You are 100% right. I joked with the warehouse guy when he brought out the axle and I told him that I couldn't except this one because it was bent! Well, befor he could give me a much deserved schooling, I told him that I was joking. The axle is cambered. This trailer has been road tested to over 90mph on I-95 empty with absolutely no bouncing. With it loaded, I did get up to around 80mph with no problems.

Don't build an aluminium trailer at all. Especially this way with steel bolts and no spacer tubes welded in so that the bolts don't crush the box sections over time. Bolts will always be loose on this trailer because of section compression. Get a DC gassless mig and flux core wire. Learn some basic welding skills. Steel is cheaper and stronger. My advise front experience.

I certanly would have oversized the steal channel enough for a trio of rubber sheets. Maybe some of the flasing tape.

Why not just use aluminum angle instead of steel? A trailer made with aluminum and steel would not last very long here in Florida. They make dielectric washers for the bolts.

only if it gets wet all the time. just paint it or put a thin sheet of stainless between the 2. galvanic corrosion only an issue in super wet environments.

Thangle is also Aluminum and the clear anodising on the alloy should be enough of a barrier to prevent corrosion issues on the bolts.

@@rollandelliott Stainless is also bad for galvanic corrosion. If you look up the table of galvanic corrosion series it is actually worse for Aluminum than regular steel.

Thanks. It was a whole lot of fun to build as you could probaly tell! lol

This has to be one of the most ignorant and stupid hater comments ever! How about you man up and show us the right way to build a trailer?

This trailer will last years before any type of erosion sets in

No need for that. From what I've seen, if you buy trailer axle parts and you are not supplied nylocks, they are going to be regular lock nuts which do the job just fine. I'm guessing that's what he had. They are essentially nuts that are crushed or crimped in two places to stop them backing off. Very common.

Thanks. All of the aluminum you saw in the vid with the exception of the 1/4" angle was reclaimed old scrap that was loaded with galvanized steel bolts and screws. Many of the bolts and screws that were removed seemed to be in really good conditon. A few bolts were really corroded and the aluminum as you saw in the vid, did not seem to be much affected. I don't have any salt down south here. You might consider using some kind of extra coating on your bolts before assembly to combat the salt. Good luck!

Agreed but, it seems to be holding together just fine for the time being.

A lot of U-bolt nuts are self locking. The nuts are pinched so they are not perfectly round.

If you painted the two metals, would it prevent corrosion issue?

The trailer needs an anode just like a boat to prevent corrosion from the 2 dissimilar metals. There might be a better way but I don’t know one.

Galvanic corrosion can’t be prevented with paint and only delayed. You need a physical barrier like nylon. A double deck bus builder here made that mistake and a floor fell through and killed a lady because of the corrosion. Bus was only 2 years old. Aluminum rarely shows signs and one day just fails unlike steel

Use Tefgel or duralac, that is what I do on my aluminium yacht when putting in stainless bolts

Nice build but would have liked to see the welds TIG AC for aluminum and like others said about the 2 dissimilar metals, PTFE would work in between.

Thanks. Oh yes, most certainly! And with all the nightmare stories I have heard recently about how new campers failing due to crappy/cheap factory builds, you might just be better off building your own out of aluminum.

homesteadprepper I was going to ask the same question,. Thanks for the information it’s much appreciated.

@@homesteadprepper Great, thank you might save this for later when building the trailer for a camper. I'm building me a Popup trailer, that is lightweight & can be hauled around by an Electric Bike lol, sounds silly but everything has to be 100% self efficient

It sounds like a cool idea to me! Me and many others would love to see your progress when you get started.

@@homesteadprepper Sure, not sure when I gotta save money for the project though. I was thinking something on the lines of 6x8, that way it has room for like a shower n stuff like that. Was thinking of buying an Elf bike but they haven't responded about a custom order. They've made Uhaul Bikes, & made trucks out of bikes. Was thinking about making a 3door Chevy truck out of that, but they haven't responded. Shucks, would've been somethin cool.

My question as well

True, Home Studio Adventure, stainless steel does not interact with aluminum (galvanic corrosion) like carbon steel -- it is best to ALWAYS either join stainless to aluminum or separate carbon steel from aluminum with plastic, rubber, or some other non reactive material -- pieces of old mud flaps and inner tubes work well, for example. There are few things as disheartening as finding that telltale white corrosion and a once very light weight, extremely long wearling, and very strong aluminum piece become cracked, brittle, weak, and needing replacement.

Thanks. Building the trailer and sharing the vid was enjoyable. The real pia was in the editing.lol

No corrosion from the galvanized bolts or pt wood. I've put over 12k miles on her.

@@homesteadprepper its holding up? How much weight (max weight) have you put on it?

Haha, good one

I have several fortuitous dumpsters that I have permission to remove scrap from. It works out very well for both of us because they are charged for the weight of their refuse. So the more I remove, the less they are charged. Btw, it has taken over 10 years of collecting to make the trailer you saw in the vid. Usually, most companies are very generous with their waste if you just ask.

The whole point of aluminum is that the weight of the aluminum is lighter in comparison to other metals. Which means, it could be hauled by vehicles that aren't meant to carry heavy loads.

Thanks. It weighed 680 pounds. It was over built.

I hauled it about 22.5K miles so far and it is still holding up nicely.

This trailer has over 10K miles on it so far and it is holding up just fine.

I didn't really save a whole lot of weight on this. It was way over built. If I build another aluminum trailer, I will use 2x5x1/8" instead of the 1/4" that I used on this one. Typically you can build a trailer that is as strong as a steel one but, @ 15% lighter. This trailer came in at 680#. Using 1/8 wall and less cross bracing would have brought it down to @ 500-550#.

@@homesteadprepper my voice recognition is terrible on my phone. My whole comment made no sense! I was trying to say it's an excellent build. And it looks like you saved a decent amount of weight by using aluminum. And I was busting chops about being on an Indy pit crew for something or other!. LOL but it really was a great video

Probably about 1,200 pounds, so far. I don't see any problems with putting 3000# on it.

homesteadprepper Any recommended changes after a years of use? Thing you’d have done differently?

I would use 2x5x1/8" instead of 2x5x1/4" next time around. I would use the 1/4" wall if I was building a larger trailer. This trailer is really over built for its 3500# capacity axle. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i9KWrL2a0Z3dXYE.html

As far as I know just different welding wire spool inside the welder, probably different temperature depending on the thickness of the metal.... Also as you weld aluminum the tip heats up as you go so you'll have to speed up depending how long the weld is or you'll burn through.

...warning, William Mickelson, you'll want to research these issues -- aluminum has broken many hearts -- not only mine! ...for example, because aluminum is so soft, thin filler metal wires (.045" and under), the sizes compatible with smaller wire feeder welders like the one used in this awesome project, will bend and spall inside the liner, bird's nesting near the drive roll inside the wire feeder and never making the journey to the contact tip at the business end of the gun. (Yes, they do sell teflon liners [typically liners are stainless], but they unfortunately won't completely solve the problem ).... so, when using a wire feeder with aluminum, the ductility/softness issue is best be addressed by using a spool gun and small spools of aluminum welding wire (which are housed at the special gun itself, not in the wire feeder unit [look it up]), but, spool guns are not cheap. Next is the problem posed by the extreme thermal conductivity of aluminum: it requires a lot more voltage than carbon and stainless steels to keep everything hot enough to flow, so a larger constant voltage machine (look it up) may be needed, and, thus greater input amperage to power that machine. ...other issues you'll want to research are: (1) prep ( the thin aluminum oxide "skin" actually has a significantly higher melting point than the "meat" beneath it, so you want to remove the oxide (at the weld joint area) either mechanically with abrasives or chemically with a weak acid solution [readily available at your local welding supplier]); (2) shielding gas mixture; and (3) filler wire choice.... A cheaper way to get going would be TIG rather than MIG, except that (as I found out recently) 180 amps a.c. and under isn't always enough when dealing with large weldments, joining what would otherwise be appropriately "thin" pieces (3/8" and under) due to the aforementioned thermal conductivity sucking your heat away. Finally, of course, when welding Aluminum, whether TIGing or MIGing, you'll need to work indoors so the wind doesn't carry your shielding gas away. So, all and all, it's very doable, but, compared to carbon and stainless steel, welding aluminum requires some additional equipment, info., and planning, that's all. Simply switching your filler metal roll may not give you the results you're hoping for. ...any reaserch you do will be its own reward, though, for once you are able to weld aluminum, you'll be in very high demand! Wishing you unending success in all things!

Mig will weld both with different wire & gas

Good point but I think the builder answered the welding issue very well ( just a few comments before yours); I truly hope you and I are wrong about the builder's choice to not use stainless hardware though! ...I curse that white dust!

Not at this time. I will probably be constructing a 6x12 sometime in the distant future.

homesteadprepper that’s the size my wife and I want for a camper trailer. :-)

6:47 ...one of the challenges aluminum poses. (Some further discussion of this can be found here, for example: www.esabna.com/us/en/education/blog/how-can-i-put-the-stiffness-back-in-my-aluminum-plate-after-welding.cfm )

It's been 4 years and there are no significant corrosion problems, yet.

680#

Give Tampa Steel and Supply a call at 813-241-2801.

homesteadprepper 2 days ago I appreciate your input but, with over 8500 miles on this aluminum trailer, I am just NOT having these issues. I do believe that would be true with really thin wall aluminum, this trailer is constructed out of 2x5x1/4". kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i9KWrL2a0Z3dXYE.html

yes. I would agree that crush tubes would be needed. I cannot imagine that it would be possible to get the bolts tight enough without squeezing the rectangular tube.

aluminum is more expensive than steel. but may last longer so in the long run maybe cheaper depending on application

What was the cost? I'd like to compare to buying a kit.

It is stronger than welding.

@@homesteadprepper My question is regarding your lack of washers

Bolts are fine, but not stronger than welding. Not even close.

@@vulcan4998 How can you say that? Welding aluminum will weaken it. The heat will affect the temper of the aluminum, which will result in a loss in yield strength.

Not when you are dealing with a tempered material. Every weld drops the stringth of that aluminum by a factor of 3.

4x4 angle iron.

@@homesteadprepper thanks for the reply. In the perfect world it would be nice to avoid all steel brackets and fixtures. I live in the rust belt of southern ontario. They heap on the salt to the roads in winter

In the beginning of the video, the axle is incorrect but, that was just to space the frame rails correctly. If you had taken the time to watch the whole video you would have seen at 32:37 is in the upside down position and that the trailer is in the upside down position as well. When the trailer is turned over on its correct side the axles are correct with the crown in the upwards position.

You aren't the first person I ever disappointed, nor will you be the last! lol

@@homesteadprepperI actually am surprised to see this bolted together - BUT I have to say - ingenious !!!! I don't know if you know but I know for sure that and HOW MUCH aluminum loses strength when welded ... the heat treat is being destroyed, the artificial aging of the material is being destroyed .... so it can actually be very smart to bolt stuff instead of weld stuff in certain cases... a very interesting video

Zila Thank you for your input. I did not weld this thing for 3 reasons. #1 Partially for the reasons you stated. #2 If a weld were to break or come apart on the road, it would be very difficult to have it repaired. #3 And mostly because my aluminum welding leaves a lot to be desired! Btw, I would love to attend one of your welding classes for aluminum!

homesteadprepper send me your contact info CL@zila.net And we’ll make something happen.

Yes. If there is a better way, someone can please chime in.

Guess there isn't.😆

Slow learner? Really?

Everything is 1/4" with the exception of a few pieces of 1/8" angle. In retrospect, It would have been fine to just use 1/8" wall rectangular tube. I over built it. The aluminum shown is 6063-T5 which is weldable. Some aluminums are not weldable. I went with bolting instead of welding because this trailer is being used for long distance hauling and I did not want to have an aluminum weld failures out in the boonies. Aluminum welds are prone to cracking and finding someone out in the boonies who knows how to weld aluminum might be expensive and time consuming. Carrying my tig welder, argon bottle and a generator big enough to run it is just not practical. It is much easier to replace a broken bolt on the side of the road than doing some tig welding. And FYI, I have logged over 3500 miles on this thing with some heavy loads and no problems.

@@homesteadprepper ...well thought out and very well explained -- thank you!