How we install aluminum skins on teardrop campers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Here's a quick video showing how we install aluminum skins on our camper bodies. In this case we are using powder-coated aluminum skins. We glue our skins onto the plywood underneath around the perimeter only, to allow the aluminum to "pillow" in the heat/sun. This is because the aluminum and the plywood underneath have opposing expansion/contraction characteristics.
The next step is to cover all exposed seams/joints with high-grade sealants and trim for weatherproofing.
I really appreciate that you guys are willing to document the process like this. So many makers think they have to hide what they do like it needs to be secretive.
The true art is doing it well and efficiently with high quality. Huge props for the channel and willingness to document what a non one off production looks like for a high quality handmade product like yours.
Thanks Miguel. We made the decision long ago, to just be as open as we can with information. We're as proud of the inner-works and build-process of these trailers, as we are of the finished product. We like to show our perspective clients what is really inside of our trailers, and also what kind of labor goes into their construction.
Thank you so much for posting your videos as well as sharing what you use for materials. The information you are providing is invaluable to us DIYers heading out on the first time!!
Happy to help Jeff! We were there once many years ago, and are thankful for the help we received along the way. This is a good way to show our prospective clients how we build our campers, and also pay back the community that makes teardrop campers popular and awesome. Good luck with your build!
I absolutely love these trailers!
Thank you!
I love that , nice work. (From France)
Aw, I was hoping for big smiles & high fives near the end. 🙁😉
Fastest workers I have seen! Bonus time...
🙌🏻 You guys crush it!
Very nice quality work
Thank you!
Good job guys. Can you make a video with the manufacture of the side doors?
This sure beats building my own in the backyard. Can I come work for you? Impressive operations.
Hi, thanks for showing us how to install Aluminum over plywood could you please tell me what kind of glue using thank you
sorry for the late reply!!!! for gluing down the aluminum to a raw-wood substrate like we do, I love Loctite Polyseamseal or Big Stretch Clear. They are basically the same product, though not always available everywhere. It's an elastomeric glue that is mostly surface insensitive, so long as one surface to be glued is porous (like wood). It is gap-filling, cleans up with water, is waterproof once totally cured, and holds unbelievably well. Love the stuff!
So cool !!!
I’m currently building my own and trying to figure out what I’m gonna skin it with. What thickness of aluminum do you use?
Que delicia!! La perfección en su máxima expresión.... Nice!
Was looking to purchase one of your trailers so I sent a couple of queries to your website asking whether or not you have financing available for your campers but I never received a replay. So ...does your company offer financing?
Hi there, sorry about that. We have a couple thousand quote requests backlogged right now, and we've all but given up on getting back to everybody. We don't have the time or staff to keep up with them unfortunately. We figure if someone is serious enough, they will give us a call (hint hint :) We do not offer in-house financing, but it has not been difficult for our clients to obtain financing through their local bank or credit union.
You staple it on the bottom there? How thick is that aluminum?
I assume it's a 5foot wide trailer? Where were you able to find 5 foot wide sheet aluminium? I've had a hell of a time finding anything beyond 48 inch widths
Well, if you are in Oregon or Washington I may be able to point you in the right direction, but this stuff is a real pain to ship, and the places we get it from will only ship to you in large quantities, otherwise you need to pick up.
@@OregonTrailR That's very courteous to offer however I'm from Ontario Canada. Our options are slim up here in the frosty north haha. Thanks regardless and I'm still loving the content!
You guys using a nail gun or riveting the aluminum to wood? If so what type of nails. Thanks.
18 gauge stapler, with 1/4” crown x 1/2” length stainless steel staples. Works great.
Talkies would be a plus
I love walkie talkies too, but I don't know how that would help us skin a trailer... ;)
Do you guys use a silicone based sealant along the edges or something else?
What is the purpose of the wooden block in the front that you install? And how do you seal the holes that the screws make from the installation of said wooden block?
That is a clamp that we use while the glue sets. After a few days, we unscrew the clamp and flush trim that piece of aluminum to install a Stargazer window.
What kind of adhesive are you using to glue the aluminum around the perimeter?
given that our substrate is raw wood (3mm baltic birch), we use Loctite Polyseamseal. It's technically a sealant, but is an AWESOME adhesive as well, and the best we've found for gluing aluminum to wood. It's important to note that this only works as an adhesive if one of the two surfaces is porous, like raw wood. The bonus is that the joint remains flexible in heat and cold and never gets brittle, because wood and aluminum have opposite thermal expansion properties (in heat, wood contracts and aluminum expands). The glue has to be able to flex as the materials expand/contract against each other. Good luck!
@@OregonTrailR Thanks so much for taking the time to provide feedback and protips. Do you worry about the raw wood underneath the aluminum in terms of moisture, rotting, etc.? I’m assuming that’s what you mean by it being a great sealant as well (i.e. keeping the actual moisture from entering underneath in the first place). I figured I would at least need to bilge paint or similar under the aluminum.
(If you can’t tell, I’m very much in the beginning phases of research, so I truly appreciate ya.)
I wonder what they are talking about.
Hey how you doing??
Im wayne from scotland an i have teardrop glampa camp and i am really interested in buying a ARB AWNING ROOM WITH FLOOR 2500 X 2500
But i cannot for the life of me find a roof rack for my teardrop now the measurements for a roof rack for my teardrop glampa camp is Width:50" inches Length:50" inches and Height: 4 1/2 inches(theres a vent on the roof that lifts, i needing height for it to open), i desperately need a roof rack for my awning!!
Can you recommend a roof rack for me please or do you have a video to how to install roof racks??...cause i take it you gotta screw them on the roof, not like cars there are sliders to connect on the car roof, please help i need one lol!!!...hope to hear from you!!
What is the glue that you guys are using
What is the adhesif you are using? Thank you
To adhere aluminum to plywood, we use Loctite Polyseamseal Clear, to seal the aluminum from outside weather we use GeoCel ProFlex RV. The Loctite product is water-based, so you do not want to use it as a sealant, but it makes an awesome adhesive so long as one of the mating components is porous.
OregonTrailR
I may be misunderstanding. So you use the loctite to attach the aluminum siding to wood walls but you state that product is Not a water seal. So do you use something different along the edges of window and door cuts or along top and bottom edges for water seal ?? If so what ?
Here’s a question that’s so ignorant I can’t get anyone to answer
Can you recommend where I might get large sheets of aluminum ? Is aluminum the choice siding ?
Last question as I don’t want to stretch my luck with you answering
Where does a guy get trim ?
I noticed your very helpful to questions and I’m very impressed with what you do
Hoping you can answer my questions
Thanks in advance
RS Law100 We use loctite poly seam seal as a flexible adhesive, and we use Geocel ProFlex RV as a weather seal under the moldings/hinges etc. buying aluminum sheeting can be difficult, and I would start by asking a local metal fabricator if they have a source. Anyone that does sheet metal work should be able to recommend a place as well. You can also visit www.teardroptrailerparts.com for trim and other parts... thanks for watching!
can i ask you what kind of nails or staples do you use to attach the roof to the side..?
jason hullihen I use 18 gauge, 1/4” crown, 1/2” length stainless steel staples, can be a challenge to find, but they work awesome!
thank you..
What is the router bit you are using to cut your aluminium.
Cyclehorizon Cyclehorizon Just a simple Freud carbide tipped 2-flute flush trim bit.
How is the top plywood piece curved?
It is only 3mm thick, 3 individual solid birch veneers (each 1mm thick), glued together to form a 5'x5' panel, so it is very flexible AND very strong!
Are those ryobi shears or which ryobi tool ?
In the beginning I'm using a Ryobi battery powered caulking gun, and in the other Ryobi tool is a battery powered router with a flush trim bit (likely the one to which you are referring). It is a decent tool at best to be honest, we are on our second one in 3 months. It's incredibly handy to have a router without a cord, but it seems to be very light duty.
@@OregonTrailR ryobi caulking gun 10 thumbs up! I've had mine five years. Its now extremely ugly, but works same as first day.
Why don't other RVs have hard shell like cars and vans, why companies only install fibreglass, its just shit.
Well all their videos are the perfect example of why artificial intelligence can't come soon enough. What a huge huge waste of time all of this production is. Just repeating over and over for One customer after another. We could be out living Our Lives instead of slaving away the entire day had a job
dacelooper Dude, I love my job. I live my life exactly the way I like, and my work is a very enjoyable and satisfying part of my life. Good talk tho. 🤷♂️
Not very optimistic of you mate