New NT Aluminum Trailer Kits

[WizardOfOdds]

Has anyone bought the Northern Tool Aluminum folding trailer Item# 49803 ??
It looks very much like a light weight version of the folding HF trailers.



Here is what I gathered from the ad and manual.

weight = 176 lbs without any deck floor
GVW = 1400 lbs
4 hole 12 inch wheels
looks like square or C-channel axle
bearing number 30205 (52 mm rather than 1 inch)
despite ad info, bed appears to tilt (it shows it in folded mode!)

The 176 lb bare weight is what catches my attention.
I would guess the axle, springs, wheels, coupler, etc are steel, but
all frame members and fenders appear to be alum.

What problems would the alum frame present??
Would the HF bearings and seals fit this??
Looks like I could use the round axle & wheels off my HF.

There is also a 5x8 version ($100 more).
It has 5.3x12 tires with 5 hole rims. The NT site currently shows the
shipping weight of the 4x8 as 195# and the 5x8 as 186#. I sent them a
note because this looks like an error. The 176# listed above appears in
the Q&A section for the 4x8 kit.

[booyah]

Wow, thats interesting... the 5x8 would have cut a good 100lbs off my already light trailer

[dogscats]

When you look at the pictures it has steel bolted to the aluminum. Salted road will rot out the aluminum where the steel are together. Something to think about

[dales133]

When you look at the pictures it has steel bolted to the aluminum. Salted road will rot out the aluminum where the steel are together. Something to think about

Ive seen the same set up with steel independent suspenzion bolted to steel and have a barrier of vinal or something similar and stainless bolts witch should help the electrolysis issue at least to some extent.
This subject holds some interest for me as i need to work out the best way to attach my aluminium siding to my steel subframe.

[ghcoe]

It is 75lbs lighter than the HF trailer. 75lbs of more ballast......

[WizardOfOdds]

There is also a 5x8 version ($100 more).
It has 5.3x12 tires with 5 hole rims. The NT site currently shows the
shipping weight of the 4x8 as 195# and the 5x8 as 186#. I sent them a
note because this looks like an error. The 176# listed above appears in
the Q&A section for the 4x8 kit.

On further inspection, although the 4x8 is a folding design, the 5x8 is not. So the shipping wt
of the 5x8 might actually be less than the 4x8 (because it leaves out folding steel parts).
Better yet, the side rails of the 5x8 appear to be single 8 foot runs (as opposed to the 4x8
having spliced 4 foot sections). That makes moving the axle a lot less taxing. It also looks like
it would be easier to isolate the contact between steel and alum at the axle connection. I am
thinking of using a vinyl strip between the steel U channel and the alum rail. Any comment on
that?

[dales133]

Some form of hard wearing Vinal or ppoe would be ideal i recon

[Minics04]

On sale now. $100 off with FREE shipping. $629 !

[WizardOfOdds]

Thanks for the comments (in both Chassis & Foamie blogs), all very useful.

I was expecting a lot of "nay-say" on the aluminum due to corrosion at joints with steel parts. Here is a page from a trailer manufacturer (Great Dane Trailers) with tips to minimize the problem.

http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/fabrication/how-deal-dissimilar-metals

Wikipedia has a good page on Galvanic corrosion too

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi52N3nvdzMAhWEPz4KHfuvBb8QFgg5MAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGalvanic_corrosion&usg=AFQjCNG2PU0Jpb-1kHTX5AplrylhkZGQvw

Looks like a challenge but then again, all-steel trailers have rust issues. I have some vinyl flashing I hope is ok for surface isolation. It would be nice to get some nylon shoulder washers for the hole through the Al to isolate it from the bolt threads. I am not familiar with PTFE paste, is it some Teflon product?

I had heard about aluminum problems with regard to fatigue and cracks (hard to forget what happened to the first commercial jet airliner, the British Comet)! I just didn't think it was a problem with trailers until Shadow Catcher's comments (Foamie Blog). I'm hopeful it will not be a problem if I stay light.

Still undecided which way to choose, it’s hard to give up on saving a hundred pounds! I am not sure if a bolt-together aluminum trailer is a wise thing or not. While most (if not all) aluminum trailers deal with different metal for the axle & suspension, the ones I've seen are welded witch avoids a lot of joints I will have to deal with in these designs.

[dogscats]

Most old off road trailers makers in South Africa go to Alum. for a time then go back to steel. If going with alum. trailer if you look over the frame ever 6 mo. you see any problems

[myjeepcherokee]

Just bought one of of these trailers last week for my upcoming pop-up build. If you catch it on sale for $629, and use the free shipping and $50 dollars off coupon (look on retailmenot.com) you can get them for $579. Just got it assembled last night, I did consider using stainless steel fasteners but decided to assemble as-is and see how it holds up. The powder coating on the steel parts is of great quality and I'm hoping that offers enough of a barrier between the two metals, we will see! Overall I'm very impressed with the quality and attention to detail, only down side is the bias ply tires, but I'll swap them out with radials soon enough.

[WizardOfOdds]

Thanks for coupon tip! I saw a $25 coupon somewhere (NT site??), glad to see there are other places to check when I'm ready to buy.

I assume you built it by the book. I and others would like to know how feasible common changes are on this new kit, in particular could you comment on:

1- Moving the axle above the springs (as I recall NT warns of fender problems)
2- Moving axle location (it looks like you just move the spring hangers)
3- Tounge extension (probably not with aluminum??)
4- How do you like the LED lights? Are the side markers LEDs too?

What kind of Pop Up you got in mind? Rag Top?, Clam Shell? A-frame?
Not many pop ups on this site, so please feed us with details and pictures!
Looking forward to your progress, and good luck with all!

[TeriL]

Wow! This is exciting for anyone making an ultra light trailer (like me!).

As far as galvanic corrosion is concerned, if there are insulating washers between the steel parts (looks like mainly the spring assembly) and the aluminum, then there shouldn't be a problem. The bolts however, may need to be replaced with stainless steel ones. Alternatively, one could goop a lot of RTV silicon sealant all over the bolts to seal them from any water and salts.

If the Harbor Freight versions were galvanized instead of painted, they would be nearly as good if an extra 100 lbs wasn't too much.

Anyone have any comments on the build quality compared to the Harbor Freight trailers (not that HF products are paragons of quality!) I followed the 4x6 Horizontal Vertical metal cutting bandsaw forum for a while. General consensus was it was a kit to be completely torn down and rebuilt properly. I had previously bought a Rong Fu (Taiwan) version from my local tool supplier. It was and still is perfect out of the box. The Rong Fu was a good copy of an American design. The HF version was a sloppy crude copy of the same design.

-- Teri

[myjeepcherokee]

Sorry for the delayed reply! This kit is pretty similar to the steel trailers, so I would see modification not really being a problem. I put mine together just as the manual stated.

Moving the axle should be of no problem, I am planning to flip mine here shortly to lower my build. Moving the axle would just take drilling 4 holes. Tounge extension would be possible, but I would probably use steel. All the lights are LED, and work great! See my assembly video here:

Thanks for coupon tip! I saw a $25 coupon somewhere (NT site??), glad to see there are other places to check when I'm ready to buy.

I assume you built it by the book. I and others would like to know how feasible common changes are on this new kit, in particular could you comment on:

1- Moving the axle above the springs (as I recall NT warns of fender problems)
2- Moving axle location (it looks like you just move the spring hangers)
3- Tounge extension (probably not with aluminum??)
4- How do you like the LED lights? Are the side markers LEDs too?

What kind of Pop Up you got in mind? Rag Top?, Clam Shell? A-frame?
Not many pop ups on this site, so please feed us with details and pictures!
Looking forward to your progress, and good luck with all!

[WizardOfOdds]

Very nice job on the frame and floor so far.
The videos are great, very high quality compared to many of thers I have watched.
You might consider posting (video, here or both) where you purchased the tent top.
I know you mentioned it, but some of us see links better than hear names.
Looking forward to your videos as you complete the job.
Thanks for posting.