O.K.,on my last trip out in October upon clean up of the camper,somewhere along the trip the tow vehicle must have picked up a stone and threw it at the front of the camper.Now I have a small but noticeable "dent" in the front.I always did think that diamond plate looked nice on the front of a pop up,but is there a reason for it other than appearance? I'm thinking about putting it on the front of my Flagstaff not only cause it looks nice,but to protect the front end. I know some people don't like the reflections of the taillights at night from the tow vehicle. Anybody else put their own on ? Screws or silicone to hold it on?
Mine is attached with side molding, screws and rivets. It is OEM and acts as the sole front bulkhead. It is very thin and would show dents as easy as regular panels. It looks nice so I would install it anyway.
Reminds me of the time we kicked up a rock that ricocheted off the front of the utility trailer and shattered the rear glass of my old shoebox Cherokee. You don't want the front of the trailer to be too hard.
Thick enough diamond plate to not dent won't be cheap. I don't think I would want to install it anyway. You are just adding a bunch of water entry points with the screws and adding unnecessary weight to the tongue.
I was all hot on putting some on the front of my Rockwood a few years ago, but never got around to it. I still may do it someday, but the weight issue did hold me back some.
If you were to put the standard diamond plate skin over the current bulkhead, the weight is inconsequential. It is literally the thinness of a drink can. Not an issue.
If it's only the thickness of a Pop can, it won't provide any protection against stones. Pretty sure I would buy something a little thicker than that, maybe something like .125 (1/8) inch thick. Every little bit of weight added to the cheap tongues they put on these things nowadays has the potential to cause a problem. 7 ft wide x 3 ft high @ 2 1/2 lbs per square foot = 52.5 lbs.
FWIW - my camper has aluminum diamondplate on the front, and it shows dents quite visibly. Not saying don't do it - just saying it might not solve your dent problems. It still looks awesome
This is off topic abit but has anyone ever used some black stencil lettering on the Aluminum Diamond plate metal. I have a battery box project and want to put some lettering on the outside. The one I tried did not stick well going over the diamond plate raised symbol finish... I'm begining to think the best way to do is get a small metal ID plate made up with my wording I want to show... Roy Ken
How about painting it on or go to a professional sign outfit and get it done. They do custom graphics on any surface for the most part. They would also be able to make the stenciling stick to that diamond plate.
Here's the thread for when I did mine. It is not 1/8" thick and certainly nowhere near 50lbs of added weight. The whole sheet probably only weighed 10/15lbs and I didn't use all of it. This covered the deteriorating trunk lid, which was the main goal, and the remainder was big enough to do the front panel. I love the look of it. http://www.popupportal.com/index.php?topic=89148.0 The only way you can avoid rock dents is to not tow your trailer. Learn to enjoy the scars you earn on the road.
I used stainless screws and raised finishing washers. The top edge has a trim piece to give it a clean look with a bead of caulking across top.
