Rock damage to front

[Ddubya]

Just returned from Alaska and the front of the fiver around the storage door is pitted from gravel. The material is plastic (not fiber glass) and I am not sure it could be repaired. Has anyone else had this problem?

[JRTJH]

Possibly buy a sheet of HPDE from a local building supply store, either in white or a contrasting color, clean the front well, remove the door and framework, install the HPDE sheet with a good construction adhesive and reinstall the door, reattach the edge molding and add a molding along the top of the HPDE sheet so it "blends" with the trailer.

Or, alternatively, turn it in to your insurance company and hope they won't raise your rates because of the claim. Otherwise, you're looking at a couple thousand or more for a body shop or RV repair shop to fix it.

[travelin texans]

Diamond plate aluminum or spray on truck bed liner are also possibilities.

[Ddubya]

Possibly buy a sheet of HPDE from a local building supply store, either in white or a contrasting color, clean the front well, remove the door and framework, install the HPDE sheet with a good construction adhesive and reinstall the door, reattach the edge molding and add a molding along the top of the HPDE sheet so it "blends" with the trailer.

Or, alternatively, turn it in to your insurance company and hope they won't raise your rates because of the claim. Otherwise, you're looking at a couple thousand or more for a body shop or RV repair shop to fix it.

JRTJH, Good idea. Do you know what the material is? It is black on the backside and white on the front. It is plastic and not fiberglass.

[Roscommon48]

Yep, it is a 'plastic' type material. I tried to get mine painted but it was a no go.



My answer was to just leave it as it is.

[gearhead]

Diamond plate aluminum or spray on truck bed liner are also possibilities.
That was my plan for the previous 5th, but I never got around to it.
You might also experiment with Krylon Fusion rattle can paint for plastic.

[JRTJH]

JRTJH, Good idea. Do you know what the material is? It is black on the backside and white on the front. It is plastic and not fiberglass.

My guess (and it's only a guess) is that it's FILON with an ADZEL backing. Typically, the FILON used on the sides is luan backed, in Alpines, there's a double layer of luan with overlapping at the joints. On the front lower section (under the pinbox, curved transition and lower front) where there's increased risk of moisture, the more expensive fifth wheels have used ADZEL instead of FILON.

There are two types of FILON, smooth and "visible fiberglass matting" and they do look very different. The smooth FILON has a "plastic sheet appearance" until you cut into it and the underlying surface frays (like all fiberglass).

That's not to say that YOUR trailer is/is not constructed this way, it's just a guess.....

[Ddubya]

My guess (and it's only a guess) is that it's FILON with an ADZEL backing. Typically, the FILON used on the sides is luan backed, in Alpines, there's a double layer of luan with overlapping at the joints. On the front lower section (under the pinbox, curved transition and lower front) where there's increased risk of moisture, the more expensive fifth wheels have used ADZEL instead of FILON.

There are two types of FILON, smooth and "visible fiberglass matting" and they do look very different. The smooth FILON has a "plastic sheet appearance" until you cut into it and the underlying surface frays (like all fiberglass).

That's not to say that YOUR trailer is/is not constructed this way, it's just a guess.....

After closer inspection it looks like whatever the material is has color that is pretty deep. It has dents and chips but the color is still visible. That leads me to believe that I may be able to polish out most of the dings or at least to the point where they are not too visible.