walls are holding your trailer together, you can screw firing strips to these walls just don't use to long of a screw or it will go through to the outside.
Posted 2009-03-05 12:10 PM (#100723 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
This type of trailer construction went away when everyone went to the aluminum stud and sheeting type trailers, your trailer is very heavy compared to the later type designs. Your trailer will last a long time, nothing to be worried about. The top of the walls next to the "top rail" where all of the bolts are holding it together will need to be resealed from time to time, these type trailers tend to leak a little more than an all aluminum trailer. My brother-in-law has been pulling one for years.
Posted 2009-03-05 1:58 PM (#100735 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
HWBar is right. It will last many years. The biggest thing to cause damage on an FRP trailer is water leaks. If you get a leak, fix it right away. Maintain the sealant on the trailer and it should last for years.
Posted 2009-03-05 3:08 PM (#100736 - in reply to #100688) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Regular
Posts: 76 Location: WI
Great thanks! This was very helpful It is an older trailer. I chose to sell my more expensive one and downgrade a tad to get out of debt. Now if I could just decide on floor plans...
Posted 2009-05-26 8:20 PM (#105499 - in reply to #100711) Subject: RE: What is the deal with these walls?
Member
Posts: 38 Location: michigan
Gard, Hi, my trailer is a 1999 Merhow Equistar. My walls are a white metal shiny & rivedted on. I can press on it & feel some type of bracing where the rivets are. Like around the widows & door, my slant wall is wood. You can see the the bracing on the ceiling. I read somewhere in here that someone did the ceiling in carpet. What is your thought on that?? What type of insulation would be used?? I am stuck on what to do on my ceiling, especaiully the curved nose area.Thanks, jean
There are many ways to finish a ceiling. Both of my trailers have simple, textured, hard wall panels. The ceiling we just finished, was completed using late 60's era, GM replication headliner material.
When we framed the ceiling, we ended up with flat panels and square side wall to ceiling transitions. Other than the addition of a crown moulding, there were no special considerations made to this construction.
I've never seen carpeting on the ceiling, My personal tastes include light colours, of products that offer reflectivity and visually lighten the area. Dark shades serve to make the goose area a good place for spelunking, but uninviting as a living area.
You will invariably have hand prints to contend with, so a cleanable surface is a bonus.
What is the deal with these walls?
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