Community Forums

Randy the sly old fox · 07-11-2010, 01:25 AM

Not to put down Evergreen, but the material they use is made from oil, not a renewable resource like wood. I fail to see how they are any greener than any other RV mfg. Yes they don't use luan but there are alternatives to it make from sustainable forest material.

In terms of long life - a leak will wreak havoc with any wall system. The old school wood frame, stick built units tend to have less interior damage due to small leaks than those made of laminated foam insulation tend to have more damage due to the water wicking along the surfaces of the foam causing delamination and soaking the interior boards over a large area - I have experienced this first hand and had to re build the entire front end of my lightweight TT due to a small leak in the roof seam. I also had similar problems when a clearance light leaked. While small leaks in stick built products tend to pool in the low areas doing less damage on the interior, yes you still have to dry the wood framing before resealing to prevent dry rot, the repair is much easier and does much less damage to the interior panels.

jbenoit28 · 07-12-2010, 11:09 AM

I used to tow a 24' Enclosed Car trailer with a 2006 Expedition with the 5.4L here in Florida (flat ground). At all of 7000lbs of trailer to tow and a Equalizer WD Hitch and Elect. Brake controller I'd not want anything more to tow comfortably. I also had the Truck loaded with gear so I'm sure I was very near my limits. It got about 7.2MPG and I almost ran out of gas just going from St. Pete to Daytona. Not fun. We also towed a 24' Roo (?) Hybrid when camping. It towed great, never had issues with it like we did with the heavy car trailer.

I'd go with a Hybrid with your SUV or stay under 7000lbs with a normal TT. I know the Expedition can tow nearly 9,800lbs but that is likely near perfect balance on the trailer and nothing in your truck but you.

Or sell it and get a Excursion like I did and tow what you want and get better MPG

Joe

GPW · 07-13-2010, 07:53 AM

Save everything else mentioned here ... You might want to make sure it has a GOOD ROOF ... something that doesn't require constant and expensive maintenance !!!!

Randy the sly old fox · 07-15-2010, 05:30 PM

As for good roofs, the rubber material used today is actually quite easy to care for. No matter what product you use, the roof will need to be maintained - this means peridoic cleaning and re-caulking. Yes even the all metal roofs from the "good old days" had seams and holes where vents poked through - they all required re-caulking every year or two.

GPW · 07-16-2010, 06:02 AM

What about that Eternabond tape ??? The TPO roof I have , anything touches it , it gets a hole .... really THIN stuff over 1/8" plywood ... The rubber roofing looks much thicker ...
Metal roofs are so easy to work with ... I even put them on my house and Studio... 10 years , nary a problem ,even having gone through several hurricanes and Katrina ... Gotta' be a good idea on a trailer too , especially one that lives Outside ...

Just a little breeze knocked a small limb onto my Jayco roof ... punched 10 finger size holes in the roof ... Had I known it'd be a $5000 Jayco dealer repair , I'd have fixed it myself ...

My next trailer WILL have a metal roof ...

lrgdog · 07-21-2010, 12:30 AM

I bought a used Skyline 26' 10 years ago, still have it,I do the maintenance on it, did a few mods, replaced the cushion foam with a higher density foam for more seating comfort, flat screen tv's, upgraded the toilet to ceramic, installed tank warmers, storage tubes under the TT for all the fishing poles, electric tongue jack,removed all the stock roof vents and replaced them with fantastic vent fans, 2 6volt batteries, 4 corner leveling jacks with motors, day and night interior blinds, water filtration system under kitchen sink, added 3in, memory foam to queen mattress with a fitted sheet long enough on the sides to keep it from pulling off when you sleep, quiet kit on water pump,along with larger quieter water pump and filter,outside quick disconnects with hot and coldwater ports for outside cooking sink plumbed undertrailer to empty into the grey water outlet. permamant winterizing kit on hot water heater, good quality themostat for heater, good carbon monoxide and lp gas detectors, very good quality fire extingishers (2)
Dexter spring kits,just put on 4 new tires because of age, I installed 2 turbo tank washers, they seem to do a good job and roof plumbing vents to draw out odors, these have worked well for us, all new running and tail/stop lights, removed single exit step and installed a two step and large folding grab rail, screen guard for the dogs, my wife said she thinks I have missed a few items and also she says we have a 1999 ... 2010 TT LOL....oh yeah what ever you do take care of the roof