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Old 04-17-2018, 07:53 PM   #1
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Wall Construction

Looking at specs for FR Cardinal which says the walls are vacuum bonded laminated walls. Is this standard, better than standard? The Vilano says that it has, High Gloss Fiberglass Exterior. Is this also something most don't have? How should I evaluate exterior wall construction (not framing or insulation)? Tell me what to stay far away from, what's par and what's better or best? I need to know more about exterior wall construction.
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Old 04-17-2018, 07:59 PM   #2
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Ever seen pictures of trailers that have neen in an accident? Most just explode as there's no or very little structural strength in a vacuum bonded wall.
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Old 04-17-2018, 08:03 PM   #3
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Ever seen pictures of trailers that have neen in an accident? Most just explode as there's no or very little structural strength in a vacuum bonded wall.
So? Are you saying they all have this type of construction? Are you saying stay away from those RVs with this construction? Can you elaborate a bit more?
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Old 04-18-2018, 06:32 AM   #4
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There are 3 basic types, vacuum laminated, pinch rolled and hung wall. The first 2 use rigid foam insulation and the first is the best. Hung wall can use rigid or loose insulation, the exterior skin is glued to the studs only. It is the weakest but easiest to repair as the skin can be replaced. With the others, the entire wall panel must be replaced if major damage occurs. All types of trailer wall construction will be destroyed in an accident.

Vacuum laminated is also the most expensive due to the equipment needed and least flexible for design ( like location of outlets, etc). It also may use fewer studs since the entire wall supports weight, not just the studs.
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Old 04-18-2018, 10:35 AM   #5
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There are 3 basic types, vacuum laminated, pinch rolled and hung wall. The first 2 use rigid foam insulation and the first is the best. Hung wall can use rigid or loose insulation, the exterior skin is glued to the studs only. It is the weakest but easiest to repair as the skin can be replaced. With the others, the entire wall panel must be replaced if major damage occurs. All types of trailer wall construction will be destroyed in an accident.

Vacuum laminated is also the most expensive due to the equipment needed and least flexible for design ( like location of outlets, etc). It also may use fewer studs since the entire wall supports weight, not just the studs.
Do you know if most manufacturers use one or the other of these?
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Old 04-18-2018, 01:23 PM   #6
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Do you know if most manufacturers use one or the other of these?
I don't know, you have to find out on specific RV lines that you are interested in. Each manufacturer can us different methods on different model lines. Cougar High Country might be different than standard Cougar. Not saying that is the case, just an example of possible differences that can exist on near similar lines. But construction differences should be insignificant to most owners. If one method was significantly better or cheaper, then everyone would use that method.
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Old 04-18-2018, 01:37 PM   #7
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Looking at specs for FR Cardinal which says the walls are vacuum bonded laminated walls. Is this standard, better than standard? The Vilano says that it has, High Gloss Fiberglass Exterior. Is this also something most don't have? How should I evaluate exterior wall construction (not framing or insulation)? Tell me what to stay far away from, what's par and what's better or best? I need to know more about exterior wall construction.
My last RV was a hi-low trailer with laminated wall panels. They seemed very strong and stable, but then I never wrecked it. I don't remember exactly, but it was fiberglass on the exterior, about 1" white foam insulation and wood panel on the enterior. All three section were then laminated (glued) to each other. The top had an aluminum exterior but the foam nd wood were the same. I had my 200+ pounds on the roof many times with never an issue. Good luck and safe travels when you do decide.
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Old 04-18-2018, 01:49 PM   #8
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There are 3 basic types, vacuum laminated, pinch rolled and hung wall. The first 2 use rigid foam insulation and the first is the best. Hung wall can use rigid or loose insulation, the exterior skin is glued to the studs only. It is the weakest but easiest to repair as the skin can be replaced. With the others, the entire wall panel must be replaced if major damage occurs. All types of trailer wall construction will be destroyed in an accident.

Vacuum laminated is also the most expensive due to the equipment needed and least flexible for design ( like location of outlets, etc). It also may use fewer studs since the entire wall supports weight, not just the studs.
Hung wall is probably the strongest as there are stringers and studs throughout. The vacuum bonded usually relied on the foam sandwich for it's "strength" and the window and other openings sometimes don't have anything supporting them but the wall itself.
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Old 04-18-2018, 02:08 PM   #9
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Generally, hung fiberglass walls are on higher end units as they require expensive aluminum stud construction, generally on 16" centers. I have hung walls and in my mind all that aluminum studding aids with heat transfer. One advantage is they do not delaminate as they were never laminated in the first place. There are a lot more moulding screws with hung fiberglass, each a source for possible water intrusion.

The one wall construction to stay away from is one that has already started to delaminate or rigs that have a history of delamination.
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:23 AM   #10
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As long as they stay laminated, composites are incredibly strong and light-weight. They've become increasingly popular structures for aircraft because they're incredibly strong and light weight.

I have an airfoil I had to make for a class in getting my aircraft mechanic certifications. It's e-glass fabric wrapped over Owens Corning extruded polystyrene insulation vacuum bonded with epoxy resin. I could use it to level the 5er. The individual components, however, would be destroyed if I tried it. Therein lies the problem once they start to delaminate. They're a little difficult to repair without vacuum bagging equipment, as you're at the mercy of tempurature and humidity for quality of the epoxy cure.

Still, for an RV, I prefer ease of repair over cosmetics or weight savings.
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:36 PM   #11
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I have hung walls and in my mind all that aluminum studding aids with heat transfer. One advantage is they do not delaminate as they were never laminated in the first place.

.
You are right, all that aluminum studding does transfer heat, and so do the window and door frames. But you are wrong about the possibility of delamination with hung wall construction. The skin is a sandwich of fiberglass glued to one or two layers of 1/8" luan plywood, and this plywood is the point of delamination . The plywood swells with moisture and the individual layers separate.

The only units that won't delaminate are ones that use Adzel instead of luan plywood for the fiberglass backer.
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:47 PM   #12
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Hung wall is probably the strongest as there are stringers and studs throughout. The vacuum bonded usually relied on the foam sandwich for it's "strength" and the window and other openings sometimes don't have anything supporting them but the wall itself.
Vacuum laminated walls may also have studs on 16" centers but they aren't required to achieve the same strength as a hung wall unit. The differences are comparable to SIPs (structural insulated panel) in residential construction vs stick built construction. But a vacuum laminated wall will have uniform strength across its entire area while a hung wall will be strong at each stud but very weak in between. So if a tree falls on the trailer, in may slice thru or not depending on location.

But again all methods used on trailers are adequate.
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:51 PM   #13
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They are all egg shells. The turning point is keeping them sealed along the roof lines, window seals, etc. Any of them involved in a wreck will make the Humpty Dumpty video. Inspect roof seals annually, re-seal as necessary...happy camper.
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:58 PM   #14
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The only units that won't delaminate are ones that use Adzel instead of luan plywood for the fiberglass backer.
Are you saying that ALL RV's not constructed with Adzel WILL delaminate? I'm assuming that most manufacturers currently don't use Adzel? Is that wrong? How big of a problem is delamination? 10%, 50%?
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