by Squigie » Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:37 am
I agree.
Older "standard" frames are generally much more over-built than more recent production.
But even some older frames were fairly light weight if the original intent was a 'light weight' model.
Two quick examples:
My brother owns a mid-'60s, 8-foot tent trailer from a major manufacturer (I don't remember which). The frame is made of 1/4" steel C-channel and angle, and has three times as many cross-members as necessary. He has never weighed the trailer, but I wouldn't be surprised if the frame alone was over 1,000 lbs.
My other brother owns a 13-foot travel trailer that has been in our family since it was purchased new in 1956. It weighs just shy of 7,000 lbs! -And the majority of that weight is in the floor and frame. That frame is also 1/4" steel C-channel, but spaced about 4" apart and oriented longitudinally, with three inches of plywood layered on top. Strip the body off that frame, and it could be a car hauler.
One for contrast:
I had an early '70s, 8-foot tent trailer (pretty sure it was a Coleman...?) with "lite" in the model name. The frame was a very minimalistic approach, with 1/8" (and thinner) rectangular steel tube and a few bits of angle. Empty, that entire trailer weighed less than 800 lbs. However, putting more than about 50 lbs of pressure on more than two of the stabilizing jacks would bend the frame and bow the entire trailer badly enough to jam the door and bend the corner posts. It was certainly light. But I think the wood floor and aluminum skin had better structure than the steel frame.
(I sold that trailer because it had too many issues beyond my desire for repair. But I sure do miss it. So light. And the floor plan made so much better use of the space than any other tent trailer I've had since then.)