Aluminum bed and corrosion from winter deicer chemicals
#1
Posted 17 November 2011 - 08:16 PM
I am researching offroad campers and am interested in the XP Camper, but I have serious reservations about the aluminum flatbed.
I know I could buy a steel unit, but I am wondering if there are other options like special coatings, Line-X, or undercoatings, that could be used with the aluminum bed to minimize winter damage.
I have a neat little utility/ camping trailer made from marine grade materials, but the surface coating was utterly destroyed by a two hour drive one winter. It's really hard to polish or wax diamond plate - it just eats up your rags and makes your knuckles bleed - though smooth panels aren't a problem. OTH, the trailer is now eight years old, and because it has always been stored in my garage, it looks much better than the average steel trailer of a similar age. IMHO the huge downside to aluminum is that it is so hard to refinish. Conventional primers just don't stick, and the really good two part epoxy primers are hard for the regular owner to use.
Soft Road Trailer
I would be most interested in hearing what you folks have to say about winter use of an alloy truck bed.
Thanks.
John Davies
Spokane WA
#2
Posted 17 November 2011 - 11:24 PM
2022 F350 7.3L; family trailer at the moment and some aluminum stuck together to eventually form another truck camper
#3
Posted 17 November 2011 - 11:40 PM
Google truck corrosionI'd think you'd just let the aluminum oxidize and protect itself? It's a flatbed, not a shiny show piece.
I'm not talking about purely cosmetic damage - if you got that impression from my first post, I apologize. My point was to show how aggressive these liquid deicers attack aluminum especially (though they also eat steel and other metals, and wreck electrical wiring harnesses and brakes). I am talking about deep corrosion that structurally weakens the product.
If yours was meant to be a serious reply, I have no answer other than: Huh????
John Davies
Spokane WA
#4
Posted 18 November 2011 - 12:03 AM
"Not all who wander are lost. Except Ted, he's usually lost." Dirty Dog
#5
Posted 18 November 2011 - 01:05 AM
Some years ago I had forum discussion with some guys back East about road salt and corrosion. One of their tricks with DD's is to get a layer of ice covering the whole underside of the vehicle and leave it like that all winter. At the first melt they would seriously rinse the undercarriage with clear water. They also talked about a product called "Wax-Oyl", I *think* that I have the spelling right. They used this on vehicles more highly prized than their winter DD's.
None of which directly answers your question, but it might provoke an idea.
Sherwin-Williams sells a self etching primer that the experimental aircraft guys argue about if it or another, harder to get product works better for aluminum. Were it that I could remember the product name. If you go to one of their stores, be sure to ask for the Industrial/Marine specialist as most of the other guys really only seem to know about house paint.
Where does that road go?
#6
Posted 18 November 2011 - 02:37 AM
You can powder coat the underside of the flatbed.
I just move into salt country a few weeks ago, so thanks for pointing this out as I will keep an close eye on my bed.
#7
Posted 18 November 2011 - 05:09 AM
2022 F350 7.3L; family trailer at the moment and some aluminum stuck together to eventually form another truck camper
#8
Posted 04 December 2011 - 08:15 PM
I'm not sure I could ever accept the idea of leaving the entire underside of the bed encased in ice all winter. What if you thawed it out in spring and found ... "stuff" ... growing under the ice?
I'm mainly lurking and doing a lot of thinking. I'll definitely check out the XP Camper at Overland Expo next year - I sure hope one will be there!
John Davies
Spokane WA
#9
Posted 04 December 2011 - 11:29 PM
[edit] P.S.: Admirable trailer.
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