This article compares aluminum and steel trailers to help you determine the most profitable material for your hauling equipment.
Aluminum is referred to by many as the miracle metal. It is abundant, yet not very expensive. It weighs almost exactly 1/3 of what steel weighs, yet has very similar strength and wear properties. It is not corrosive, and does not need to be painted.
THICKNESS
Most steel trailers are built with a floor sheet thickness of "10 gauge". The average thickness of 10 gauge is .1345, almost HALF of the thickness of the typical aluminum floor, .250 (1/4"). Most steel trailers are built with sides of 12 gauge, which has an average thickness of .1046, about 1/10 of an inch, compared to .160, (5/32") for the typical aluminum trailer. The aluminum is almost 60% thicker!
CAPACITY/VOLUME
These typical steel trailers also usually have a dramatically smaller carrying capacity. Clement’s starlite brags about being as light as aluminum, but they are comparing a steel trailer that has a 29 yard capacity, to an aluminum trailer that has a 48 yard capacity.
The "typical" aluminum has 65% more capacity! Hardly a fair comparison. This speaks to the versatility of the aluminum trailer. If we built a 29 yard aluminum trailer it would weigh around 8,500-9,000lbs, well below the quoted 10,800 for Clement’s starlite, or the roughly 11,500 for a typical Lufkin, or similar steel trailer.
PAYLOAD
This is what it’s all about, isn’t it. 80,000lbs minus the weight of your tractor, and TRAILER, equals your payload. It’s your paycheck. It’s your livelihood. If you can’t control the price of fuel, and you can’t control the price of insurance, get hold of those things you can control. Get as light as you can, while staying as versatile as possible, and get as aerodynamic as possible.
DO THE MATH
1,000 lbs, a half a ton, would make you about 2.5% more revenue in a year. (assuming your current payload is somewhere around 44,000lbs). If you currently gross about $2,500 per week, for 50 weeks a year, this would give you another $62.50 per week, $260 per month, or $3,125.00 per year.
2,000 lbs, 1 ton more payload would double these numbers, $125 per week, $520 per month, $6,250 per year.
Aerodynamics can make as much difference, as the weight, or more!
If you run 10,000 miles per month, and get 5mpg, you are burning 2,000 gallons of diesel, spending about $6,600, at $3.30 per gallon.
If you increase our fuel economy by only 10%, with a smooth sided trailer like our Aerolite, or Wave, or SST, you would save 181 gallons a month, about $606. That’s only assuming 10% better fuel economy. Some people get much more, some get a little less. What if it was only 5%? Couldn’t you use $303 per month more, with no extra effort.
COST/VALUE/RESALE
Yes, aluminum trailers cost more than steel. It is obvious that they are worth it. They also contain much more metal than steel trailers, at a much lighter weight, and they have much more volume, than the typical steel, and consequently carry more payload, resulting in more revenue, and ultimately, more PROFIT.
The price difference between aluminum & steel trailers when new looks large, but considering they should make thousands of dollars more every year, the difference vanishes quickly.
The value spread exists throughout the life of the trailers as well. In several instances, we have seen steel trailers lose a larger percentage of their original value than aluminum. So, really you get the difference in price back during the ownership years through increased revenue & profit, and, again when you sell it.