Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Tim C. wrote:I am almost ready to mount aluminum fenders to my sandwich foam/ply walls. I have locations noted where I have solid wood, to receive threaded inserts.
I am contemplating attaching the fenders such that there is a small gap between the fender and wall, through the use of 1/8 inch thick plastic washer. This should allow drainage and no water accumulated....

• I have no experience with attaching fenders directly to either foam or wood trailer walls, but many years of experience with using steel fenders attached to trailer frames, using inner shields of steel, or hard plastic, on mostly open trailers. I've seen, and experienced damaged fenders, from encountering large road debris... or in one case where a tire blew-out, and the shredded tire had enough force to damage my thick steel fender (I was driving at 75+ mph), but my race car on the trailer was untouched, saved by the inner fender shield.
• If you need to attach your teardrop or TTT fender directly to the wall itself, and not isolated from it, by frame or suspension mounts, then use heavy-duty hardware, and use an inner shield (backing plate) in any case. Using 1/8" spacers might allows water to drain from the fender-wall interface, but if a backing plate is used, it will make the spacer unneeded. On my squareback trailer, I used both a frame-mount, a backing plate, and also left a 1" between cabin wall and fender assembly; no water or dirt ever touches the wall, protected by the isolated fender (I can easily clean my wall behind the fender, also, with a thin sponge).
• My trailer is an odd width, 50", and my floor is 48" wide (my walls sit on top of the floor, giving me 46.5" inside cabin width), so that left me with the 1" gap between frame edge and walls, making attachment directly to the sidewalls infeasible. And, with my first axle not having brake backing plates, the free-floating fender assembly that I would've used (I've admired them on many street-rods, and wanted to build one) was impossible also. So, frame-mounting was the best choice, in my case. Since my design intent was for a heavy-duty, semi-offroad trailer, I bought heavy steel fenders with optional backing plates, welded the plates on, and welded (not by me, but by a pro,,,I didn't weld when he was available!), and welded them onto the frame in five spots (not a continuous weld, to avoid warpage), with stiffening bars (1" steel angle) on front and rear fender edges (also welded to the frame). Very strong, very protective!

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  fender mounting rationale pictured.jpg (247.83 KiB) Viewed 1756 times

  alternative fender-mounting ideas; I recommend using an inner shield on all fenders

Swan wrote:I would never seal the fender to the wall . I have bolted mine on with plastic bolts in four spots. I use plastic as I want the fender to break away if the tire was to blow out. They are strong enough to hold the fender on without vibration but they are no means a seat or a step. A fender bolted though a wall can get major damage from the repeated slapping of a half mounted tread .

What if the fender completely broke away and hit a car or motorcycle behind you?
There's a possibility it could hit a windshield or someone on a motorcycle.
Danny