kgorman

I guess it's a moot point about steel prices; the trailers are still sub $2000, so it's still economical enough for sure.

spazegun2213: I don't know how long I plan to keep it, but if I do plan to upgrade to enclosed, I don't want to get soaked too badly.

I also don't buy the fuel economy case for Aluminum. The trailer is what, 10% lighter? What does that really translate to in terms of fuel costs? I don't need to do the math to know it's not enough to make Aluminum convincing. Perhaps someone can prove me wrong.

Good discussion everyone. Sounds like the steel camp is making good sense. Anyone got a more convincing case for aluminum?

Tom W

Kenny: I think I got 80% out of my steel trailer after 3 years. New aluminum are hard to get out here without a premium for transport. Steel are a bigger chore loading and unloading due to the extra weight (pulling out long, heavy ramps or lifting off a big heavy wheel cover) but other than that, I didn't see a big difference between my steel and other guy's aluminum. The question to ask yourself is how long before you bite the bullet and buy an enclosed trailer (and why not get one now instead)?

kgorman

HAHAHA, you are the voice of cost overruns Tom! Well, it's hard to say why not buy and enclosed now, frankly, it's mostly about costs. Sure it seems like a nice starter enclosed runs ~$7000, but then you just have to option it out. So it's like, say $10000, if not $15000, and thats a lot different than $2000, and a lot of track days, repairs, and mods. That said, if fiscal responsibility was the goal here, then I really should not be doing any of this. So you make a very valid point.

kurt M

Around NOVA both types hold value and sell well. As far as % drop in value steel drops a bit more but as to total amount Al drops more for same amount of time IMO. There are many build types to the open steel trailers and some are made for heavy constrution use. They come up used and cheap like $500 cheap. Avod this kind as they are frigging heavy, unneeded cap and are a bitch to use. Consider the cost of money and it is better to not tie up the cash in the Al trailer. If money is not a big problem the Al trailers are easer to live with. If you have many long huals the al might pay off after a long time. (How you drive while towing plays a big in fuel usage part too.) Local driver got a new steel trailer for under $1500 ready to go last year. This is chump change in this sport and if he quits and sells he will be out little. Al trailers are more prone to theft too. One car steel inclosed are prone to theft too. Landscapers love them and some don't mind purchasing stolen trailers. Insurance is cheap on open steel trailers and onlt slightly less cheap on Al. I think I pay something like $45 a year for full replacment coverage on my Al open.

Ether type will return most of the money spent if you change your mind. only reason I ended up with a Al trailer is I purchased a steel inclosed for $3700 used it for 3 years and outright swapped it for a used Al open.

EDIT TD brings up a good point servicing brakes casn be expensive but if you are a DIY type of person the parts are cheap and easy to get.

TD in DC

I am glad I bought an aluminum trailer. I think the best compromise is to buy a used aluminum that is in good condition. Keep in mind, though, that servicing the brake system can be expensive, so keep that in mind when you are looking at used trailers.

To prevent theft, I use both a lock that fits into the hitch and a tire boot similar to the one cities use when you fail to pay your tickets. Someone would have to really want my trailer to steal it at this point.

kurt M

Prevent? No way, Deter? yes.
Someone wants to steal your Al trailer. They just have not met yet...

Locks are good to use and will deter or slow the normal peckerwood thief, but don't depend on them. There is little that you can install that my battery powered angle grinder with a cut off wheel could not master in 2 min or so short of a Knock box with a hooded socket lock hole. This type of angle grinder is a little bastard and cuts through $100 locks and fancy cut proof cables like butter. I had to cut a heavy duty solid body hooded shackle lock after the cyl was vandalized and it took under 5 min to slice the entire shackle hood and shackle off.

TD in DC

That's why I also keep a trunk monkey in the tool box on the trailer with a motion actuated release:
http://www.trunkmonkey.com/content/view/28/51/

P.S. I plan to get this version when my daughter reaches dating age: http://www.trunkmonkey.com/content/view/65/51/

Veloce Raptor

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

Bull

I guess it depends on the area of the country, but in this area, a decent new steel trailer, with tire rack, spare, etc. is more like $2500, if not a bit more if you want ramps long enough to not need lumber to load/unload. They almost immediately drop in value to $1,000 - $1200 used, and there are many of them for sale sitting for a year or more. They start rusting on the sales lot, so you need to pick the new one with the least surface rust when you buy, then not care about the looks of the trailer going forward. A steel trailer, with racks, etc. weighs more like 35 - 40% more than a Trailex with the same options, at least for those available at dealers in our area.

In this area, Trailex trailers that are maintained properly tend to depreciate about the amount of the options on the new trailer (around $1,000), then stay flat for a long time. In several cases, sold prices of used trailers appeared to have gone up around $500 last year (not a surprise with the cost of aluminum driving up the cost of new). They all trade by word of mouth, and our local Trailex dealer (the race shop I use) now has a list of 7 people looking for a good used Trailex to come along. They can sit outside all year long and still look like they did when new.

I personally bought an aluminum trailer because I wanted light weight (I move it around by hand), I can't stand rust (my Wife said "PLEASE get aluminum, or you will be paying to have it painted every 6 months!"), and I wanted to be able to sell it quickly at a good percentage of original cost when I move to an enclosed trailer.

Steel trailers work fine for a lot of people, if none of the above considerations are an issue, or the budget dictates steel.

Nader Fotouhi

Lurking in the 964 forum and asking questions about what to buy, I had the distinct impression that C4s do not need to be towed to the track. I guess you guys do not show the newbies all the ropes.

Seriously, at the moment I have two trailers. I bought a new full deck steel trailer two years ago and it is now for sale and I probably get 65-70% of what I paid for it. I just bought a used aluminum trailer and I probably paid about 90% of what is cost new.

Because it is studier and almost indestructable, steel is the way to go if you have a high the towing capacity and do not care about how it looks becasue it seems like the rust starts as soon as you own it. If you are like me and do not have a budget for a HD truck just as an occasional tow vehicle and do not want to drive a big truck daily, then aluminum is the way to go. The aluminum trailer I bought is about 1500# lighter than my steel one.

BTW, I think you can find better aluminum trailers than Trailex. The only reason most people like Trailex is because it is the lightest, but IMO that is due to lower gauge material.

Good luck.

Nader

TD in DC

Nader,

I like the trailex because of the way it is put together. If you ever need to replace a part or add an accessory, it is a very easy bolt-on procedure. The trailexs are well designed. That said, I have not had much exposure to the other brands.

TD

kurt M

TD that one cracks me up every time I see it.

Another + for the Tralex is you can move the axels if need be to trim the weight front or back.

chrisp

if you are really analyzing this then you need to consider what you can do with the money not needed to front the purchase the aluminum trailer. For argument sake let's say the price difference is $3000. If you can get 7.2% return the money will double in 10 years ($4250 in 5 yrs).

I would argue the actual difference is more like $3250-$3500 even for a heavy duty good steel trailer.

So if you own if for 5 yrs then you need to include the depreciation and the $1250 opportunity cost to tying up that money.

Buy the aluminum if you need something light or want it to look newer for longer. I will be honest, there are times I wish I had aluminum. This mostly comes into play when I consider wear and tear on my 4Runner and ease of moving the trailer around by hand.

I bought a one year old wood deck steel trailer with 7,000 lb capacity. I paid under $2,000 for it in 2002. I know I can get $1600-$1750 for it. If not in the auto community then in the landscaping community. I went open wood deck so I could market to a wider audience when I want to sell.

DaMan-993TT

I know it is not as cool as a full trailer, but a car dolly works well.



Starting at $500 and going up it can be very easy on the wallet. Toolbox can be put in the back of your tow vehicle or inside your racer.

The only time this would not work is if you got in an accident that really mangled up the car to the point it couldn't be towed straight.

Jay Gratton

I love my ATC open trailer. I couldn't go back to a steel trailer at this point if I wanted to. I know they are a lot more money, but man do they look and tow nice. However, if you aren't doing a lot of towing and you have a truck that can pull a house off a foundation I wouldn't worry to much about the extra pounds.