Steel vs Aluminum Trailer (Light Off Road Use)

[Foy1deR]

I've recently started the search for the perfect cargo trailer to rip apart and make awesome. I've found the price difference between aluminum and steel trailers to be surprising. What I also found surprising is the weight difference between the two. For the 6x12 that I am planning on, the difference is almost 500#. But the price increase is around $1500.

My tow vehicle is a Tacoma, and I hope to be able to drag this trailer through the backwoods of Maine, so strength is important to me. I wanted to get some thoughts on what might be a better choice for my trailer. Lighter weight would certainly be easier on the Tacoma, especially when the going gets tough. But, it would also be nice to have the ductility and strength of steel when large rocks grow out of the middle of the road.

[hankaye]

Foy1deR, Howdy;

Structural Aluminum is good stuff, pricey, but well worth the $'s. And if you are going to be worried about,
" when large rocks grow out of the middle of the road. " then you won't need to worry about the frame of
the trailer, cuz the Axle will be eating it for ya.

Oh yea, Welcome to the forum and keep asking questions and pleas post some pix as you progress.

hank

[CoventryKid]

Welcome to the forum!

I chose Neo for my trailer conversion as I too was concerned with weight. My wife and I full-time in our CT. Our travels have taken us from Vancouver Island north to the Yukon, to the east coast of Canada & the US, and south to the desert south west and all points inbetween. Absolutely no problems with the CT other than a broken spring due to terrible condition of US 101 in Oregon last Spring (2017).

We like BLM, FS camping but admittedly have not (yet) ventured too far on gravel roads.

If you pick NEO you'll like that they use screws to attach interior plywood walls, not nails that look like screws. (I'm just a happy customer, not affiliated with Neo in any way.)

Hope this helps.

[Foy1deR]

Thanks for the info. I think that I have been subconsciously leaning towards aluminum, but my wallet was avoiding the choice. I'll probably save enough on gas to make up the cost. Or at least I'll tell myself that.

[NotJammer]

I suggest you study fast. Materials are going to rise in price.

Also, it took 3 months to get this last Spring. http://www.completetrailers.com/trailer ... turecargo/

I added options.

So far it's great and everything is very sturdy and well done. The walls are screwed on the inside and it's easy to pull panels.

Actually made by Legend trailers in Michigan, they use all welded aluminum box tubing. Not everybody does.

Get the Advantech floor and wall. I also got Advantech in a 16X40 portable garage, I like it, it's strong. No smell that I can smell.

The only thing I would change is to steel wheels. I vastly prefer steel wheels. Fix em with a hammer.

[Andrew Herrick]

Some shameless self-promotion here.

You might watch this video of mine and explore the option of a bolted aluminum frame for maximum strength and minimum weight. IMHO, bolted aluminum frames are surprisingly more difficult to engineer than welded steel frames, so if you're looking to purchase a manufactured frame, you can PM me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYQ9aDpwkFs&t=93s

And I second the use of AdvanTech. No better solid subfloor.

[Foy1deR]

I suggest you study fast. Materials are going to rise in price.

Also, it took 3 months to get this last Spring. http://www.completetrailers.com/trailer ... turecargo/

I added options.

So far it's great and everything is very sturdy and well done. The walls are screwed on the inside and it's easy to pull panels.

Actually made by Legend trailers in Michigan, they use all welded aluminum box tubing. Not everybody does.

Get the Advantech floor and wall. I also got Advantech in a 16X40 portable garage, I like it, it's strong. No smell that I can smell.

The only thing I would change is to steel wheels. I vastly prefer steel wheels. Fix em with a hammer.

Yea, we are going as fast as we can, but there is a lot to consider and I don't want to get stuck with something that is too expensive or impossible to change after the fact.

[dancam]

You already know the benefits of aluminum and i think it can handle what you want to do no problem.
There were 2 reasons i didnt go with aluminum on my build.
One was i had to modify the frame a lot. I have very little experience welding aluminum.
Second was any steel fasteners you put through the aluminum will cause corrosion. Screws to mount lights, bolts to secure the trailer down...
You can work around that but it takes some planning and research. Automotive manufacturers havent figured it out yet, lol.

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