Trailer Lid - SEALS???

[LakeNorman_FJ40]

In the process of having a steel lid fabricated for my Bantam T3-C.

What rubber seals did you use for the trailer lid to seal out dust, water, etc?

The lid will be hinged on one side and come down on top of the tub rails. Have got the hinges and latches figured out...it's going to be a 1" steel tube frame skinned in 18 ga steel.

Hoping that you guys can provide me with some options for the rubber seals (NAME and PART # and SIZE and PHOTOS of seal).

THANKS!!!

 

[Borrego60]

I do not have any numbers but a 1"wx 3/4 h bulb automotive seal might work for you. Something like they use on a door.

 

[Knightpredator]

Here is the stuff I used on mine. Works great and holds up awesome. Reminds of a refrigerator every time I open the lid.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_161713-81-0...tURL=?Ntt=weather+stripping&page=2&facetInfo=

Sorry the pic isn't that great.

 

[Mark Harley]

Ebay Bulb seal with flat adhesive mount.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-s...lb-seal-street-rod-/221194745505#ht_670wt_908

 

[Septu]

I don't have any type of seal on my trailer/lid and I don't seem to have any issues. I've put aprox 10,000 km on it last summer, which included a few rain storms and some heavy dust. My tailgate isn't even the best fitting, and I can see light at both front corners of the lid. But I've never seen any noticeable dust/dirt, and I've never seen water inside. However my lid (which hings from the front) drops down slightly over the edges on the side.

 

[LakeNorman_FJ40]

Thanks for these ideas. Great prices too. My lid will have a flat edge that will be pressing against the round top tube on my Bantam trailer. So the thicker ones will probably work better as it will have something to compress and wrap over the sides of the round tube.

 

[Martyn]

A bulb seal is best for the lid seal. The trick is not to over compress the seal. That means you have to have something that prevents the lid from completely compressing the bulb. If it is flattened it loses it's ability to prevent dust and moisture from entering the trailer.

Your second issue is chassis flex. If you have a flexible chassis the lid will move with the chassis breaking any seal you have on the lid.

Best of luck

 

[LakeNorman_FJ40]

Thanks Martyn, that's great advice. Plan is to use compression latches similar to your trailers. Would have set up the hinges and latches to compress the bulb as much as possible, so thanks for preventing me from making that mistake.

 

[Martyn]

Thanks Martyn, that's great advice. Plan is to use compression latches similar to your trailers. Would have set up the hinges and latches to compress the bulb as much as possible, so thanks for preventing me from making that mistake.

Prevent over compression. You need to build a barrier, adjusting the latches isn't enough. Manufactures recommend placing a sheet of paper between the bulb seal and the lid and adjusting the compression so there is a slight resistance when pulling the paper out. Your challenge is to create some method of keeping this resistance constant.

 

[LakeNorman_FJ40]

Thanks again Martyn. As I think about it more, the weight of the lid alone is likely to compress the bulb. We are using 1" tube and 18 gauge sheet to construct the lid...but with enough extra bracing to support a 3 - 4 man RTT.

The design plan is for the lid to come down past the top of the round tube edge of the tub and sit slightly below or flush to the bottom most portion of the round tube, effectively creating a lip or edge around the perimeter. The thought is that this would help prevent wind from blowing in water or dust into the tub verses if the lid just sat on top of the rails. And hopefully deter leaks when towing in the rain (spray from tow vehicle would have to creep up and then over the round tube...it won't be able to drip down onto the top of the round tube).

This might be overly simple, but what about a 3 or 4 angle iron sections (1" long) tacked at the correct height on the latch side to prevent the lid from closing too far down? Of course the hinged side would have a permanently fixed height due to the hinge being welded.

And if you don't mind me asking, what do you recommend for strut units and placement? Your trailers install the strut externally, and I presume the reason is to maximize interior storage space?

 

[shakotankei]

Not sure if this is any help but the guy that did my lid put little corner tabs inside the lid and tub with a thick rubber pad to prevent the lid from over compressing the bulb seal on side opposite the hinge.

 

[Martyn]

And if you don't mind me asking, what do you recommend for strut units and placement? Your trailers install the strut externally, and I presume the reason is to maximize interior storage space?

There is no straight forward answer to this question as it depends on the weight of the lid, the angle the strut is working at, and the force of the strut.

I have a pdf. document on the subject that I will try to attach.

We choose to place the strut externally as it allows for more storage, and the springs movement is not obstructed by internally stored cargo.

 

[LakeNorman_FJ40]

Thanks Shako and Martyn.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk