Maxxfan in a Burro?

[ojdash]

Hey all, I just purchased a 1984 Burro and am in the process of replacing the existing roof vent. I bought a Maxxfan and the flange for the exterior is 2" wide on the side that goes right up to the seam. Should I return this and buy another brand? Turn the fan so one of the 1" sides is on the seam? the hinge would be against the seam if I did this instead of being "with the wind." I can do a spacer on the exterior but I will still have overhang at the seam. All suggestions welcome. Pics attached... I have read every thread I could find and watched Kevin's video on glossing a spacer. What I would like to do is turn the fan sideways but I am afraid I will put too much stress on the top

[TomandCallie]

I would think you want to keep the hinge forward so the fan will open to the leeward side as intended, but can you trim off the side of the flange that is too wide? If you do this and lose the screw holes, I would think you could just cement it down sufficiently. Just my 2 cents - I'm not exactly sure what you have going on there.

[jwjenn]

Maybe someone more experienced will disagree with this. On our 99 Burro, to install the air conditioner, the installers cut parts of the seam down flush with the roof to make the AC fit. We replaced the AC with a Maxx Fan, and covered the now exposed, open seam (about 4-5 inches fore and aft of the new, smaller fan) with roof sealant. Our factory seam doesn't look nearly as nice as yours the whole length of the trailer; it had a bit of a gap. So we actually filled and overlaid it with Interlux waterproof epoxy just to make extra sure it never leaks, and to keep mold from growing on the exposed, raw fiberglass edge it had. Painted it (and the whole trailer) with Brightsides and put the seam finish molding back on, and it looks fine so far. (I'll update if this changes over the years). So, in summery, you could maybe cut your seam down flush to the roof and just lay the edge of the fan over it (after filling with resin or epoxy or butyl tape of course). There's one idea. I haven't found anything that suggests doing so would compromise the integrity of the shell strength or cause any other problems, but I'm a relative newbie.

[jwjenn]

That sounds better than my idea. :-)

[jwjenn]

[QUOTE=TomandCallie;617249]... trim off the side of the flange that is too wide? If you do this and lose the screw holes, I would think you could just cement it down sufficiently....

I mean this sounds better than my idea.

[ojdash]

Originally Posted by TomandCallie

I would think you want to keep the hinge forward so the fan will open to the leeward side as intended, but can you trim off the side of the flange that is too wide? If you do this and lose the screw holes, I would think you could just cement it down sufficiently. Just my 2 cents - I'm not exactly sure what you have going on there.

The pictures show my existing vent (no fan) and it's about an inch from that seam. I'm thinking once I put a spacer in there it is going to get very interesting trying to fiberglass that close to the seam but I hate to start grinding on it. I think I will try trimming the flange...I always get nervous cutting brittle plastic. Thanks

[Jeanne D. in ca]

I installed a maxxfan on my 82 burro. I've got pics on here.
I made a frame out of 1.5 inch square fiberglass rod. Trimmed the seam off so that the frame would fit and fiberglassed the frame in place. The fan bracket is screwed into the frame. The fan looks good and the frame keeps the knob up out head bumping range. Hinge goes toward the front.
I thought of not trimming the seam, but I like the way it looks. Used an oscillating multi tool to trim it.
I'm trying to work out how to fasten the inside trim without screwing into the frame.
Jeanne

[Jeanne D. in ca]

The picture from the outside is where I trimmed the seam. Eventually I'll paint it.

Jeanne

[David B.]

Jeanne, that is a very nice solution. Where would one purchase the fiberglass rods?
Dave & Paula

[ojdash]

Originally Posted by David B.

Jeanne, that is a very nice solution. Where would one purchase the fiberglass rods?
Dave & Paula

I believe she got them on amazon IIRC. I have read a lot o threads recently though...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

...On screwing on the inside trim plate for the MaxxFan wouldn't you be screwing into the fiberglass rod all the way around?

I had a different model than yours and I returned it for a Fantastic Fan because the 2250 model was on lightning deal for $108...So I thought I would be cheap for a bit. I will definitely be fiberglassing in a spacer on the top (or attempting to).