Prevent loss of trim

LauraC
LauraC Member Posts: 33
in Modifications & Upgrades
I've seen photos of people losing their trim / Keder rail on the highway.  I thought I saw something about some clips or something that can be used to prevent this from happening.  I've attached a photo of the rail on my T@b 360 which appears to be rising up at the top.  Can anyone tell me about the clips?
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+

Comments

  • LauraC
    LauraC Member Posts: 33
    I just reviewed a couple of threads about the rail falling off - and repairing older rails that had cracked, fallen off, etc.  It sounds like I should just wait until it happens and deal with it then.  Fingers crossed I'll be lucky and it will stay in place.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,536
    No, do not wait.  If you are on the road, grab some strong tape and secure the trim to the edge of the trailer. Try to keep air from digging under the trim and having it fly away.  This is a newer design of the "trim" compared to years past (this type of trim is probably about 3 years old?).
    Review this video, which I think might be what you are thinking about.

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • LauraC
    LauraC Member Posts: 33
    pthomas745 ... thank you so much!  That's exactly what I had in mind.  Looks like a great way to keep the trim intact.  The next thing I should probably do is attach the "bumper" with some long screws.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • LauraC
    LauraC Member Posts: 33
    I've been thinking about this some more.  I think I will just have some of the 3M 2 sided tape on hand and use that periodically to keep the trim and bumper secure.  I'm afraid if I add screws either the plastic will crack as it expands and contracts (I live in Colorado where there are extremes of heat and cold) or there will be an opening for a possible water leak.  Can anyone post a link of the 3M tape I should buy?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Cherokee
    Cherokee Member Posts: 346
    A good post that should interest recent 320 owners! The previous version of the colored trim was mechanistically fastened, but the black trim that accompanied it tended to come loose. I'll post that fix when the weather cools a little.       
    TV:2019 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X With an Old Man Emu lift
    Trailer: 2019 T@B 320 Boondock with a Lock&Roll Coupler & Jack-e-up
    Custom fabricated metal bottom cladding
    California, USA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Maxcamp
    Maxcamp Member Posts: 352
    edited September 2025
    Interesting video.  My 2021 clips haven't rotted out yet but this identical joint appears elevated.
    Anone with plastic house gutters has witnessed the inches of lengthwise movement between hot and cold.
    I'd be leery of through bolting plastic as done in the video, without slotted holes to accommodate expansion.  It may just crack if firmly held.
    Silicone caulk has only modest adhesive properties, ir is not a construction adhesive.
    A clear polysulfide caulk or black rubberized caulk may work better.
    It would be good to hear from folks who have modified this trim fastening, one to several years after the fact.  What works or doesn't.

    Additionally,  why on earth are we all accepting a flawed manufacturer detail that puts us at risk of being responsible for flying projectiles to others at highway speed?
    On an automobile this would lead to lawsuits, NTSB investigation, and manufacturer recall.
    I believe we should be writing to Nucamp and demanding a no cost fix of this consistent trim failure.

    Would you accept the failure of front storage box fasteners leading to boxes littering the highway?  How about wheel lugs rotting leading to wheel loss?

    Where should we draw the line.




    2021 T@B 320S Boondock/ 2012 Tacoma 4 cylinder truck / 2023 Tacoma 6 cyl. truck

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Basil48192
    Basil48192 Member Posts: 437
    @Maxcamp.  Good point about the thermal expansion.  If you assume a 100 degree (F) swing, these sections could expand/contract up to 1/4".  I have just the beginning signs of this trim becoming loose.  I will try a good, plastic adhesive and add screws to just the top joint which, as stated in the video, is really the only joint that is susceptible to the wind.  This will allow the trim to expand and contract freely, being fixed at only one end.   
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Yoshi_TAB
    Yoshi_TAB Member Posts: 569
    Hi, Our new 360 CS does not have the larger trim , but smaller . Hopefully all newer builds will have this .

    2025 360 CS 
    2021 TAB 320 BD (w/new owner having fun)
    2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee
    Southern Maryland
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • jkjenn
    jkjenn Member Posts: 6,417
    Maxcamp said:
    Interesting video.  My 2021 clips haven't rotted out yet but this identical joint appears elevated.
    Anone with plastic house gutters has witnessed the inches of lengthwise movement between hot and cold.
    I'd be leery of through bolting plastic as done in the video, without slotted holes to accommodate expansion.  It may just crack if firmly held.
    Silicone caulk has only modest adhesive properties, ir is not a construction adhesive.
    A clear polysulfide caulk or black rubberized caulk may work better.
    It would be good to hear from folks who have modified this trim fastening, one to several years after the fact.  What works or doesn't.

    Additionally,  why on earth are we all accepting a flawed manufacturer detail that puts us at risk of being responsible for flying projectiles to others at highway speed?
    On an automobile this would lead to lawsuits, NTSB investigation, and manufacturer recall.
    I believe we should be writing to Nucamp and demanding a no cost fix of this consistent trim failure.

    Would you accept the failure of front storage box fasteners leading to boxes littering the highway?  How about wheel lugs rotting leading to wheel loss?

    Where should we draw the line.



    Trim coming loose is not inevitable. It happens occasionally and it draws attention by owners when it does.

    I never had an issue with my 2015 TAB 320, 2021 TAB 320, ir the prototype.

    2021 T@b 320 Boondock "Mattie Ross" | 2021 T@b Nights: 239 | Total nights in a T@b 455 | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland | T@b owner since 2014

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Basil48192
    Basil48192 Member Posts: 437
    Just a quick note that might help people attempting a repair like that in the video.  I have a 2021 320S and, again, my trim is just starting to get loose in a couple of places.  I am currently securing the loose areas with thick, double-sided tape and epoxy glue for plastic and metal.  I had a problem getting the trim to stay seated in the keder rail while the glue set.  So I made a quick, crude clamp out of some hardware store odds and ends (I already had the bracket that I made for my tv antenna).  Hopefully the idea might help someone out there.  
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • AnOldUR
    AnOldUR Member Posts: 1,728
    I've posted this before, but it has worked well for our 2020 320S ...

    (longer screw and stainless steel fender washer)

    Stockton, New Jersey
    2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler
    60,865 camping miles through the end of 2025

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Basil48192
    Basil48192 Member Posts: 437
    @AnOldUR.  That's a good idea.  My problem was that both sides of the joint were slightly loose and 'springing' upward.  I don't think there is anything to 'screw into' in that orientation...at least not on the 2021.  
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+

Categories