It seems to be that whatever metal a trailer is constructed from is the best possible product according to the manufacturer. It is fair to say that materials have certain properties that make them have advantages and disadvantages over one another. But it is also clear that a business will always provide you with the advantages and neglect to mention any of the drawbacks, thus making their claims that a certain material is the best seem more likely. In terms of trailers, the two main metals used in their construction are steel and aluminium. Whilst these are regularly alloys and so not 100% steel or aluminium there are still distinct differences between the trailers built primarily from them. But what actually are those differences?
Weight
One of aluminium’s biggest advantages as a product to use within manufacturing is that whilst it is reasonably strong it is very lightweight. In fact, it is one of the lightest metals around. For the application of towing, decreased weight is obviously going to be a positive trait. A lighter trailer will be able to have a larger weight carried aboard because the overall weight will not be compromised too much by the metal used to construct it. In addition to this towing, a lighter trailer should save you petrol costs and make manoeuvring simpler.
Strength
Technically speaking, steel is stronger than aluminium. However, this does not just mean that this makes steel trailers stronger. An aluminium trailer, as stated before, is much lighter than a steel one. Therefore more aluminium can be used when the trailer is manufactured but it still remains lighter. As such it is not correct to necessarily say that steel trailers are stronger than aluminium ones because they are not being measured equally.
Flexibility
Again, whilst steel might be stronger it is not as flexible as aluminium. If a part dopes take an impact on the flexibility within the aluminium could potentially allow it to avoid damage as the force dissipates. If there is a distortion of the part it should be reasonably simple to be knocked back into shape. Due to steel’s rigidity, an impact which bends or alters the alignment of one section could lead to the end of the trailer due to it being so difficult to correct.
Maintenance
One of the biggest advantages aluminium has over steel is that aluminium is rust-resistant. Steel needs to be continually looked after to prevent the inevitable rusting even if it is stainless or galvanised. Aluminium can be quickly cleaned with acid which will easily remove anything from the metal surface. The need to reseal steel after having performed repairs on it makes it more time consuming to maintain.
Resale
Consider reselling your trailer in the future. Due to the nature of their purpose, trailers will take a lot of wear and tear over time and are used in all sorts of weather conditions. Given that steel is prone to rust, which can be very difficult to hide, an aluminium trailer will immediately look more attractive to a prospective buyer. If I was selling an aluminium trailer that is with aluminium trailer ramps, for example, I think I would have less touch-up work to do to make it appear attractive to a purchaser than if I was selling the equivalent in steel.
