Watch Out For Mag Chloride!

DurangoTaB

Magnesium chloride is often used for preventing icing on roads, but here in the mountains it’s also used to hold down the dust on our many dirt roads.  Several weeks ago we went north of Pagosa Springs to one of our favorite campgrounds, and caught that 20mile road just behind some graders and mag chloride sprayers.  When we finished camping I took the truck and T@B through a self spray car wash and thought I’d gotten most of that nast mud/salt off...but this weekend I noticed a LOT of wear and rust on the front edge of our step...so I spent today taking it off, scraping, and spraying several coats of paint on.  The leading edge of the axle had some rust on it too.  Lesson learned
!

BrianZ

Wow, that's awful.  Good warning for others, thanks.

DurangoTaB

If I had more energy and time I would’ve taken the step to get sand blasted and powder coated...maybe next time!

Sharon_is_SAM

Oh boy.  What elso did it do to the underside and axles?

N7SHG_Ham

Mag chloride is nasty stuff, the DOT here in Oregon uses it as a de-icer, it is less corrosive than salt, but still does damage. I had heard some aftermarket wheels are non longer warranted against corrosion since the DOT started spraying that stuff. Keeping the undercarriage clean is good maintenance!

jkjenn

DurangoTaB said:

Magnesium chloride is often used for preventing icing on roads, but here in the mountains it’s also used to hold down the dust on our many dirt roads.  Several weeks ago we went north of Pagosa Springs to one of our favorite campgrounds, and caught that 20mile road just behind some graders and mag chloride sprayers.  When we finished camping I took the truck and T@B through a self spray car wash and thought I’d gotten most of that nast mud/salt off...but this weekend I noticed a LOT of wear and rust on the front edge of our step...so I spent today taking it off, scraping, and spraying several coats of paint on.  The leading edge of the axle had some rust on it too.  Lesson learned
!

I totally got clobbered with it going over Kebler Pass back in 2015. Nasty is right! I was able to get it off, right away, thankfully 

dhauf

@DurangoTaB being in CT they use this stuff like drinking water around here and it’s a constant battle with rust.  I would recommend POR15 on that.  It’s a very strong epoxy coat that will last and totally stop the rust.  You can actually paint over the rust and it will stop it completely (hence the POR acronym).  It will fade though so you’ll want to spray it will something afterward.  https://www.por15.com/

A small can can goes a long way.  I usually get the 4oz cans.

DurangoTaB

@Sharon_is_SAM...the axle wasn’t near as bad as the lading face of the step.  The killer was the combo of fresh/wet mag chloride and miles of gravel/dusty road.  I really like the POR15 tip...I may at least do that front side of the step with it.  There are also spots on the front stabilizer arms I’ll have to touch up.  The undercarriage itself is fine...

rkj__

Yup, the front edge of the step seems to be the most vulnerable to chipping and rusting.  Mine is not bad yet, but I'll probably be reaching for the paint brush to give it a touch up before too long. 

dhauf

Just got my warranty replacement 2019 Tab today and they totally changed the step out to a different type, its all aluminum now.  My 2018 prior was already starting to rust and I didn't even have it that long, only about 3 months.

DurangoTaB

@dhauf... so many changes from LG/NuCamp’s never-ending learnings and improvements!  It was interesting to peak into the 2018 T@Bs in February...the Lagun table, movement of the TV screen, upgrading the Alde to 3020, etc.  I’m wondering what else is new and improved on the 2019...is that something they highlighted (or do so in their marketing)?

dhauf

@DurangoTaB I was surprised to see how many improvements over the 2018 there was!  We just got it home today and were checking everything out.  My 2018 had the ALDE 3010 this one has the 3020HE, also the Solar panel seems to be of better quality, it is one bigger panel at 130W not sure of the brand, was trying to look but was raining too hard.  The Solar controller also has been upgraded from the cheaper SRNE PWM controller I had on the 2018 to the Victron Energy 75/10 MPPT controller which is much nicer and more customizable than the old one.  They switched from the SeeLevel monitor system to the KiB system monitor which is not as fancy but as I understand it is more reliable, Austin had mentioned they happened to have a lot of issues with the SeeLevel systems particularly the sensors not reading correctly due to tank thickness and also some of them delaminating from the side of the tank.  Also it seems that there was a batch of 2018 models that had a different sub floor material that didn't work out and caused the bubbling that I experienced.  They had to switch suppliers temporarily and it seems it did not work out correctly.  Austin mentioned the subfloor is also made of Azdel fiberglass on all the other models and never had that issue and they have switched back to the Azdel subfloor going forward.  The basket on the tongue has also changed, the spare tire is now on the front of it and not on the back which I kind of like better, seems to control sway a bit better and is much easier to take off that when its on the rack.  As far as I can tell these are all the changes I have seen so far.

DurangoTaB

@dhauf....niiiice!  Thanks for the details! I see a porthole in the bathroom too...

Ratkity

@DurangoTaB, the T@Bitha of mine had the bathroom porthole and it was lovely! So much more light. It had the waterproof venetian blind. No, you cannot moon your sister in the next campsite unless you do special, secret T@B yoga and it's nighttime. No pictures... didn't happen.

Travelin3D

Very nice rig, I like the new front platform a lot. Is the fridge 2-way or 3-way? I saw a 2019 on a dealer website that listed a 2-way so was wondering if that's something new. 

dhauf

Thanks!  The wife and I are really enjoying it!  Fridge is still the same 3 Way unit as my 2018.

rkj__

It's amazing how much better these trailers get every year. 

tabiphile

dhauf said:

 I would recommend POR15 on that.  It’s a very strong epoxy coat that will last and totally stop the rust.  You can actually paint over the rust and it will stop it completely (hence the POR acronym).  It will fade though so you’ll want to spray it will something afterward.  https://www.por15.com/

A friend that snow plows suggests VHT SP229 Rust Converter...he's tried everything else and swears by this for the hydraulic lines, frame etc. on his tractor... Available from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/VHT-SP229-Rust-Convertor-Can/dp/B002NUABUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537187481&sr=8-1&keywords=VHT+rust+converter+spray

Also paint-able and dries when it gets on adjacent surfaces...a problem with many of the rust binders is what it does to paint.