I was told the same things about aluminums, maybe the first ones were that way, but I have a 20' Featherlite and my neighbor has a 24' Sooner and I would never go back to metal that rusts and floors that rot. We have never had to fix a weld, I do need to replace the rubber mats on the floor, thats how much we use it. The Featherlite is 6 years old, the Sooner 7 and we drag these all over the hills out here, more so than on the highway. Another wives tale. I have heard horses screaming going down the highway when a wooden floor broke through and I had a metal trailer before the Featherlite that rusted out on the hinges and a load of cows fell out/jumped out and the trailer was 5 years old. I won't name the brand, but thank goodness thay are bankrupt and out of business