Corrosion Prevention Tips

Keeping the Metal Hardware on Your Teardrop Trailer Rust Free


Metal corrosion on your Teardrop trailer can be a significant problem to deal with. Below is an excerpt of an article written by Rich Johnson in the September 2012 issue of MotorHome:

 

Life is tough on anything made of metal that lives outdoors. Rust is a constant threat. but beyond that, there's a form of cannibalism that takes place when different types of metals come into direct physical contact with each other. Dry contact between dissimilar metals is no problem, but when an electrolyte (water in the form or rain, fog, dew, etc.) is introduced, it starts an electrochemical reaction that results in one of the town metals being devoured.

Stainless steel screws used to attach aluminum components can cause destructive corrosion problems.

Traveling and camping near the ocean accelerates the problem, speeding the corrosion process significantly because of the salt in the environment. Likewise, driving where there is residual salt on the road (used in the winter in some regions to melt ice) can cause rapid corrosion.

One method of mitigating metal corrosion in your custom Teardrop trailer is by using our aluminum drive screws during construction. By assuring that you are using like metals, the electrochemical reaction mentioned in the article will not happen.