Experts, help me! I ran across an all aluminum gooseneck manufacturer while I was looking at trailers the other day. I had pretty much decided I would order a PJ 40' flat deck w/ 12k tandems, slipper spring suspension, load range G tires, electric/hydraulic discs, hydraulic jacks, deck over the gooseneck, 2 tool boxes, sliding ratchet rails w/ 10 ratchets, and full LED lighting. The GVWR for this trailer is 25k and the unloaded weight is around 9800#, leaving a payload in the 15k range. The Alum-Line trailer, equipped the same, weighs in around 6500#, a weight savings of 3300#, which translated to a payload over 18k. Pretty impressive. The downside is the price is about $15k over the steel trailer, low $20's vs mid $30's. I know aluminum trailers are expensive as hell having just recently bought an ATC enclosed trailer. I am thinking I will get an F-550 to pull this 40' trailer so either one would be in the wheelhouse for the truck. Is it worth the extra $$? My biggest fear with the aluminum trailer is getting the rub rails beat to hell loading and unloading with the fork lifts. Any thoughts? I have become a trailer addict lately and I crave the latest and greatest. My wallet tells me the PJ will do but my inner addict tells me the aluminum one will do it better and prettier.
https://www.alumline.com/products/fl...-deck-hot-shot

 

Which choice will make you greater profit? Business choices should be driven by business needs. Determine exactly what you need that tool to do for you then buy accordingly. How quickly will payload difference pay for the cost increase? Run the numbers on a spread sheet, don't guess any more than you must. Remember all work vehicles begin their journey to the shredder the moment they are constructed. If you make enough not to care then get what makes you smile without worrying about that being a rational decision. Is 15K pocket change? To many businesses it is.
I'd go with steel for much more convenient repairs, easy modification and greater abuse tolerance, but if those don't matter in your use case, they don't matter.
Who drives your forklift? Some people could bust a bowling ball with a feather.

 

i know on boat trailers the aluminum is nice and pretty but it can and will crack in some instances.

 

Sage advice. Thanks for the input. Never thought about the cracking but I have seen that. Hopefully they have designed them so that's not an issue. Deep down I feel the steel trailer is the way to go. If I were to be the only one towing it, loading it, and unloading it then I would get the aluminum one for the esthetics and the weight savings. Real world though is we have customers that seem to rely on the trailer sides to stop their fork lifts. The steel trailer would be more resistant to the forklifts. Score one for the PJ. We also have customers we deliver to that don't have lifts and we have to slide their material off onto the ground. We package most of the customer orders banded to 2 x 6's and the rest on conventional pallets. The wood-on-wood slides pretty well but I'm not so sure about the wood-on-aluminum dynamic. Score two for the PJ. The weight difference is pretty dramatic. However, my experience tells me these trucks aren't so sensitive to weight as they are wind resistance. I get better fuel mileage pulling our 24' flat deck goosenecks (4700#) even with a moderate load, as long as it isn't too high, than I do towing my 20' ATC (3300#) enclosed trailer, which is about 9-1/2' tall overall. So while it would appear to heavily favor the aluminum trailer on the return trips (unloaded) I don't think it would be that much of a factor, but score one for the aluminum trailer anyway. The payload also favors the aluminum trailer. However, the material we haul (PVC & aluminum fence mostly) is more bulky than heavy, if that makes sense. So, the steel trailer it will be. The $$ savings will put a real nice bed on the 550. The statement about the feather and bowling ball is so true also. When we leave this place we are leasing for our new digs, hopefully in about 6 months or less, we are going to have the repair a concrete block wall where, you guessed it, one of my guys smacked with a forklift. Thanks again.

 

The weight savings on an aluminum trailer are really handy when it comes to a 53 semi flatbed trailer. Many of those use steel for the main frame rails. For what you're doing I'd stick with a steel trailer. The weight savings will hardly offset other costs and longevity.

 

Are you a hotshot trucker? If so, you can choose your loads (to some degree.) I was salivating at your description of the trailer. Just what I want. I am not ready for it now because I don't have a place to park it. Point being I have been studying the question you are dealing with. My conclusion is: Go with the steel trailer. Seldom will the max load be a factor. Steel is more readily repairable and it is impervious to minor bumps. If you were towing the same load all the time it would be easier to figure, are you?
BTW, what was your price quote for the steel 40 footer?

 

I am not a hot shot trucker by any means. We use our trailers for customer deliveries and the occasional pick-up from our suppliers. I listened to the voice of reason here and ended up getting the 40' PJ with a couple of differences. I didn't get the deck on the neck and it has the Hutchins suspension. Still has elec/hyd discs, load range G tires, hydraulic Monster jacks, LED lighting, and sliding ratchets. This thing pulls really good, although it squats my SRW 350 pretty good when loaded. I ended up paying right at $21k for it. Surprisingly, or not, that's almost the same price I paid for my 18+2 enclosed ATC trailer. I have 3 goosenecks and the enclosed trailer and they all have the same tire/brake combo as well as the electric jacks. When I first went in business I bought a cheap gooseneck and we ended up breaking springs, blowing out tires, and fighting anemic POS electric brakes for three years. Never again though. I am like you, i don't have a place to park mine either. We are in the process of having our own warehouse built on 2 acres but meanwhile we have to keep the 40' trailer off site. Post some pics of your trailer when you get it.

 

Looks cool with the black truck. Maybe you should get some air bags for the truck's rear suspension, just to level it out and keep your headlights from pointing skyward.