Aluminum frame trailers

[Shadow Catcher]

I look with interest at the cargo trailer conversions and love what some of you have done (sows ear to silk purse sort of thing), and started to think, I know dangerous, are there aluminum frame cargo trailers? Turns out that yes there are and from what I can see roughly the same price as steel with roughly 30% less weight (Forest River). Has anyone gone this route?

[8ball_99]

I can't see them being the same price. I looked a little and featherlite and a few others that I seen were pretty Expensive.. My 6x14 Tandem with plus height ceiling and RV style door was around 3600. Aluminum was twice that

[eamarquardt]

Some folks, that I think are more knowledgeable than me, have suggested that welded aluminum frames are prone to failure. I friend has an aluminum boat trailer. There are no welds. It is all bolted together so there may be some truth to the failure of aluminum welds on trailers.

Just a thought!

Cheers,

Gus

[High Desert]

As long as the correct material thickness for the job is used I don't see any difference in strength. They make welded aluminum semi trailers after all. But get out your money if you want an aluminum anything! That light weight part includes your wallet after you buy it lol.

[8ball_99]

Aluminum is fine welded.. Like stated above those semi flat bed trailers you see running around are all aluminum. It allows them to carry more cargo. There are also TONS of feather lite Aluminum trailers on the roads. Everthing from flat beds to horse trailers with Livering quaters..So if made correctly they should hold up to wear and tear as good as anything else.. Problem is Aluminum is SO much more expensive and it takes a lot more skill to weld. So in general the same trailer in Aluminum might weigh 30% less, But its going to probably cost 2x or 3x as much as a steel trailer.. With flat bed utility trailers the aluminum ones tend to be rated for less then the same trailer made of steel. As in the same size not construction.. A 6x10 aluminum might be rated for 1500LB wile a 6x10 steel will be 2800-3200. And even then most of the time the limit is the axle on the steel trailer not the trailer itself..

[eamarquardt]

Aluminum is SO much more expensive and it takes a lot more skill to weld.

I can weld alumium (both tig and mig), however, I think you hit upon the root of the problem. It take more skill, proper equipment, and proper preparation to get a good weld with aluminum. Mabye all trailers are not built equal which accounts for more failures in aluminum trailers than steel.

Just a thought.

Cheers,

Gus

[pete42]

I didn't know aluminum trailers cost 2 or 3 times a steel trailer
I kind of find this hard to believe
If say a 6 X 12 steel trailer cost $3000 one of aluminum would be $6000 or $9000?
I also didn't know they would break welds more than steel welds.
I am looking at a all aluminum trailer built by R & R trailers www.rnrtrailers.com
The 7X12 V-nose I have my eye on is around $3400 right in line with others I believe.
they will add anything you want since I'm not in the best of health I will have them add: rv door, screen door, awning, two 30X22 windows, 2 vents, brakes, 4 jacks, they will insulate if I want inside is either plywood or all white
a little over $4600.
Pete[/url]

[8ball_99]

If thats the price then R&R trailers is very cheap for an all Aluminum trailer.. That said.. I looked at their specs and their 7x14 tandem 6+ height all Aluminum trailer weighs exactly the same as my 6x14 well its 40LBs heavier but lets say the same.. And its rated for 1000 Less GVWR. Yes its a foot wider, But that ain't much weight savings and its rated for less like I said earlier. I'm sure you could take a steel trailer and make it much lighter if you wanted to cut the GVWR by 1000Lbs.. Mine has 4" Steel tube frame. 1x2 steel tubing in the walls all the studs in the walls and floor are 16" on center, Ect, ect.. Even with all that it weighs almost the same as R&R aluminum trailer.
I just really don't think its worth it in most cases.. If you save a lot of weight and it doesn't cost much more go for it.. If your not going to save the weight and your getting a weaker trailer for more money it seems like a waste.
The 2x3 times the price I quoted earlier was baste on Feather light trailers.. They do offer a weight savings.. But they are very expensive and they still are rated to carry less weight then the same steel trailer..

[Prem]

Interesting company RNR! But I wonder how this would respond to a strong side wind going down the Interstate:



I got a Featherlite for just a few hundred more than a steel cargo trailer. See first blue link below.

Prem

[pete42]

You guys have made me stop and wonder I just like aluminum since it doesn't rust and I worked 41 years in an aluminum foundry where we welded aluminum every day.
but having said that, I was just commenting on the 2X or 3X the cost of metal trailers.
I agree featherlite trailers are up there in price compared to other trailers I think you are paying for the name sorta like airstream are they really worth that much more.
As far as pulling them in a cross-wind I would think any single axel slab sided trailer would act the same if everything else being equal.
One of my dislikes of the R&R trailer is the tongue it isn't A frame shaped it is a massive aluminum Box beam. I have seen their 7X14 that came from the factory set up for camping very nice.

[pete42]

Interesting company RNR! But I wonder how this would respond to a strong side wind going down the Interstate:



I got a Featherlite for just a few hundred more than a steel cargo trailer. See first blue link below.

Prem

This one looks like it has added heigth.
Prem I have read and admired your build I will have to check on the featherlite If I can find a dealer close thanks Pete

[CW5RLC]

Interesting topic. I started the research on purchasing an aluminum cargo trailer. I found the prices (Mission, Aluma) not to be that signficantly higher than steel. Also I am not sure that weights for sizes of steel would be as similar as quoted above. Comparing trailers is difficult based on design parameters and build quality. I am looking at aluminum because of weight savings and rust resistance (I hope to travel for a while). Aluminum fatigue is a familiar topic in biking, but they make aricraft out of aluminum and it usually takes a very long time to get to the fatigue point. My thought process runs like this. Each time I pull away from a stop, go up an incline or just drive for many miles, the weight of what I am pulling should impact my mileage. My bikes, spare parts etc. won't go over 150 pounds total. A simple build inside the trailer should keep total weight down. Like I said above, it is difficult to compare apples to apples here because each trailer and each build is unique here. But the question for me is, if I travel many miles, is my assumption on fuel savings pertinent, all things being equal?

[Prem]

But the question for me is, if I travel many miles, is my assumption on fuel savings pertinent, all things being equal?

Less towing weight leaving stop signs and going up hill translates to some fuel savings. For a cargo trailer going over 40MPH, an MPG-killer is the rear of the box. Hence, AirTabs.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=25377&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45 (Scroll down the page)

Hope that helps.

[Prem]

Pete,

Ask the dealer for a "scrath and dent" trailer and a discount. I did. I covered 3 dings and a scratch with Featherlite bumper stickers.

Make a low offer on the one that's been on the lot the longest and moved around the most, gaining dings and scratches...seriously.

Prem

[8ball_99]

CW5RLC, Thats a very good question.. Its my understanding that it depends. This is a huge topic over in the Tear forum.. Does a 500LB trailer give you better fuel economy compared to a 600LB trailer of the exact same size. Or even better if your trailer is 5 foot wide vs 6 feet.. From what I've read it really depends on your TV.. If your in a lot of stop and go traffic and going up a lot of inclines then weight will effect your fuel.. How much so depends on the TV and how much weight we are talking about.. Most agree that once you get going a little bit of weight isn't the factor but more to do with the width and height of the trailer.. Even then if your pulling a trailer that doesn't stick out much past your truck it wont' matter.. IE a 5' cargo trailer probably doesn't give you much better MPG over a 6' on a full size since both boxes are not wider then the truck. With weight I can tell you first hand a few hundred pounds doesn't matter with a full size.. Heck I can't tell much difference with 1000LB. I get around 12 MPG pulling a 5x10 with 1100Lbs. I also get around 12 MPG pulling a 6x12 with 1500LB on it. So thats a good 600 or so LB difference with pretty much the same MPG.. I'm sure it varies a lil.. But it so small there is no way to even tell the difference.. I have a feeling on a full size truck pretty much any trailer about the same size is going to pull about the same if the weight is close.. How close who knows.. This is why I said I wouldn't pay much more money and lose GVWR to shave a couple hundred pounds on a 2kLb trailer