(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

aluminum vs. steel truck/trailer bodies

B

b79holmes

Member
I know aluminum does not rust and I have a small aluminum utility trailer that has held up well over the years but if I wanted either a small dump body or utility trailer to hold horse manure for a weekly dumping while on first thought aluminum must be best but are there any corrosion issues?

I would think you cannot use a spray on bed liner as they it may not unload as it would not be slippery enough but could you cover say the bottom half of the sides and into the corners and would that work (dump easily) but make steel be as good as aluminum, help aluminum too and what about freezing?

Thanks,
Bill
 
Aluminum doesn't rust but it does oxidize... it just takes longer than it takes for steel to rot away. You'd need a Teflon liner if you don't want the stuff to stick on you.
I think you'd be just as well off with a steel trailer unless weight is a big consideration. That's the main reason to go with aluminum; maximum payload. Aluminum is also prone to cracking, depending on the trailer... and isn't as easily welded as steel.

Rod
 
They can make aluminum that will not oxidize. Had a 1970 Ford pickup that had a aluminum and plactic grill. Had the truck 20 years and the aluminum in grill look as good as the day I bought it and we live in the snow belt where the roads are loaded with salt.
 

Steel dump with a POLY liner, never seen one with teflon.

Every snowplow truck in this county carries sand salt mixture all winter with a steel dump body with a poly floor and sides, they last about 15 years before the structural supports rust out underneath them,the actual floor and sides almost never rust through.
 
The old manure spreaders used wood and it lasted a long time but they still had a steel framework that would rust away. If you could use Teflon like patsdeere suggested on a steel frame, making sure no manure got to the steel you will have a long lasting trailer. Keeping the manure off the steel frame is a monumental job. Jim
 
If you plan to keep manure in it on a constant basis, the acid in the manure/urine would likely accelerate corrosion in aluminum. Of course it will accelerate rust in steel also. My first thought was to use a clear coat such as used on aluminum wheels, but any coating, be it clear coat or spray on bed liner, if it should be scratched through to the metal, then you will have corrosion. SO, if you plan on a trailer approximately the size of a pickup bed, why wouldn't a bed liner work? That would protect the trailer bed from the manure, and dump easily as well. Just a thought.
 
36F30, we both have basically the same idea here, you beat me to the post. I didn't want it to look as if I were trying to steal your idea.
 
Aluminum trailers are for weight reduction: but they dent and crack more often than steel.

36F30 has the right idea. Just about every aluminum rock bucket around here has a poly liner in it for protection.
You could put a poly liner in a steel trailer just as easy if gross weight is not a limiting factor.
 
Warren inc right here in good old Collins Mississippi makes all types of spreader bodys allmost all the chicken $hit trucks are aluminum most of the salt trucks are stainless steel you can look at them at there web page
 
It might be teflon impregnated UHMW-PE (Ultra High Molecular Weight - Polyethylene). Regular UHMW is pretty slick, teflon makes it even slicker. Both forms are used on snowmobile track rails.

The unit should be emptied before the load has a chance to freeze. In cold temperatures it's best to make sure the unloading web, chains and beaters are all free before loading.

For the abuse a manure spreader takes, I'd prefer steel over aluminum. Stainless steel would be ideal, but unnecessary and too expensive.
 
I bought a new 10K dump trailer made by griffin in elkhart, in. It is power coated. If done right power coat will hold up longer than paint. But if power coat is done over rust, it will rust under the power coat.

That said, power coat is slick. My sprayed on bed liner in truck isn't. For my trailer to dump dirt, wood chips, I need to extend it all the way to about 45 degrees. Sometimes wet mud will even stick to the power coat. I can't imagine what would happen if the bed were sprayed with a bed liner.

My nieghbor hauls horse poo with his 14k corn pro dump. No problems. He uses a small garden trailer and a kaw mule to haul his poo out of stalls and piles it up. Last last pile was 8 14k dump trailers full of poo he hauled to my place. He hauls it, I loan him my terramite to load it. Even trade. I get great organic fertilizer in about a year, good stuff.
George
 
I know aluminum is the way to go in a livestock trailer. They will last allot longer and not rust. I know of a couple that have been around for years and still look good. Most steel livestock trailers will start to rust after a couple of years.
You will pay at least twice the price for the aluminum trailer as opposed to a steel one.
 
What is "power coating?" Are you really meaning POWDER coating? As a point of information, powder coating is actually a polymer (read PLASTIC) that is applied to metal magnetically, and then baked on in a special oven. A very durable coating - much better than paint.
 
(quoted from post at 15:47:09 09/11/14) What is "power coating?" Are you really meaning POWDER coating? As a point of information, powder coating is actually a polymer (read PLASTIC) that is applied to metal magnetically, and then baked on in a special oven. A very durable coating - much better than paint.
Click to expand...

As long as it doesn't get scratched. Oh, and don't polish it either, it will dull much faster than good paint.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Boundry Problem
Replies
9
Views
1K
Fixingfarmer
Fixingfarmer
J
How narrow is too narrow for a trailer?
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
BarnyardEngineering
BarnyardEngineering
D
Looking for a Backup Camera Recommendation
Replies
18
Views
1K
MikeinKy
M
D
Allis model D grader refurbishment
Replies
5
Views
396
docmirror
D
A
dual tandem trailer
Replies
1
Views
364
Janicholson
Janicholson
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top