Aluminum trailer

[mesha]

Is there any reason aluminum would be a bad idea for a back country trailer? I understand it will cost more and be more difficult to build. I am worried about metal fatigue and things like that.

If it is a dumb idea I will go with steel, but aluminum would be lighter and weather resistant.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I think aluminum would rock. No corrosion (except for where steel+aluminum meet), lightweight, and pretty. I'm no metallurgist, but I know aluminum bike frames have a shorter lifespan than steel frames. Some frames have to be x-rayed regularly to make sure they haven't developed hairline cracks (cannondales).

As you know, aluminum is less ductile as steel, but I don't see why a well-designed trailer couldn't hack it. I'd make the aluminum rigid, and design places where the non-aluminum parts can flex if needed. I'd probably integrate some aluminum ATV ramps since they're so cheap and strong compared to building your own.

 

[Kevin B.]

design places where the non-aluminum parts can flex if needed.

Or slip skinny rubber bushings in at strategic locations?

I've been thinking about a trailer myself and being able to use aluminum would rock, even if it was just in certain spots.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Or slip skinny rubber bushings in at strategic locations?

Exactly. Design the aluminum box to not flex, but allow other parts to flex if needed.

I also wonder if you could incorporate some aluminum truck bed boxes or diamond plating. That stuff's gotta be cheaper than raw aluminum. I also know that different alloys behave differently. i always wondered what alloy you're getting when you go to home depot and buy a sheet of aluminum.


I know how much you like to talk nerdy, so check this out. It was written in context to bike frames, but I'm sure it applies here as well.

http://www.63xc.com/scotn/metal.htm

 

[JL Rockies]

http://youtu.be/YFlfG0mf5Mw


BLM... lolz.

 

[Caleb]

I see no reason it couldn't be done...but I will say that I bet you'll only get a couple good seasons out of it before you begin to make repairs. Even the real nice aluminum trailers (featherlites for example) begin to crack after only 5-8 years of normal trailer use. Throw in the bouncing, twisting, etc use an offroad trailer sees and I could see that accelerated quite a bit. I've had to repair more than one featherlite back when I was welding. Cool idea though.

 

[I Lean]

http://youtu.be/YFlfG0mf5Mw

Got it....they just rivet (or similar) theirs together, so it can be all flexy if it needs to be, without cracking welds and junk.

 

[mesha]

I think aluminum would rock. No corrosion (except for where steel+aluminum meet), lightweight, and pretty. I'm no metallurgist, but I know aluminum bike frames have a shorter lifespan than steel frames. Some frames have to be x-rayed regularly to make sure they haven't developed hairline cracks (cannondales).

As you know, aluminum is less ductile as steel, but I don't see why a well-designed trailer couldn't hack it. I'd make the aluminum rigid, and design places where the non-aluminum parts can flex if needed. I'd probably integrate some aluminum ATV ramps since they're so cheap and strong compared to building your own.

I was planning on making all non aluminum parts connect with a bolt or bushing. I didn't think about rubber pads or anything like that. Not a bad idea.

I see no reason it couldn't be done...but I will say that I bet you'll only get a couple good seasons out of it before you begin to make repairs. Even the real nice aluminum trailers (featherlites for example) begin to crack after only 5-8 years of normal trailer use. Throw in the bouncing, twisting, etc use an offroad trailer sees and I could see that accelerated quite a bit. I've had to repair more than one featherlite back when I was welding. Cool idea though.

I definitely don't want to be repairing the trailer all the time. hmmmm. Occasional repairs are fine with me I guess. I repair everything I own anyway thanks to wheeling

 

[Unimog]

I have a utility trailer with an aluminum frame - I've never had a problem with it. You do need to be careful when attaching steel to the aluminum as it will quickly develop galvanic corrosion where they touch unless well insulated.

 

[redrussell]

Just a side note on the xventure trailer. I'm in the army and we have tons of the military trailers they build and I would never take of those where I have take my steel tube truck bed trailer. In less than 3 years we broke 8 of those trailers and we weren't even in conditions where I have had my steel trailer. 2 the tongues broke clean off on flat towing. We were sliding around in the mud following in the paladins, nothing extreme or even hard. One had a 5 kilowatt generator in it, mounted there from the factory and the other had boxes of mres in it. Had a 3rd towing flat ground over slight washboard at 25mph and it's axle detached on the passenger side, the resulting wreck was awesome to watch since I was the vehicle following right behind. All the others were broken frames where the trailer wouldn't track right and others where we hooked up the shackles to sling load and the attachment points pulled out

 

[Cascadia]

I think Chance is in the process or was, of building an aluminum back country trailer.

 

[Jeepj667]

Mail truck bodies are all aluminum, riveted together. They take quite a beating and, as long as they don't hit anything, stay together fine.
Once you do hit something though they are harder to straighten out. The aluminum stretches.

 

[flexyfool]

Aluminum won't save all that much weight over steel with such a small trailer. Maybe all-aluminum will weigh 150 lbs less than all-steel? The cost, fab time, and susceptibility to cracks doesn't justify using aluminum in my opinion.

Also, if it is too light, the trailer will hop all over when lightly loaded. I recently bought and reconstructed much of a 4' x 5' steel trailer. The guy built it with standard 2000 lb trailer springs. Lightly loaded, the trailer seemed like it would hop 2 foot off the ground when driving down forest service roads at a decent speed. Now, it has 3" lift front springs from a CJ5, shocks, 37" tires with 10 psi pressure, and 3/4" plywood bolted over the sheet metal floor (50 lbs more weight). It only seems to hop 1 foot off the ground.

I would not build an all-aluminum trailer from scratch, but I might build 1 with a steel frame and aluminum panels bolted to it. It would be powder coated with the inside bed-lined.

 

[STAG]

I think Chance is in the process or was, of building an aluminum back country trailer.

Still am

 

[thefirstzukman]

I you could do it, and with steel prices so high it would probably be affordable. 7075 would be my choice, I would build the whole thing out of it and keep it as ridged as possible.

I've been working on my trailer today, I did the tool boxes on the sides.. Picked them up on amazon for pretty cheap. Lots still to do but it all takes time.

 

[mesha]

I you could do it, and with steel prices so high it would probably be affordable. 7075 would be my choice, I would build the whole thing out of it and keep it as ridged as possible.

I've been working on my trailer today, I did the tool boxes on the sides.. Picked them up on amazon for pretty cheap. Lots still to do but it all takes time.

View attachment 93276

I can't wait to see the finished project.

I am thinking about a radius arm suspension to keep the the bouncing to a minimum.

 

[STAG]

I can't wait to see the finished project.

I am thinking about a radius arm suspension to keep the the bouncing to a minimum.

radius arm, pan hard bar, airbags and bilsteins

Run a glad hand off OBA off your rig to air up the bags. Man that would be sweet.

 

[Kevin B.]

I am thinking about a radius arm suspension to keep the the bouncing to a minimum.

radius arm, pan hard bar, airbags and bilsteins

Oh goody, let's talk about that too because I've been wondering. What's the difference between a radius arm w/panhard and a three link? And which would be better for a sub-600lb offroad trailer?

And if it's not a heavy trailer, what's the advantage in airbags? I was thinking they'd be sweet to level it, would they help the bouncing too?

 

[STAG]

Airbags would be a smooth cushy ride, *being adjustable pressure you can increase the "firmness" for heavier loads, and decrease for the lighter loads. That way you don't have springs which are one constant weight capacity. You can always get that sweet spot. It would actually be pretty easy as long as the truck has OBA.

Radius arm- pivots at one area on the frame, (links converge and therefore meet at one frame location on each side)
3 link - arms are seperated the entire length of each link, therefore each link has it's own frame mounting point. For a trailer I would go parallel 4 link, with a panhard bar. Or radius arms.

 

[STAG]

Airbags will help with bouncing when compared to a trailer with springs that are way too heavy duty for that trailer load, but any proper spring rate will still need shocks for a good ride.

My trailer doesn't use springs or shocks, (not torsion axle either) it's somewhat experimental to me, I'm not sure if it will work how I want or not.