I wonder what the advantage of making the structure out of aluminum is? If freight is being hauled I can understand, but in a conversion I do not see any advantages.
I feel aluminum is a disavantage for a number of reasons. On the conversions weight makes the trucks ride better. Tires are a spring too and by reducing reccommended tire pressures to increase the ride creates other issues. We do not overload the axle weights, or really even come close. The structure is actually only ~15% of the total weight of the completed coach. Aluminum is more difficult to weld, much more expensive to purchase, more difficult to cut and fit. If the structure is make out of aluminum I would still use the attachment tape to adhere the panels because the aluminum exterior panels are going to expand and contract with temperature changes and the tape allows this movement without making the panels bow and bind.3M tape is very expensive...there are alternatives that do the same job for a lot less money. I too am guilty of trying to make things overly difficult at times. The steel frame with taped skin is still hard to beat. I never have been a fan of plywood with fiberglass over it either, look at some FRP after 5 years, can you say delamination?
Spooner,On the 81" interior height I feel you will regret that for a very long time. The three major reasons for that are.... the AC in the ceiling and lights, you lose another four inches of height.... you are limited to 12" upper cabinets........the above the cab bunk space is to small to be of any practical use.
On Geoff.......I don't cut deals, if you give a deal to someone that means that you are overcharging someone else to make up the difference. Geoff did stop by and talk for a few minutes in Louisville (he and the girls kind of made themselves at home in the condo). It's always neat to meet the people that you chat with. Yes he did have two "wimen" with him too. That wasn't fair..he had two and I was by myself.........I need to talk with him about that. The style conversion Geoff likes is the most expensive we do, approximately $8-9000 a foot depending on interior.
BTW, when I walked into the show early Saturday morning a guy that had a shirt with initials of a sleeper company on it had a flashlight in his hand looking under my condo slideout trying and figure out how I made it work, I think I surprised him a little bit. Guess it's a good thing..........got the other boys wondering a bit, they are so used to doing the same old same old for so long now. The condo slideout seems to be giving them something to think about.
Randy
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