"New" one piece, no seam, no screw, camper roof

[Stan@FourWheel]

We have finally done it. Yea !

We have made the transition over to the new four wheel pop-up camper roofs.

FWC is now using a one piece aluminum roof.

No more attachment screws !

No more seam down the middle !

The smooth (non-textured) aluminum roof should be easier to keep clean and the snow might be easier to remove since the roof is flat & smooth (snow should slide off a bit easier).

For sure it will a big improvement to helping avoid roof leaks as the campers age.

For the last 35 years we used the screws to attach the camper roof skin to the roof frame.

This worked OK, but the screws over the years would sometimes rust, back out over time, or the rubber washers could dry out.

We are excited about this new change & think that this new roof will be a BIG selling point to consider buying an FWC over another camper manufacturer.

Happy Camping !

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[Barko1]

How is it secured?

 

[natjwest]

Yeah, how is it secured to the aluminum framing? Or have you adjusted the structure as well? Is this an option or standard on all new models out the door?

 

[RJones]

Stan,

Is there a weight difference?

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Unless something changes down the road, this will be standard on all new campers.

We cannot tell you how we are doing it (trade secret).

But we have been building camper roofs like this for our Canadian dealer for over a year now, maybe a bit longer.

Well tested and they have been working great.

It is a simple process and works well.

There will be no weight difference.





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[Barko1]

So I guess if you told us you'd have to kill us

 

[pods8]

We cannot tell you how we are doing it (trade secret).


Will you at least confirm its not relying on an adhesive only to remove concerns about that breaking down over time? That would be a worry on my end.

However the aspect of it being smooth to make mildew easier to clean and push show off is definitely a plus.

 

[kcowyo]

Looks great Stan!









(...now do it on the sides. )
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[SunMan]

Dead sexeh!

How dentable is it? I find the need to get on top of the roof from time to time and wonder if it would cause knee or hand prints on this stuff.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

OH !



You just had to ask, didn't you.

LOL

It doesn't seems any more dentable, same quality and thickness of the original FWC, but it does show the marks a bit more.

The older textured roof probably hides scuff & dings a bit better, but I think the trade off of not having any screws will be well worth it.

Who's really up on the roof looking at it anyway ?




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Dead sexeh!

How dentable is it? I find the need to get on top of the roof from time to time and wonder if it would cause knee or hand prints on this stuff.




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[Stan@FourWheel]

Hey KC

The smooth sided campers look good.

Different.

Some people are going to like the smooth fiberglass sides, some maybe not.

We do get some requests for them.

We might even lose a sale or two each year by not offering the smooth fiberglass siding on the FWC's.

We have dabbled with it.

But after being here for a number of years, seeing thousads of new & used FWC's, I would bet my last dollar on the original aluminum siding holding up longer, being more durable, and looking better as the campers get older.

The smooth fiberglass siding is so "touchy" and shows EVERY small scrape or scratch. The guys here is the shop have nightmares of working with it.

The smooth fiberglass siding is just a thin sheet of fiberglass glued usually to a thin (1/8") wood paneling. I could be totally wrong (and I probably am), but that looks like trouble if it gets wet long term (possibly a little dry rot behind the fiberglass paneling?) or the potential of the fiberglass delaminating from the wood paneling it is glued to? I'm not sure? Maybe neither? Maybe it will never happen. It just didn't look as durable to me. Only my personal opinion though.

The aluminin siding is tough, lasts for a long time, won't give you much trouble, is easier to repair if damaged, and is easy to touch up on the newer FWC's that are "arctic white" (instead of the old FWC that are off white / classic white).
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KC . . . I think you are just trying to lure me in to posting picture of Mary Kate's new FWC, aren't you ?

Nope! We are just playing around right now.

Practice makes perfet.


LOL




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now do it on the sides
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[craig333]

Not that I need to worry about mine yet, but could you replace an older roof with one of those?

 

[LuckyDan]

From Stan Above:

"The smooth fiberglass siding is just a thin sheet of fiberglass glued usually to a thin (1/8") wood paneling. I could be totally wrong (and I probably am), but that looks like trouble if it gets wet long term (possibly a little dry rot behind the fiberglass paneling?) or the potential of the fiberglass delaminating from the wood paneling it is glued to? I'm not sure? Maybe neither? Maybe it will never happen. It just didn't look as durable to me. Only my personal opinion though."

This was the biggest problem I had with the Motorhome I used to own. It is, #1 hard to keep ahead of due to the number of seams and joints that require sealing/resealing and yet still "pop" loose on rough roads and #2 a real PAIN to repair. This is why when I could go from a "Full Time" camper back to a recreational camper again one of my criteria in RV selection was removable/repairable siding.

 

[Overland Hadley]

The new roof looks really good.

It will be hard to put a roof rack on that.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

We still offer the same roof racks for the new roof design.

The original pictures above show one camper with the aluminum boat / luggage rack we offer.

We can also install Yakima Racks if the customer wants them.

I would recommend having FWC install the roof racks when we build your camper.

Or just the "yakima tracks only" if you are going with the Yakima products.

If FWC installs the roof rack, it is covered under warranty against leaks.

If the customer starts poking holes in the roof and installing their own roof rack, it could void their warranty against roof leaks.

We can retrofit older FWC to this new roof design.

But it might be a little pricey because they will have to take the roof off the camper.

Hope this helps.

Happy Camping !


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[Overland Hadley]

The new roof looks really good.

It will be hard to put a roof rack on that.


Sorry Stan, just meant that it would be painful to drill into it.

 

[busboy66]

We were shown the new roof system when we were at the factory in late September.
Terry told us how it was fastened to the frame - not sure if I should divulge here since Stan says it is a secret.
The sheet aluminum has a glossy white finish, so it shows any ripple or dent.
It will be much easier to clean for sure, and it will make the camper last longer.

 

[RJones]

Do you take bribes?


Terry told us how it was fastened to the frame - not sure if I should divulge here since Stan says it is a secret.

 

[busboy66]

I am bribe-able, but not wanting to make Stan and FWC an enemy is more important to me. I shouldn't have mentioned anything. My bad.

Let's just say that unless there is damage to the roof, there should never be any required maintenance to the roof fastening. I am aware of this method for other aspects of RV construction.

Eventually the secret will get out, but not by me.

Do you take bribes?

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

The word will get out.

Its not really a big secret.

We just don't want our competition stealing any of our new top secret designs.