Ok looking at building trailer since I can get lot more for same money,just little mmore wear and tear on butt,shoulders,back,eyes and about everything else.

Looking at options. Aluminum or steel
Aluminum cost lot more.
Less towing wieght
More value if sale
Steel cheaper,easier welding
worked on millions of trailers
twice the weight
still resale less room for profit

Size 28 or 32
28 works little room for more
32 allows LQ or two cars if
done right
about same work with minor cost
Not sure if trying to talk myself into spending extra for what I want or trying to keep control of my desires and build for now and do again later hoping to make little off first to help with cost of bigger and lighter.

Question:
SO 28' or 32',aluminum or steel keeping in mind which would be more desirable if selling later on. Which would you be more inclined to buy.Substantially more aluminum or works fine and does job for less steel.

Choices:
28' steel
28' aluminum
32' steel
32'aluminum

 

Due to change in tarrifs I think you will be surprised that the steel and aluminum are now a lot closer in price than they used to be

.... steel prices have gone up

I wouldn’t worry too much about re-sale on a self built trailer. Unfortunately, most potential buyers would probably try to beat you down on price or expect to pay less since it doesn’t have a name brand on the side of it.

Never said I would be in a have to sale situation.At sane time I would like to have a finished piece that will appeal to someone wanting nice piece that quality built.Not expecting to get price of equal trailer with a name on it.

As for getting beat down on price not issue, I have a copy of the art of the deal by the President of the United States. LOL

If you can afford a quality built aluminum trailer, then they are the winner hands down.

Just got back from a little recon on trailer.Went to East Coast trailer and did little investigating of their aluminum trailer and they had butt load of them.

Good news only cpl change to plans I drew up a month ago. Built a lot like the common white trailer we all know.LOL Best part of that whole thing was build photos showing structure.

Only thing I am not crazy about was the wood floors they had.Although they where coated in fiberglass kind of coat. Still like the aluminum extrusion used for floor in lot of trailer. Got to be way lighter and oh yea way costly.So far best price I have found is $7 per sq. ft at 256 sg ft thats about $1800 just for floor add in 3 torsion axles,6 brake, wheel and tire combos then throw in another 1200 for framing material and we are looking at 4500 bucks for open flat bed. Walls are not to bad till you cover them.LOL Then again if I ever start a project that's meant to e cheap,better check I have probably been taken by aliens and replaced with a fake look alike.
Don't get me wrong I figured to spend 12k from start and add 10 to 15% for the I forgot stuff. Still lot cheaper than 25 to 35k prices I have seen on equal trailer.

wish i had your skills!! i would build a 30' all aluminum with triple axles.
i have a 28' haulmark double axle...nice trailer, tow's nice....but once you put all the race stuff, golf cart and unneeded junk its kinda over loaded.
a 30 triple would meet all your needs...most importantly the safety factor; triple brakes, weight capacity, etc.

Not sure if its skills or necessity . Triple axles is given for 32' ,Right now working on idea of building as flatbed and enclosing little later.Not Ideal but will get me on track sooner.

Right now could use some research skills. Need to find some aluminum tube at semi reasonable price.I mean damn 2x8 at $15 per foot and near 100' just in frame.Maybe expecting too much or in this case too little,was thinking $8 maybe $9 per foot

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wideopen231,

If you buy or build an AL trailer that is half the weight of a steel one it WILL brake!

quote:

If you buy or build an AL trailer that is half the weight of a steel one it WILL brake!

YUP ........... I was told only 600lbs lighter in a 28', not worth the cost vs weight to me.

Lots of aluminum ones out there that are way lighter. Not saying they don't have issue,Have heard of few and also heard of issue with steel trailers.

Had aluminum Gold Rush.45' Goose neck weighed in at 6500 or 6800 and was damn good never a issue and towed across and up and down country.Including cpl trips thru NY and we all know the roads there suck.

Checked few manufactures and most aluminum trailers weighed about 60 to 65% of steel one.32' steel was 10,500 and aluminum was 5,900 alot of difference on towing and stopping.

Not saying aluminum extra cost will be offset by fuel savings.Imo there's positive and negatives for both. Reason for post to get others opinions and appreciate all input.

FYI, there is a nice older gold rush 32’ on DRR Classifieds Facebook page for $20k in TN.

Also, a nice 2011 32’ Haulmark Loaded up in NC for $10.5k.

Just passing it along.

Appreciate it. Just coming up with 10.5 or 20k at one shot not happening. Main reason considering a build.Can build bottom half now and use then enclose later. I quite financing racing stuff in 1998 and was still 6 years paying everything off. Now its pay as go or pay as build.

Oh yea the word save has never been one of those 4 letter words I used very often.LOL

I went with steel because I was not confident in my "production" aluminum welding skills, and I was NOT going to TIG a whole trailer together. I also get buddy deals on steel. When I was planning a build from scratch, I priced out 7K, oil bath, torq flex axles at about $600 each. I think now I would go leaf spring. My 38' gooseneck ended up about 8K# empty.

My 49" by 144", .040" white aluminum sheets were about $67 a piece. It cost me $180 to have the pallet trucked to me. I thought that was a great deal.

How much total weight savings do you figure on this trailer going aluminum? 800#'s? I wouldn't know how to structure an aluminum frame for this application. But I suspect it is different than steel.

weight savings? From numbers I am finding online looking at different manufactures 3500 to 4500 lbs. 5500 compared to 9000 to 10000 lbs. Hard to belive 32' trailer weighs that much.I do know our old gold rush was 45' aluminum gooseneck which has steel hitch framing and still was 6500 with cabinets and generator only. So the 5000 or less for aluminum I can see but never would believed the steel that much more heavier.

As for structure not a lot of difference.After all I have photos of worlds best ever white trailer during construction.LOL

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Nitzsche:
My 49" by 144", .040" white aluminum sheets were about $67 a piece. It cost me $180 to have the pallet trucked to me. I thought that was a great deal.

Yea thats pretty good deal.Local dealer quoted me 95 a sheet as best price so far.

quote:

Originally posted by wideopen231:
Appreciate it. Just coming up with 10.5 or 20k at one shot not happening. Main reason considering a build.Can build bottom half now and use then enclose later.

If you are going to build a gold rush/T&E type of construction build bottom half, rest later won't work. The strength is in the sidewall as they don't have a conventional frame. ATC builds a frame and then a box on top.
BW

Yea but you can build short side rail like a lot of the flat beds have and then build wall(shorter version) sit on top of rail,weld together and cover just like regular solid wall. Looking at the great trailer build pics you can see where they basically did that in back half with a raile extending from back to past wheel well.

Spend hour last week crawling around under ATC trailers at East Coast trailer in Mocksville. They basically have exactly what I drew up as plans a cpl months back. Simple 2x8 frame,but with wood floor instead of aluminum plank. I have noticed a lot of company's running planks front to rear instead of side to side as Gold Rush does. Not sure if they also have floor joist system with aluminum plank,I know gold Rush does not.They run side to side and weld planks including ribs to side rail.
Have not decided on which flooring deal I like best. I know Gold Rush deal works,but as stated box adds a lot to it. WIth planks running front to rear and having rib/I beam design I can see less front to rear flex,but more side to side if no joist.