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Changes Since 2005 that Make Ironhorse Trailers Stronger
Trailer Body–On older flip top trailers, the inner wheel wells, the floor and the sides of the trailers started life as three standalone pieces which we laminated together during assembly. Nowadays, we fabricate one piece fiberglass and gelcoat monocoupe “tubs”, complete with integral inner wheel wells and a gelcoat, fiberglass and Advantek sandwich for the floor. We still laminate the sides of the tub to the sides of the body but that means there are only two joints instead of four.
Sides—The sides of today’s flip tops are much more resistant to side pressure, especially with the top up. While fiberglass is known for its flexibility, too much “give” in the sides puts some people off. In the early models this was most pronounced about seven feet forward of the tailgate with the top up. While we tried to combat what we thought was an inherent vertical “limpness” in the sides with stiffeners, we ultimately figured out that wasn’t the case. Instead, the joint at the rear between the door jamb and the side acted as a hinge whenever anybody pushed or pulled on the side. We eliminated that hinge effect by extending the horizontal portion of the rear corner post forward a few inches and riveting it to the lip on the top of each side.
Door Jambs—No matter how hard anybody slams the tailgate on purpose or accidentally, the pin striping that covers the structural joint between the door jamb and side no longer splits, even at the top. Once we finally understood that the same joint we talked about in the previous section was “giving” on the tailgate side as well, the solution was obvious. We simply added a reinforcing bracket to the steel corner post, immediately behind the top of the door jamb.
“Play” Between Sides & Tailgate—Unlike the early flip tops, the tailgates on the later ones lock to BOTH the sides and the top, not just the top. So the sides on the newer flip tops can no longer vibrate from side to side when the trailer is in motion, nor lunge about independently when the trailer hits a pot hole.
