Wooden Frame versus Aluminium

Monty10 · Member

Wooden Frame versus Aluminium

Tony Bev · Guru

Welcome to the forum, Monty10

I had water ingress in an old Viscount pop top caravan
It came through the large vents behind the three way fridge, but it did take a few years to start rotting the plywood divider, at the side of the fridge

I will assume that aluminium, will not rot, as fast as wood

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

I would choose neither wood nor aluminium.
There are a few manufacturers offering fibreglass sandwich panel. See some information here.. vanglass.homestead.com/index.html
I used this material to build the OKA body 14 years ago.
Nothing to rot or break or corrode, immensely strong, immensely durable, easy to repair but unlikely to be damaged, first class insulation.
Cheers,
Peter

Eaglemax · Guru

My cousin has a 26ft wooden framed van 10 years old. Last year it had hail damage and the roof and most wall aluminium cladding was eplaced.

The company doing the work showed him the rotting sections of the frame. Not good.

If one can afford aluminium framed vans then thats the way I'd go personally. But my overall preference is steel.

Steel has "give" with far less likelihood of cracking. Aluminium is one third the weight of steel but you need twice the aluminium to bring up the strength required so overall you save one third in weight but a lot in price.

Fibreglass sandwich ,as above is a good alternative

My 2c worth.

-- Edited by Eaglemax on Friday 9th of November 2018 10:15:42 PM

Mike Harding · Guru

I agree with Peter.

Its sandwich fibreglass construction is a significant part of the reason I shall, most likely, buy a Snowy River caravan:

https://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/editorial/details/first-look-snowy-river-sr17-113979/

Probably this one:

http://www.snowyrivercaravans.com.au/index.php/model-range/sr19

Dickodownunder · Guru

My last two caravans were built from sticks and aluminium cladding, and then I bought the fibreglass sandwhich panel construction.

Peter above says it all. We could not believe how much quieter it is inside and easier to cool and warm.
In my observations very few manufacturers of sticks and cladding or even aluminium frames actually fit the insulation correctly in their vans.
I had the first model aluminium framed Millard many years ago which was a good van but the water still got in eventually and took its toll on internal cladding.
Composite panel is the way to go.

mezza56 · Senior Member

Theres more "sticks and aluminium" vans on the road that any other type , of course you will hear stories of water ingress , but with due diligence and maintenance up keep , there should not be any problems . In your insurance policy it probably has a clause to do with periodic maintenance and if you don't do it thru a verified agent or manufacturer it may void your claim .

Ron-D · Guru

New sandwich fiberclass vans cost a mint,aluminium frames could be better than wooden framed Vans but theres probably for and against with them as well,my two year old wooden framed van is very nice inside and out,at a fraction of the cost of all this high tec stuff.most vans are still wooden framed ,and Really all the millions of wooden framed vans that have been produced for decades how many have had serious water leaks a tiny few I would think,this is my fourth wooden framed van and I have had my share of problems over the years and internal wood rot has not been one of them ..

-- Edited by Ron-D on Saturday 10th of November 2018 08:56:38 AM

Brenda and Alan · Guru

I would have to agree with both Peter and Mike re preferring composite panel construction. Here is a photo showing the inside of aluminium panels off our van. the water wicks in by capillary action and ends up between the wall skins.

Alan

-- Edited by Brenda and Alan on Saturday 10th of November 2018 09:09:43 AM

Bow · Veteran Member

Depends on the quality of the aluminium frame.

Yuglamron · Guru

My MH is Fibreglass panel construction. I agree with the other posts re wood and alloy. It may well be more expensive but generally better at keeping the elements at bay than the others.

The guy that had mine built bought three fibreglass panels. One for each side and one for the roof..The roof panel overhangs the sides with some great joining system that water cannot get into the panels. All the joints are Sikaflex marine grade, so no water ingress.

It also has some interior Marine grade plastic panels for areas like the shower and fridge enclosures and other interior walls. Same stuff found in a lot of the large Powerboats like the Princess range. Very strong and very tough yet only 5mm thick.

Contrary to a lot of peoples ideas Aluminium does corrode and oxidise. It also has fatigue problems when Pop rivets are used in the construction process. It also wicks water when there is the slightest gap as another post shows.

As for timber, Well the frames I have seen recently made with timber are generally finger jointed lengths and have very little strength in comparison to Fibreglass composite panels.

I can at 105 kilos stand in the middle of the roof of my MH with no problems. I would not even try to stand on the roof of an alloy or timber Van or MH.

If you are after longevity for your next Van I would look at Fibreglass composite Vans in a heartbeat.

Hendo · Guru

If it doesn't leak or have wood rot it's not a caravan!

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Yuglamron wrote:
I can at 105 kilos stand in the middle of the roof of my MH with no problems.

We are standing on the pop top. It is 19mm thick fibreglass sandwich panel.

Forget what you ever learned about conventional construction, strength and durability.

Cheers,

Peter

Radar · Guru

Hendo wrote:
If it doesn't leak or have wood rot it's not a caravan!

Spot on, will not add to that.

Monty10 · Member

Thanks all for the responses, some interesting comments and I have followed up on a few suggestions.

I asked the question as I am interested in a La Vista van, new model El Toro, and was wondering if anyone had any experience with La Vista who make timber framed vans in Melbourne.

Cheers.

montie · Guru

La Vista are a family owned business that has been in business for around 10 years. They build a good van and their warranty is good.

Some manufacturers offer a choice of alloy frame or sandwich panel construction. With alloy frame you can also have conventional sheeting or smooth alloy composite.

It is my opinion that timber frame vans are now " old technology" and unfortunately if water ingress goes undetected, which can happen, wood rot can be a big issue.

denmonkey · Senior Member

I went with a second hand alu framed van and alu cladding out of choice.
As its old '94 I figured the frame was the most important thing and that if anything else became an issue I could probably fix it myself.
plus whilst it's an onroad van it has seen some 'offroad' use and my thinking was an alu frame might hold up better.
Cupboards etc are a different beast altogether :(

If I was going new I think Id go alu frame and fibreglass panelling. they do look so nice and appear much easier for mounting accessories on the outside. The ridges in the alu paneling make it a pain

Baz421 · Guru

Go look at factories. I went to one 11 years ago in QLD that espoused aluminium frames.

Trouble was the horizontal and vertical frames shs and rhs sections were interlaced (ie one went through the other) BUT GET THIS they were joined/held in place by 1mm (approx.) pop rivet.

When queried was told the strength is in the mono construction ie inner and outer skin and fixtures.

Go figure,,, no rot obviously,, but no additional strength.

MikeL · Veteran Member

Early foam sandwich construction methods were used in yachts and initially got a bad reputation with delamination occurring. It will be interesting to see if caravans have similar issues in the long term.

Greg 1 · Guru

I have had all three types at one time or another and my current van is timber frame. There are advantages and disadvantages with all three, none are perfect. In my opinion it is far more important to see how the van is built. Aluminium is robust but not very thermally efficient so you will get more condensation inside than the other two plus if you get a smack it can rack the whole frame and cause the van to be written off with what appears to be little damage. If you live in the tropics however, aluminum has advantages of no rot. The van will generally be lighter than Timber. Timber is very thermally efficient and has the advantage that damage is usually contained to the area that has received a hit so easier to repair. If you live in the tropcs though don't buy timber. Sandwich panel if done properly, is light, strong and thermally efficient. But I have seen sandwich panel vans that have rained the cupboards off the walls and also in extreme cases, come apart on rough roads. Again, it depends on how it is built. My best advice to you is to go and ask to spend a bit of time in the factory to understand how the van you like is screwed together. You will get a feeling if it's done properly. My current van, I sat in the factory every day watching it go together. It's built like a brick dunny and I would be confident to take it pretty much most places and have towed it over some very rough tracks without any sign of trouble. Downside is it is heavy for the size, but you cannot have everything.