Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Aluminum stock trailers.

Who make the most solid and long lasting aluminum stock trailer?

Stay away from welds but rivets are okay?


Kind of an iffy type of deal depending on use?



We really need to put a new floor in the old trailer or trade it off. Planned on another 20' steel trailer but thought about maybe an aluminum version.

How big of a stock trailer do you need, Sam?

We have had great service out of our CM.

CM Aerostar LINK

Customer service for any warranty issues has been second to none. They are in OK, but they have contracted with a local trailer place here in TX for any warranty repairs so we didn't have to travel all the way up there.


Ed

Put a new floor in her and keep rollin'...

Here we go Sam.
We have an Exiss, it is a bit high at I think seven feet .
That's fine, but for wind on the road.

I'll think there are several makes that are just fine.

Steel does rust out, of course, the more salt you drive in make a big difference.

If one stays on roads (smooth) surface alum. is ok if used on rough terrian alum lacks the abilty to "streach" and breaks welds or wabbles rivets and than starts to rattle and shake , more or less self destuct

Ed, the local dealer has a couple 25 footers he was trying sell.

Says it's only $1000 more than the 20'.


We want a 20' for easier maneuverability off road.

That and 25' has the same 7k axles.

You could just about overload the 25' but it sure would be nice to have the extra room.

Most of the guys around here that run aluminum trailers use Featherlites, mostly because we have a dealer right here in our little village that stands behind them. For serious ranch use over the long term, steel is still the choice--but we live in a dry climate where rust does not flourish.

Our Exiss was traded for a Wilson.

Unless you are made out of money, you mostly use the on that follows you home one day.

I have an enclosed Wells Cargo that's solid as a rock and appears will last forever. Also have a Featherlite that's a tank.

Back to rivets vs, welds, they rivet airliners, and over the road trailers.

We still have some old machines made with steel rivets.
I've tired to salvage parts, hard to get those buggers out!

4 star, elite, and cimarron make good aluminum trailers. If you are going to bounce across a pasture a bunch with them I would stick with a steel trailer. If you are going to go down the road a lot I would get the aluminum.

We have an aluminum Eby. Its a 20fter with the wheels on the outside. It holds eight finished steers. Usually put a hundred miles on a week, I think its a 99 or an 00. eby trailers

Nice looking rig Ben.

Another thought, the number of gates.
Two, or three compartments?

Around here steel trailers rust pretty quick. Most of rot out along the bottom edge from the manure on the floor. Know a few guys around town who are on their second steel trailer. Ours only gets hosed off if we have it out on real salty roads.

If your only hauling your own stock I'd think two bays is fine. Especially if you usually have a full load. I guess three would be nice if you were hauling 2/3 a load and needed a spot for a 4 wheeler etc.

Sam what brand are you looking at?

A few questions;

Who made the trailers they are trying to sell you?

How much off-road do you have to deal with? Here, it's pretty smooth and a negligible amount of "rough" terrain.

Second, how critical is the weight difference between the aluminum and steel?

The torquing and twisting of an aluminum trailer, causing failure, is a real problem.

How about a steel trailer and Rhino-Line (Line-X, etc) the lower part of the inside and the wheel wells. (This is what we did to our horse trailers in Anchorage where snow, ice, salt, etc. were a big problem)

In 2002, in Anchorage, our second WW trailer was purchased for a song because the floor needed replacing and the wheel wells were rotting. I replaced the floor boards with treated lumber, had the inside Rhino-lined, and replaced the steel wheel well liners with aluminum and Rhino-lined them. That trailer is still going strong, now in Alabama.

The price difference between aluminum and steel would pay for the extra treatment.

Ed

Kind of surprised no one mentioned 4 Star. I've had very good luck with mine. To me the more important aspects of a trailer is getting what I want, ie: heavy duty axles, wheel wells that accommodate the size tires I want, and I really like over sized brakes. I use the trailer brakes going downhill and save my truck's. I've also been very pleased with my Circle J steel trailer. I'm sure steel is the only material I want in the future.

Edited - sorry, missed the previous post on 4 Star

Someone (I don't remember who) is building steel trailers with the sides up off the floor about 1 1/2" - nearly eliminating manure rot. We use aluminum trailers on the road, but I keep a small steel 1/2 covered for rough work.

Had a 4 star 5 stall slant that gave great service.... I can highly recommend them.

Wilson