Aluminum Roof Trusses – Why does GD use Wood Trusses – probable show stopper !!!!

tcamper

Senior Member
RV LIFE Pro
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Location
Texas
One of my priorities during my search for a new 5er is a 6 sided Aluminum infrastructure ….. with aluminum roof trusses.
My thinking all along is it is easier to recover from water intrusion damage, if insulation and paneling is all you need to replace; whereas wood rot is a major structural repair…on top of the insulation and paneling.

We are days away from pulling the trigger on a new Solitude, and I have just overlooked the aluminum frame issue because I was told in July the Solitude has the aluminum roof trusses. And on the revamped GD website under the features ….. the old site clearly stated “Aluminum Frame Construction”. (I have a printout – no mention of only 5 sides). In the early days this was a show stopper. We automatically eliminated rigs that did not have 6 Aluminum sides.

For a company that is setting new standards in the RV industry, why does GD use wood for the roof trusses? I can only assume it is a cost cutting measure that to me diminishes the quality level a couple notches. Am I wrong here?

We are literally considering pulling the trigger this weekend, and this just occurs to me.

Aluminum roof is a big deal to me so Please Help me out GD family ……Why? What am I missing? What should I do?

Feeling very disgruntled this morning
 
One additional comment that I forgot to mention – The RV industry is filled with cheaper, lesser quality rigs with 6 sided aluminum infrastructure.
 
My understanding of the roof structure is... wood joist construction expands and contracts better with the roof panels so they will expand and contract with each other rather than tearing themselves apart. The wood structure is well protected by the "rubber" roof so it should give you many years of trouble free service.

My guess is it may be a little cheaper to be all aluminum construction.


PS
Here is the number for: Grand Design Solitude Product Manager (Rob Groover) 574-370-9147
They give us their numbers so we can communicate directly with them... other manufacturers will not do that.
 
FWIW, Out of the thousands of posts on this forum and the Facebook page, I've yet to see an issue with roof damage caused by wood trusses.

Remember that wood and aluminum have significantly different coefficients of expansion due to thermal heating. Since the "rubber" roofing material is attached to plywood, you are better off having the plywood attached to wood trusses versus aluminum.

Here are the coefficients of expansion for each material:

Wood .0000028 inches per inch of material at 1 degree F.
aluminum .0000126 inches per inch of material at 1 degree F.

This may not seem like much, but when you figure the average RV truss is approximately 98 inches long and the temperature range they are exposed to can be over 80 degrees F, the expansion and contraction differences can be significant. Over time, this can cause fasteners to loosen and work their way up through the rubber roofing material. As an engineer, I'm much happier that GD matched wood trusses with plywood roofing material. Over time and temperature extremes, they will expand and contract at nearly the same coefficient which results in a longer lasting structure.

Jim
 
I had a conversation with another RV manufacturer about this subject because I had the same thoughts as you did about the aluminum roof framing (6 sided). They explained that with the wooden trusses there is less stress because the wood is flexible. Typically the aluminum roof tubing is welded to the sides which makes it very stiff and the welds break under the stress of the coach flexing. I don't think cost is cheaper. I went on the GD factory tour before we bought ours and the trusses are more than just 2x4's. The wood is shaped (curved) engineered trusses placed 16" OC which I'm sure are more expensive to make than the thin aluminum tubing. The roof structure has a 3 year warranty and the one piece rubber roof has a 12 year warranty. I wouldn't worry about the roof. The GD web site does mention a 5 sided aluminum cage and the wood residential roof trusses.
Good luck with your choice.
 
Terry
One other item on the roof construction, IMHO unless something penetrates the roof it will be very unlikely it will leak. You have the EPDM roofing, a solid layer of thin aluminum, the marine grade OSB sheeting then the trusses.
I couldn't take pictures on the tour but Bill Martin is the director of marketing and may send you some pix of the roof construction. His email.... [email protected]
FYI-these GD guys are great to work with.
 
It may be due to other factors but when walking on our Reflection roof, it feels noticeably stiffer than the aluminum trussed roof on our previous 5th wheel.
 
Terry and Eileen - Thank you for your question and I am glad to see the number of answers that have been provided. We did strategically choose to use a wood roof as it has a number of benefits that have been noted by others on this chain. I did notice that Rob Groover's cell phone was posted in one of the threads above. He would be happy to speak with you about any concerns or questions you have in regards to the way we build our product. You are also welcome to call me on my cell phone at 574-312-5215 if you would like to speak directly with either of us.

We are very appreciative that you are considering Grand Design for your next RV and want to make sure you are comfortable with your purchase both before and after the sale. Please don't hesitate to reach out.


One of my priorities during my search for a new 5er is a 6 sided Aluminum infrastructure ….. with aluminum roof trusses.
My thinking all along is it is easier to recover from water intrusion damage, if insulation and paneling is all you need to replace; whereas wood rot is a major structural repair…on top of the insulation and paneling.

We are days away from pulling the trigger on a new Solitude, and I have just overlooked the aluminum frame issue because I was told in July the Solitude has the aluminum roof trusses. And on the revamped GD website under the features ….. the old site clearly stated “Aluminum Frame Construction”. (I have a printout – no mention of only 5 sides). In the early days this was a show stopper. We automatically eliminated rigs that did not have 6 Aluminum sides.

For a company that is setting new standards in the RV industry, why does GD use wood for the roof trusses? I can only assume it is a cost cutting measure that to me diminishes the quality level a couple notches. Am I wrong here?

We are literally considering pulling the trigger this weekend, and this just occurs to me.

Aluminum roof is a big deal to me so Please Help me out GD family ……Why? What am I missing? What should I do?

Feeling very disgruntled this morning
 
Zac, it doesn't matter you can walk anywhere except the skylight. I stay towards the center just because I'm afraid I will fall off!
 
Zac, it doesn't matter you can walk anywhere except the skylight. I stay towards the center just because I'm afraid I will fall off!

Same with me Chuck. That's a long way down. I'm really careful when I'm up on top doing maintenance or cleaning. I try to stay on my hands and knees if possible. But I don't notice any significant give when I'm moving around.
 
We just did the factory tour last Monday. I was also concerned about the wood trusses. In addition to the above mentioned reasons. We were told that when the decking is screwed to the aluminum trusses, the movement and vibration will cause the fasteners to loosen over time since there is less surface area for the screws to grip. There is not as much loosening when the screws are driven into wood. I am not an engineer, but it seemed to make sense to me.
 
I have a pilots license and am not bothered by flying but being 12 ft. up on the RV roof is not good for me.
I forgot about the screws getting loose. I had a Heartland Sundance with the aluminum roof frame and the solid foam block insulation, it was 'spongy' feeling in between the aluminum which were spaced allot more than 16". My GD roof is solid.
 
Hey Guys, just to follow up ….. I’ve spoken to Bill Martin, Rob Groover and Scott Brouse at GD and I feel a lot better now.
Seems GD has certainly considered aluminum roof trusses in the past but have realized the overall benefits of wood trusses falls closer in line with the company’s overall commitment to product quality. And after discussing with these 3 gentlemen and doing a bit more reading myself, I now agree!
And just to share a few of the key benefits in case anyone encounters another potential buyer on the verge of meltdown:
Screw Retention – many screws connect the plywood roof deck and there is far more bite for the screw threads into wood than thin metal tubing…totally agree!!
Stronger deck – wood to wood bonding is stronger and more sturdy….certainly makes sense to me!!
Insulation – Hollow metal tubing is a conductor of Hot/Cold …. Wood is not. Easer to retain the insulation RValue / And AC ducting runs through rafters…no doubt!!
Condensation – aluminum sweats and condensates, wood does not….have definitely witnesses this phenomenon in person, many times!!
Memory – Metal bends, and stays bent, wood has some flex….totally agree!!
Roof attachment to wall structure – the top of the tubular aluminum wall structure is stuffed with wood, and large screws are used to fasten the wood rafters structure to the wall structure. The means the entire length of the screw bites into wood.

Thanks GD family for coming to my rescue.
 
Open Roads Forum @ http://www.rv.net/
Note: I did post a similar reply on that forum as well.

Here is that post:

Hey Guys, just to follow up on my situation (bashing not needed) ….. I’ve spoken to several of the Grand Design folks from engineering, product management and marketing and one thing is for sure, Grand Design is totally committed to complete and total customer satisfaction (I believe this is certainly a part of that “Setting New Standards in the RV industry”……), and I feel a lot better now. I’m actually a bit blown away!!
Seems GD has certainly considered aluminum roof trusses in the past but have realized the overall benefits of wood trusses falls closer in line with the company’s overall commitment to product quality. And after discussing with these gentlemen and doing a bit more reading myself, I now totally agree!
And just to share a few of the key benefits:
Screw Retention – many screws connect the plywood roof deck and there is far more bite for the screw threads into wood than thin metal tubing…totally agree!!
Stronger deck – wood to wood bonding is stronger and more sturdy….certainly makes sense to me!!
Insulation – Hollow metal tubing is a conductor of Hot/Cold …. Wood is not. Easier to retain the insulation RValue / And AC ducting runs through rafters…no doubt!!
Condensation – aluminum sweats and condensates, wood does not….have definitely witnesses this phenomenon in person, many times!!
Memory – Metal bends, and stays bent, wood has some flex….totally agree!!
Roof attachment to wall structure – the top of the tubular aluminum wall structure is stuffed with wood, and large screws are used to fasten the wood rafters structure to the wall structure. This means the entire length of the screw bites into wood.

All points that I have not considered…..I’m sold!!

My interest in a well built RV has nothing to do with the quality of the picture on the TV …….. but everything to do with my trailer successfully following me everywhere I go for the next many years……..

You will soon see a Grand Design product in my driveway!!!!
 
He had posted the same question over on RV.net and I was hoping he would follow up with his findings over there also. He did.

EDIT: Thanks Tcamper... you beat me to it.
 
One additional comment that I forgot to mention – The RV industry is filled with cheaper, lesser quality rigs with 6 sided aluminum infrastructure.

tcamper: The other company you're considering, will the Director of Marketing chime in like Bill Martin did above? The Grand Design team stays involved with the product well past delivery. Look around this forum and you'll see a hundred stories of GD stepping up to resolve problems, big and small.
Separately, wife & I will be in Houston mid-April to catch a couple Tigers/Astros games. Go Tigers!
 

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