Open Trailer - Steel or Aluminum, which way to go?

Gus Strakes

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:dunno: I just sold my open trailer, an IW Challenger, and am now in the market for another. I am looking at two that are identically priced: a steel 20' rollback made by American Rollback, or an 18' aluminum one, ****** tail with 7' ramps made by J&F Trailers. Both mfg's are in Ohio. I've thought about enclosed, but I have decided to stay with an open trailer, because of it's versatility, since I use it for more than just hauling the Viper. I've had two steel trailers in the past, and both had rust issues as they aged, and I know nothing about aluminum trailers. Opinions, and feedback would be appreciated, especially if anyone is familier with either of the two in question. Oh, and I have done the obligatory search. I've also googled the issue, and found two interesting articles, one that favored steel over aluminum, and one that preferred aluminum over steel.
 

Simms

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If the price is the same, I would get aluminum. I have a steel, no problems to far. The black paint does get beat up over time with our winters.
 

Brian GTS

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Yes, if price isn't an issue, I would definitely go aluminum. Although enclosed, I have a Featherlite and it still look as new as when I bought it 4-5 years ago. Plus, they are much lighter as Chuck mentioned.
 

thompsonracing

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Ive had a steel trailer for years, no problems, small rust. I've used my friend's alum. trailer. Only trade-off with the alum. is it's much lighter without a load and tends to skate on the highway and rough roads.

Our open trailer (steel) has a solid deck which makes it much more versitile for lawn mowers, tractors, quads, etc. We use it for a lot of equipment. Most alum. trailers i've seen have an open center, which limits them to just cars and larger vehicles.

I would def. say buy alum. if you're only using it to move the Viper to and from. Might think about steel if it's multi-use.
 
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Gus Strakes

Gus Strakes

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Ive had a steel trailer for years, no problems, small rust. I've used my friend's alum. trailer. Only trade-off with the alum. is it's much lighter without a load and tends to skate on the highway and rough roads.

Our open trailer (steel) has a solid deck which makes it much more versitile for lawn mowers, tractors, quads, etc. We use it for a lot of equipment. Most alum. trailers i've seen have an open center, which limits them to just cars and larger vehicles.

I would def. say buy alum. if you're only using it to move the Viper to and from. Might think about steel if it's multi-use.

Thanks for the feedback. My trailer will be multi-use, and both trailers, aluminum or steel, I'm looking at have full decks and stone guards, not just runways. The aluminum one with 7' (17" wide) ramps are stowed in front and serve as the stone guard. Right now, I'm leaning towards aluminum.
 

past ohio

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Aluminum, especially if you plan to pull it a lot, have it out in the weather a lot, resale value if you think you will sell it soon, ....my $.02
 
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Gus Strakes

Gus Strakes

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Ok, decision made, and trailer ordered. I went with an R&R all aluminum 18' car hauler. I upgraded the stock ramps (12" x 72") to 16" x 82" so my cars should go up no problem. The ramps also double as a rock guard so the upgraded ramps will also give me a little extra protection. I'm heading out to Kalamazoo to pick it up on May 21. Factory pickup gets me a good deal, and a free upgrade to all aluminum wheels. Can't wait.
 

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