Wood versus Aluminum Superstructure

[n1brq]

Could someone help?
My wife and I are about to retire and our selections of 5th wheels are the Excel and Doubletree. My concern is the Excel is wood frame as opposed to the Doubletrees medal sides, caps and roof.
Can someone provide the reason why wood is better in the long run or weight.
Thank you

Edit - Retitled thread to more accurately reflect subject in order to get more views and comments.

[n1brq]

Could someone help?
My wife and I are about to retire and our selections of 5th wheels are the Excel and Doubletree. My concern is the Excel is wood frame as opposed to the Doubletrees medal sides, caps and roof.
Can someone provide the reason why wood is better in the long run or weight.
Thank you

Edit - Retitled thread to more accurately reflect subject in order to get more views and comments.

[RustyJC]

I've had both wood-framed and aluminum-framed superstructure 5th wheels. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Wood - Advantages versus Aluminum
A better insulator
Less prone to screw "pull-out"
Not subject to fatigue

Wood - Disadvantages versus Aluminum
Weight
Subject to rot should leaks occur

I owned two (2) Jayco Designer 5th wheels that were both wood framed (Jayco went to aluminum in 2001) and never had a structural problem with either of them. By the same token, we've never had a structural problem with our aluminum-framed DoubleTree Mobile Suites either.

Here's an interesting exercise - walk through an RV campground on a morning when the dew has fallen. You can spot the aluminum-framed RVs as the walls will show the location of every stud, while the wood-framed RVs generally won't. That's because the heat transfer from the interior through the aluminum stud is sufficient to keep the outside skin temperature above the dew point where the stud is located.

You'll get defenders and detractors for both construction methods, but properly done, either can produce a sound, reliable RV.

By the way, my DoubleTree has gel-coat fiberglass side walls and end caps and a UV-stabilized vinyl roof. No exterior metal there.

Rusty

[Highgturn]

In an RV wood is normally used in coaches that are considered full time rigs, i.e. Teton, Excel for two examples. Wood will not convect the cold from the outside of the coach to the inside, but aluminum will. Wood will not sweat, aluminum will. In an RV the frame has a considerable amount of flexure which is ultimately transferred all over the place. Wood has the ability to flex and give with the frame. Aluminum frames are usually welded as with the MS, the aluminum is inherently brittle especially in the area of the welds and sometimes it can fracture a weld inside the wall. When this happens it is especially hard to fix on a vacuum bonded wall inside and out. Vacuum bonding of wood to aluminum can also be problematic and most of the delimitations of vacuum bonded walls occur in aluminum construction. HTH

[Butch50]

Just like to clear a little thing up here. DoubleTree does not weld their alumunum. This manufacturer builds the same way as SunnyBrook. It is a glued and angle pieces screwed to hold joints together.

Also in the Oregon area when the humidty and the dew point is right I will see the wood framing on the exterior in my Excel the same as the aluminum framed walls.

Now don't get me wrong because I really like my Excel and as stated in another post I used to own an Elite Suites by DoubleTree (2006 TK3) but I prefer the Excel. This is just my opinion.

[RustyJC]

Before we get too far along in this thread, let's keep on topic - aluminum versus wood superstructures. Brand wars are specifically prohibited by iRV2.com's terms of service, so let's not turn this into an Excel versus DoubleTree brand war.

Thanks,

Rusty

[Highgturn]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Butch50:
Just like to clear a little thing up here. DoubleTree does not weld their alumunum. This manufacturer builds the same way as SunnyBrook. It is a glued and angle pieces screwed to hold joints together.

Also in the Oregon area when the humidty and the dew point is right I will see the wood framing on the exterior in my Excel the same as the aluminum framed walls.

Now don't get me wrong because I really like my Excel and as stated in another post I used to own an Elite Suites by DoubleTree (2006 TK3) but I prefer the Excel. This is just my opinion. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I stand corrected, but were they not welded when they first came out? I think they are a great coach and once I almost went that way. It was the Limited's fiber glass roof and heavy frame that finally won me over. In 05 MS didn't offer the glass roof, but now they do.

[RustyJC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Highgturn:
I stand corrected, but were they not welded when they first came out? I think they are a great coach and once I almost went that way. It was the Limited's fiber glass roof and heavy frame that finally won me over. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
No, Mobile Suites was originally an upscale division of SunnyBrook and used their construction technology.

The frame in my rig is a 15" tall steel box tube chassis comprised of 6"x2" + 6"x2" + 3"x2" box tubes stacked and welded. Which has nothing at all to do with wood versus aluminum superstructures, does it?

Rusty

[LindaH]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RustyJC:
You'll get defenders and detractors for both construction methods, but properly done, either can produce a sound, reliable RV. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rusty has hit the nail on the head, so to speak. While both wood and aluminum have their pros and cons, the quality of the material and construction is key...one should have no problem with either kind of framing if properly done and preventive maintenance is done.

Personally, I would not let the wood vs aluminum framing be a factor in my decision. Instead, I would concentrate on quality of construction.

[TXiceman]

Our old trailer has an aluminum outer skin, aluminum frame and an aluminum inner skin with fiberglass insulation between. Leaks have not been a problem.

These trailers were designed by folks in the aircraft industry and built to last. Quality of construction is something that a lot on manufacturers do not see as something to be concerned over.

Happy trails to all.

Ken

[wrongway]

I feel that most of the people that have place a comment/answer here have been right on. We are a dealer for both and see both products in a side by side comparison. And have been in both manufactures plants to see the production of each.

Wood, a natural insulator, and appears to provide people a warmer/cooler style coach, according to verbal conversations with them. They feel that their air/heaters will run less and provide a comfortable unit.

Aluminum to some will state that it makes their units lighter than wood making it easier to travel. The % of weight difference between the two is very small. In comparing 2- 36' units they are with-in 1000lbs of each other.

You have selected two very fine units. We are proud of both the products that we handle. We do have our favorites on one unit over the other in different areas, and this goes both ways.

They are both constructed differently, and both a completely different look, but either one we feel will satisfy your needs. Several people in this forum will root on one style, but if you find a forum with the other brand in it, you will find them rooting for their fifth wheel line. It is has Linda has stated, you need to find the quality of construction that suites you.

Good luck in your search.

[Randy the sly old fox]

I agree with Linda H, quality of construction is more important than type. There are poorly built units in both alum and wood frame. If you look at the Arctic Fox line, the alum framed units weigh more than the all wood units they replaced - the alum frame is called the Silver Fox line. Arctic Fox also makes all their under 26' units with a full wood frame. It is interesting that with the wood frame it is one of the first parts put on the unit, while on the alum sided rigs the sides are put on after the interior is set in place.

Probably the worst construction I have seen is the foam sandwich sidewalls where there is no real frame- except around the edges. This is mostly found in the "ultralights"

[Greenthumb]

Can someone comment on the ease of reconstruction of wood vs. aluminum? I have heard that when a wood constructed unit is hit, the damage tends to be more localized than with aluminum. Whereas if a corner of an aluminum unit is hit, it racks the side of the trailer along its entire length and, therefore, much more expensive to repair. Is this true?

[ExcelRVGuy]

According to a video I was watching on one of our competitors website, the difference in weight in a sidewall made from aluminum vs wood is only 62#. They build both ways. We only use wood so we haven't actually been able to varify that. I would wager that virtually EVERY coach that can claim bragging rights to being lighter than it's competition, is pulling the majority of their weight from the FRAME, NOT the studding.

As a manufacturer, we could build with aluminum just as economically and easily as with wood, so cost and construction ease aren't the issue. (Some of you may chuckle that we seldom worry about cost anyway. LOL)

The issue for us lies 100% in our conviction that you can't have condensating walls, floors, and roofs if you plan to live in cold weather.

When condensation forms inside a wall where there is NO air movement to get it dried out, you have created a breeding ground for mold spores.

Aluminum is nearly impossible to stay comfortable in when the mercury is hovering around that "nothing" mark. I believe that's why we don't see many homes build with aluminum studs in Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc.

To answer Frank's question, we have done some damage repair in our service department on aluminum frame coaches and YES, it is more expensive and time consuming to repair, and the repair (not necessarily the damage) becomes less localized.

Just thought I'd throw in my .02c

Bryan