What do you folks think of aluminum sided trailers?

[BeerBrewer]

What is your opinions on wood frame aluminum sided trailers? What are the pros and cons?

My wife and just saw a brand new 2019 Grand Design Transcend 26RLS travel Trailer and we loved the lay out. The trailer is wood framed and aluminum sided. We are seriously considering buying it.

Thanks!

[Acdii]

In a real hailstorm that would damage aluminum to the point it would leak, it would also damage fiberglass to the point it will leak. If fiberglass is hit with hail that dents aluminum, it will also damage the fiberglass shell, but it takes a while before the damage makes itself known, sometimes it will start to crack and open up as moisture enters, and other times, nothing happens, but heavy enough hail will spiderweb the fiberglass, you just don't see it. My Coleman got nailed in a heavy hailstorm that cracked the windshield of my truck, and has plenty of tiny marks all over the front, but has not leaked at all, they are just cosmetic.

The aluminum and fiberglass trailers make for a larger lighter trailer than can be done in a stick and tin, but some stick and tin can be lighter in weight than a similar floorplan fiberglass one. My 274BH has over 3K pounds of cargo capacity and GVWR is 7600. I saw a similar floorplan in glass that had the same GVWR but 1000 pounds lower CC.

Both will leak eventually, and the fiberglass one, once they get wet and start to delaminate, they are done, stick and tin, you can seal up the leak, replace the interior that got damaged and keep on camping.

[colliehauler]

Lantley wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
I personally like my sides trailer. I have a few dings in it from things that jump in the way. The issue with smooth side trailer (fiberglass) is that whatever would ding/dent aluminum sided trailer will crack the side of a fiberglass trailer.

I agree that it may be easier to do a DIY repair on aluminum.
However there are many things like hail that will harm aluminum trailers but will have minimal to no impact on fiberglass trailers.

Like I said in a earlier post I own both, The fiberglass RV'S I get a discount on from my insurance, (I live where it frequently hails in the spring).

[RedRaider44]

Still camping in my 2004 aluminum sided Jayco.....but looking seriously at the same exact Transcend you are looking at.....if fact, I prefer aluminum.
No leaks, a few minor dents, and no delamination to worry about..

[NWnative]

We chose Aluminum....

[2012Coleman]

sgfrye wrote:

RICK-ards Red wrote:
Have had both types of trailers, no issue with either type. If you like the floor plan and it works for you - go for it. To me a floor plan that works for us and our travel style is more important.

x2

our first TT was aluminum.

current TT fiberglass

enjoyed both. no problems with either will diligent owner maintenance

X3

My Coleman was aluminum sided. Kept it waxed and brand new looking. I used Meguires cleaner wax, which works wonders on black streaks. If you keep it waxed, the streaks come off during normal washing.

[sgfrye]

RICK-ards Red wrote:
Have had both types of trailers, no issue with either type. If you like the floor plan and it works for you - go for it. To me a floor plan that works for us and our travel style is more important.

x2

our first TT was aluminum.

current TT fiberglass

enjoyed both. no problems with either will diligent owner maintenance

[spoon059]

ScottG wrote:
We had several corrugated aluminum RV's. All leaked because of the undulating shape of the siding. It was impossible to stay ahead of the water intrusion, rot and mold. Had to take one of them straight to the dump.

What? Aluminum siding is not more susceptible to leaking than any other type of siding material. Water would have to go down the siding, back up the backside, down the joint and then back up again to reach behind the siding. That is some magical water!

I think perhaps your issue was water getting in some other way...

OP, I have aluminum because it is cheaper, lighter and easier to repair than fiberglass. Moisture behind fiberglass walls will cause delamination which is very expensive to repair. Moisture behind aluminum can be remedied by removing the aluminum panel, repairing damage and replacing aluminum panel.

[Lantley]

dodge guy wrote:
I personally like my sides trailer. I have a few dings in it from things that jump in the way. The issue with smooth side trailer (fiberglass) is that whatever would ding/dent aluminum sided trailer will crack the side of a fiberglass trailer.

I agree that it may be easier to do a DIY repair on aluminum.
However there are many things like hail that will harm aluminum trailers but will have minimal to no impact on fiberglass trailers.

[dodge_guy]

I personally like my sides trailer. I have a few dings in it from things that jump in the way. The issue with smooth side trailer (fiberglass) is that whatever would ding/dent aluminum sided trailer will crack the side of a fiberglass trailer.

If you really like it I would let the type of construction be the deciding factor!

And FWIW I wax mine at least once a year if not twice. I like to know mine is maintained properly. And getting up close while your waxing lets you find and fix potential issues!

[TurnThePage]

I've never waxed my 2004 wood framed, aluminum trailer either. It has lived outside 24/7 since new, and has snow on top of it now. It's never leaked and has been easy to keep warm or cool. I think sound travels right straight through them. You can hear pretty much everything through the walls.

If you're buying a trailer, you better plan on doing maintenance annually at least to prevent those evil leaks that are constantly talked about.

[time2roll]

People wax an aluminum side trailer? Can't imagine. At 13 years mine is just starting to develop a patina 😉

[Grit_dog]

^ This.
Think we're at 50-50 after 3 pages.....
It's a camper. Unless you're spending months a year in it and have no intention of covering or garaging it when not in use, your ROI on a more expensive trailer will likely be lost pretty quickly once it gets on in years.
Save for a few "highly regarded" brands that maintain significantly better value either through name, reputation, or construction methods.

[drsteve]

Bottom line, keep the roof and windows sealed, and either will give you years of service.

[Chrisatthebeach]

I have had both, and would not hesitate to purchase aluminum again. The last aluminum sided trailer was not hard to clean, I used good car wash soap and washed it 3-4 times per year, with an annual hand wax. It shined like new the entire time I owned it. I found that after pulling the lights and re-sealing all of them with plumbers putty I never had another issue with water coming in around a light.