Trailer accessory question

[MarkM]

Hey guys, how do you attach things to the walls/door of your trailers?

The door does not seem to have any structural members other than at the edge to attach a door cabinet to.

Is it imperative that things be attached to the structural members of the trailer wall itself? Can some things (helmet shelf, for example) be attached to the skin only. If so , what is the best method?

Mark

[Brian]

Most alumimum trailers have steel ribs every 16" or so, to which the aluminium outer skin is rivited. People often line the trailer with 3/8" plywood and attach stuff to the plywood. If your trailer is the newer fiberglass sandwich type, you will have a completely smooth outer and inner skin and the wall will be about 1/2" thick. You buy special buttons that are inserted through the wall and give you a hard-point with a 1/4" bolt on the inside.

Maybe this gives you an idea or two. Pretty much a bad idea to attach stuff to the skin of the trailer.

Brian

[Gerald Barrett]

Mark,
I have installed lots of shelves into my trailer. I use self drilling phillips flat-head screws. I screw through the wood support into the metal studs. I only attach stuff to the metal studs. I would not attach anything to the skin only. I don't have anything attached to my door and the support
has already failed.
I had to weld in lots of extra bracing around the door step. The weight of people walking in and out of the trailer for ten years and about 70K miles caused the step support to break and the entire door support to break. Lots of welding fixed that. I don't plan on buying a new trailer soon, when that money could go towards new race rubber, right!
Gerald.