Aluminum or steel trailer????

[brian72]

Looking at 18 foot, dual 3500lbs axles, full deck. Using this as a basis, as I know 700ba axle is better, I am trying to figure out what a trailer guy told me.

He said aluminum is lite but can't load as much, so steel is better. Something about using less material to give same strength, so therefore steel is better choice and can be lighter???? Just looking for opinions, as I know you all have one..;D

If everything is equal in configurTion of trailer, better off with one or the other?

 

[stock1970]

I wonder how much light aluminum is vs the steel ones .. and the price diff..
I would really like to hear from some peeps with actual experience with both..

bump to the top.. for ya..

 

[ransil]

I have a steel trailer and its heavy...

 

[TwoDalesDad]

I have a steel trailer which was built with a wood deck..which didnt last but 3-4the years. I added diamond plate deck with a few new cross members as well. That was almost twenty years back. It weighs in at two thousand pounds. I use this to carry every thing you can imagine..and things you can't. With an aluminum trailer...first is to justify the huge price difference....which I cannot due, and I have tryed repetedly....go steel...put the difference in your bronco

 

[00gyrhed]

Aluminum trailer isnt worth the difference in cost unless you are going to use the hell out of it. Its lighter but unless you tow A LOT you will never see any real gas savings, and then the gas savings will probably NEVER pay back the difference in cost.

There is the cool factor though and y0ou cant put a price on that. My buddy has a two car hauler made out of aluminum he bought into the lie that he would save tons of gas but by the time your truck breaks the wind, and it gets the weight of the truck going plus the weight of the load on the trailer, the savings of the weight of the trailer is about the samre as if your fat buddy just didnt make the trip with you.

They are cool though.

 

[Timmy390]

I guess it depends on the load you plan to tow and the rig you plan to tow said load with.

I can think of reasons to go both ways. I would go steel as my tow rig can pull a house and still get 12mpg where as with my old rig, I hooked the boat up and got 12mpg.

After getting hit by copper theives last year, I don't want anything that some crack/meth head can take and cut up easy and sell for scrap to some crooked scrap dealer. They didn't take the steel from my building but they sure helpped themselves to the copper and the bags of alum beer cans my daughter likes to turn in for some cash. I was hard work but I replaced the empty cans....LOL

I say go steel and get a bigger tow rig........

Tim

 

[1973 Houston]

i would go steel unless you live by the sea where it would be destroyed.

 

[hewie73]

ok here's my opinion. If you're even considering shelling out the kind of coin that an aluminum trailer will cost, consider getting a nicer steel one. How about a 18-20 footer with a tilt bed. Add a winch. Led lights. Cool paint job.

I love seeing peoples' jaws hit the ground when i back my trailer up to whatever i'm loading up. Push the button. Trailer deck raises. Unspool winch. Winch up vehicle. Push button, deck returns to level. Strap it down. Drive away. Never gets old.

Its like a rollback that you tow. And if you have to have aluminum get some aluminum wheels for it!

 

[jw0747]

my Top Hat all steel 18' cost $3,200. same Featherlite aluminum $2,000+ more. ain't worth the diff. would probably take 3-5 yrs to recover diff in gas savings.

 

[wesleydax]

i would go steel mine is 20' steel deck 2 3500 axles. I got in in dalton everything was 2100.00 if you want me to ill get you there number. was well worth the drive. i looked everywhere and they beat everybodys price.

 

[Broncobowsher]

When you need to weld a new set of fender brackets on, doing repairs on aluminum is a lot harder. Price wise steel wins. But resale of an alloy could just about make that a mute point, depending on what you pay for it.

Will it save fuel, no. You may save 5 gallons over the life of the trailer. Aerodynamics eat fuel. Saving a couple hundred pounds when you are going to be over 5 tons on the road means nothing.

Given a coin flip between 2 nearly identical trailers I would take the aluminum. But value wise the steel will win. Here is a fun one for you, Galvanized steel trailer with aluminum deck. Don't park an 8k forklift on it because it will dent the floor. But this is better then a wood deck where it will fall through.

As for the tilt deck, those are so sweet. A guy at work has one and picks up old cars to build into derby cars. Tilt and winch, sweet as a personal roll back tow truck.

 

[anoblefox]

when I bought our trailer I was told to get the steel one, they ride much better when empty. This is not a concern if it is always loaded; however in my case I go to pick up cars, meaning it is towed empty nearly 50% of the time. The aluminum ones do not hold up as well when towed unloaded since they do not weigh enough to load the rated spring rate, hence thet bounce alot and can develop cracks much easier. It made sense to me. You should look at a trailer as an investment, get a nice one. I have used ours now for 24 years and highly recommend the 18' sloan quik load from Texas, no ramps, a true tilt bed design. I am not affiliated in any way, just a satisfied customer.

 

[hyghlndr]

IMHO Aluminum is the only way to go if you can afford it.

Easier to tow, very different in light duty trucks.
Move around so much easier by hand.
No rust. No rust. No rust.
Much better resale and much more quickly. Reasonably priced they won't last a few days on craigslist.
No painting or replacement of wood.
Much easier to clean.
Less scratches, cuts or abrasions since there is no rust or peeling paint.
Any of the quality trailers will withstand TONS of use, I sold a late 1960's one earlier this year.

In all I have had three steel trailer then went to aluminum. I currently have three and bought & sold 6 others.

 

[bknbronco]

Im not a fan of any aluminum trailers but then again i have never owned one. Steel is strong and takes a hell of a beating. It can also be easy fixed, and modded as things come up. If your pulling a 18footer then who cares about weight saving because i assume your pulling it with a 3/4 or 1 ton truck.

My 18 foot enclosed work trailer has the 5000lb axles instead of the common 3500lb ones. The 5000lb axles have huge bearings which i never worry about overloading. The best thing about the 5000lb axles is the much larger tire. Great for jumping curbs, and coming in and out of steepdriveways. I rarely drag the rear of my trailer, where when i pulled others the rear would drag almost on every driveway.

 

[Timmy390]

If your pulling a 18footer then who cares about weight saving because i assume your pulling it with a 3/4 or 1 ton truck

I see people on I-40 pulling things with F-150 and 1500's and whatever the Rams are, so overloaded it's crazy. Bumpers almost dragging the road. Seen a Ram on the side once with a load of sod in the back so heavy it broke the axle housing....LOL Two dudes standing there looking at it one with his hat in his hands shaking his head.......The size of the new bigger than ever bumper pull trailers is crazy.

Can a 1/2 ton pull it sure......should you be pulling with it...well no....
I stepped up the a 3/4 ton Diesel and it's a crazy difference but the price was crazy too.....

Tim

 

[Bigbadjim]

I just recently bought a aluminum 27' trailer, it only weighs 2600lbs. It says on the trailer tag the cargo weight is 7800lbs. The exact same 27' trailer with steel construction weighed 4800lbs and had a cargo weight of 5600lbs.

Price difference here in Canada was $11800 for the steel and $13200 for the aluminum. For the extra $1400 I figured the aluminum trailer was the better choice because here in Sk we get lots of road salt conditions during our 8 months of winter %) and our vehicles and trailers rot and rust quickly. Cross members under the trailer are tube and spaced to haul the listed cargo weight. I don't think you can go wrong with buying a aluminum trailer, closed or open deck. Unless the price is way too high in your area. Then it might not be benificial to you.

I hauled a 7000lb Ford F350 with a blow head gasket in it last weekend. I looked underneath as it was being winched in the trailer. Not really much flex at all. You can sure feel the difference when pulling the trailer thats for sure, pulls like a feather, guess thats why its called "super-lite"