Seal wearing off paint on top of rear shell

[RockyMtnRay]

When I was putting away my TM yesterday after unpacking it from a trip I noticed the rear seal on the front shell had completely worn through the paint in two spots on the top of the rear shell. The two spots were about 3 inches wide, respectively about 6 inches and 12 inches in from the curb (door) side of the trailer. Plus the seal had worn through the paint on the top trim piece (this I know is pretty common) and is distinctly wearing on the paint across the rest of the rear seal.

Obviously I'm going to have put extra effort into removing dirt/grime from the roof as I suspect that is acting as an abrasive. I should add that the roof is getting a thorough cleaning after about every 4th camping day and the trailer is stowed in my garage between trips so it's actually staying pretty clean.

I don't recall much mention of this problem so I'm not sure if this is a unique issue or not. In any case, does anyone have any suggestions for (1) an abrasion resistant primer/paint I can fix the top with and (2) any suggestions for some kind of abrasion resistant cross-roof coating or film to put under the seal contact area? I was thinking something along the lines of the 3M "Clear Bra" film or perhaps using one of the rubber roof treatments to provide additional protection for the roof.

Ray, you might consider applying adhesive-backed UHMW polyethylene tape to the areas where the paint is wearing off. UHMW poly. is a very dense plastic with a low-friction surface. I have used a lot of the 3/4" wide tape in my products but recall having seen 3" wide tape advertised by various companies.

[RockyMtnRay]

[quote author=Larry_Loo link=board=2;threadid=2178;start=msg15102#msg15102 date=1091026837]
Ray, you might consider applying adhesive-backed UHMW polyethylene tape to the areas where the paint is wearing off. UHMW poly. is a very dense plastic with a low-friction surface. I have used a lot of the 3/4" wide tape in my products but recall having seen 3" wide tape advertised by various companies.
[/quote]

Larry...

UHMW poly looks like it would be an excellent solution, in particular the 3M 5421 or thicker 5423. Seems to come in 18 yard rolls...which is more than enough considering I need about 8 feet of the stuff. Unfortunately all the on-line vendors I found on a Google search want to sell it by the case of 3 rolls (for the wider) or 9 (for the narrower). And at around $100 per roll for the medium wide, that adds up to around $300 to $500 per case if I'm reading these websites correctly.

Soooo....do you know of any vendors that sell individual rolls of this stuff?

[Bill]

Ray -

I had the same problem, though I let it progress much further before I finally took control. After conversation with Larry Loo, I used the UHMW tape he suggested. It is available in reasonable quantity from McMaster-Carr (an amazing company). See http://www.mcmaster.com/ and type 3197 (the catalog page number) into the Find box.

I bought a 15-foot piece of 6-inch-wide tape for about $20. I suspect that narrower tape would have done well, and would be great in other wear areas. Warning - this stuff is REALLY sticky! You will want a windless day and two people with steady hands to apply it. If it wrinkles when you put it on - well, it is forever wrinkled. There is no such thing as pulling it back up, even a little bit, to straighten out a wrinkle. But when you think about it, that's what you really want - something that won't come off no matter what.

The upper surface is tough, abrasion resistant, and VERY slick - it is used as lining in package chutes in the shipping department of manufacturing companies, UPS, etc. The slickness should reduce wear on the bag seals - an added bonus.

I haven't had it in place long enough to give a final thumbs up - but I can't see any problems with it once you get it in place.

Thanks to Larry for making me aware of this stuff.

Bill

Ray, I went to McMaster-Carr's website and just as Bill stated, the UHMW tape is listed on page 3197 of their catalog. A 5 yd. roll of 3" wide, 10 mil thick tape sells for $20.85. McMaster-Carr will ship your order very promptly. Normally I receive my items about 2 to 3 days after I place my order.

I noticed some wearing of the paint on top of my rear shell over a year ago but so far have managed to ignore it. You eventually will shame me into doing something about it!

[RockyMtnRay]

Thanks muchly guys!!! That's exactly what I was looking for in both quantity and price. Will be placing an order with McMaster-Carr around the 1st of next week so that I have it before my next trip.

[RockyMtnRay]

Followup question for Bill...

Before applying the UHMW tape, what (if anything) did you use to cover the spots where the seals had worn completely through the paint on the roof? If it was some kind of spray paint, do you remember the brand and color you used? I ask because white is such a really hard color to get a good match for...and spray paint has tendancy to go everywhere but where it's supposed to go.

[Bill]

I am embarassed to say that I just left them. Cleaned the roof off really well, and just put the tape down. It doesn't look wonderful, but I seldom see the roof, and it didn't seem worth the time or effort to try to match the color, and then mask, and then paint ... In other words, I'm basically lazy, and I wanted to get the job done.

FWIW, we also used a strip of the tape on the sides, where the sliding seals were lifting the edge of the decals. Unlike the roof, this IS an appearance item, so we were a bit more careful there, but no new paint was required. Just ease the lifted edge of the decals back into place while easing the tape over the area.

Bill

[Civil_War_Buff]

Wow, what a timely topic, thanks Ray!! I have the same happening with my roof and I spoke to the dealership about it last year, they gave me a strip of the teflon (same a under the beds) but I hadn't put it on, just left it under a mattress. The last time I took the TM in for service, they removed the piece, so it I never got it put on, and never got around to complaining either. The UHMW tape is a MUCH BETTER solution and I have already ordered it from McMaster-Carr.

As for the paint question, has anyone ever posted exactly what the color is that matches (or closely matches) the factory color?

Larry

It sounds like this abrasion is a given - not if but when :-(. I'm thinking that putting this tape on before any wear is evident would be a wise thing to do.

Thoughts?