Fellow Jocks. I reaching out to you for some wisdom for a remedy concerning some cracks I've encountered after my recent cedar Teardrop Trailer build.
After a nine month, frame up build, it seemed only appropriate to take it out on a 5200 mile, 13 western state trial. I am happy to report that it pulled well and performed as expected, in every way except in one unforeseen area. I've returned with several stress cracks on the roof and hatch. Some cracks are through the strips themselves.
And some are at the glue joints.
In retrospect, I guess I should have seen this coming. During the roof build, I debated on whether to use fiberglass on the roof and hatch or go straight to varnish. I decided to forego the fiberglass. I'd heard that UV will kill the clarity of the fiberglass over time and the finish will yellow, causing a two-tone look between roof components and the walls. I stayed with the varnish.
Over the course of 5200 miles, I felt my share of potholes and speed bumps, which, I am sure contributed to the cracking problem. I think the real culprit is likely expansion and contraction. I passed through western Kansas with my dashboard temperature registering 115. The following 24 hours I slept in Idaho with a 40 degree night. I had some wicked temperature shifts over several weeks on the road.
I began to notice the problem about half way through the trip. I decided to just let nature take over until I returned to Oklahoma. I'd think after that many miles, anything that was going to crack would go ahead and split.
I know I can go back to the fiberglass as a solution, but I'd really like to stick with the roof and repair it as it is, if possible. My plan was always to light sand the exterior every fall and re-apply additional varnish coats with the idea of building up shell over time
I used Titebond III to glue all my joints during the build. I was thinking of refilling these cracks with Titebond III and varnishing. Is there a better solution? A better filling material? Am I just setting myself up to go through this again?
Any thoughts anyone can throw my way, I really appreciate it.
After a nine month, frame up build, it seemed only appropriate to take it out on a 5200 mile, 13 western state trial. I am happy to report that it pulled well and performed as expected, in every way except in one unforeseen area. I've returned with several stress cracks on the roof and hatch. Some cracks are through the strips themselves.
And some are at the glue joints.
In retrospect, I guess I should have seen this coming. During the roof build, I debated on whether to use fiberglass on the roof and hatch or go straight to varnish. I decided to forego the fiberglass. I'd heard that UV will kill the clarity of the fiberglass over time and the finish will yellow, causing a two-tone look between roof components and the walls. I stayed with the varnish.
Over the course of 5200 miles, I felt my share of potholes and speed bumps, which, I am sure contributed to the cracking problem. I think the real culprit is likely expansion and contraction. I passed through western Kansas with my dashboard temperature registering 115. The following 24 hours I slept in Idaho with a 40 degree night. I had some wicked temperature shifts over several weeks on the road.
I began to notice the problem about half way through the trip. I decided to just let nature take over until I returned to Oklahoma. I'd think after that many miles, anything that was going to crack would go ahead and split.
I know I can go back to the fiberglass as a solution, but I'd really like to stick with the roof and repair it as it is, if possible. My plan was always to light sand the exterior every fall and re-apply additional varnish coats with the idea of building up shell over time
I used Titebond III to glue all my joints during the build. I was thinking of refilling these cracks with Titebond III and varnishing. Is there a better solution? A better filling material? Am I just setting myself up to go through this again?
Any thoughts anyone can throw my way, I really appreciate it.