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Aluminum Stock Trailers

Kiefer here. Not recommended unless you have your own shop and are good a welding aluminum. Ours is now an excellent trailer now with a new rear door frame made with corners from the local semi trailer shop and 1/4 inch 4 x 4 square tubing. I do like the lighter trailer as there is a scale between our farm and ranch.
 
In aluminum anything riveted is better than the welded variety and in my opinion Wilson is top in that market.
 
Went from 16x6 econolite(steel featherlite) 3700# empty to a 20x8 charmac (Twin Falls ID) 2700# empty.

Riveted is better than welded. More flex.

If you can avoid it don't run empty alot. I understand this may be a challenge.
 
Denny said:
In aluminum anything riveted is better than the welded variety and in my opinion Wilson is top in that market.
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Yes Wilson is the best. HoweverI could not get out of one if I had a problem. Any of the companys that also build semi pots are the best on the market.

I love the rancher Wilson but did not have much of a cat walk nor safety IN the trailer. I usually never have anyone loading with me. That is the reason I chosse the Barrett another semi pot builder. Wilson is the ONLY brand where the rivits will hold.
As I posted I was able to talk to the welders and of all the Baretnst at the factory I was just looking at safety in the trailer. IF could get to the Wilson
factory sure could be the same story
 
have a steel keifer built it has plastic board the bottom 18 inchs so never will rust slam latches rear and center gate . pulls the same as a alumium .the only welding needs to be done is where the spare tire hangs and my tailgate fell down and turned note that is hell on tail gates.
wi
if ur goin with aluminum wilson is the way to go the way the panels are riveted on if you get one bent to can by the panels to replace them instead of trying to find some one with alumium welder . my dad drove a bull rack for 20 years had three different trailers all wilsons says if we ever by a alumium stock trailer it will be a wilson but we stay with steel lot more cost effective .
 
Heard rumors that the punch side trailers weren't tough enough. Anyone else heard this? The Merritt has punch holes and uprights, seems it would be tougher, sure like the looks of them and the Wilsons. Thanks to everyone for their experiences.
 
Woodrow F Call said:
Heard rumors that the punch side trailers weren't tough enough. Anyone else heard this? The Merritt has punch holes and uprights, seems it would be tougher, sure like the looks of them and the Wilsons. Thanks to everyone for their experiences.
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i haven't heard anything about the toughness of the punch sides. my Wilson is a 2000 model and it doesn't look much different than it did when it was new and i have had it loaded to the gills on several occasions. :wink:
 
We have had Swan (execellent!! Steel trailer bought it in 1973--it was the best of the best) and then Titan. Good trailer, the paint wasn't any good, but we called them and the owner took care of the problem. Yep, we called the company and talked to Dave, the owner. Then we bought a 1998 Wilson, really liked it, but it was too darn low (some are lower than others, so that is something to watch for) and some things happened to i (brakes, rear rubber bumper to name a couple of things)t and we took it to Bosepflug Trailers to get it repaired and they sent us home with a Featherlite while they worked on the Wilson. We traded the Wilson for the Featherlite, mostly because to haul mineral the Featherlite floor was much easier to run the cart on than the Wilson with that floor. We had a roll-up door put in the Featherlite a few years ago and Mr. FH wouldn't have it any other way, Our trailer is a 1999 and he's hauled cattle and a lot of mineral over some bad roads and with the exception of the
back door, the trailer has really held up good. Featherlite does have
a problem with the back door. I think that has been fixed in the newer trailers. We looked at a Sooner after buying the Feathelite and it looked
stronger by the back door. One thing Mr. FH likes about the Wilson is the door will open all the way around to the side of the trailer. I think the Wilson pulled better than the Featherlite (but what do I know?)
and it was a little wider.

If you are looking for a trailer to haul cattle, I'd go with Wilson first, but they do cost a bit more,
 
Faster horses said:
Our trailer is a 1999 and he's hauled cattle and a lot of mineral over some bad roads and with the exception of the
back door, the trailer has really held up good. Featherlite does have
a problem with the back door. I think that has been fixed in the newer trailers.,
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i've heard Featherlite puts their rear sliding door on the inside so what when it falls off you don't have to go looking for it. :wink:
 
floyd said:
I think featherlites are more for the weekend warrior.
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not sure if i'd agree with that. there's a big ranch just to the north of me and they have several Featherlites and they get used hard and for the most part i think they hold up.
 
The problem with Featherlite seems to be they are built more for highway use than for gravel roads. I have a neighbor that has had one for 5 ro 6 years. If you offered him his old Keifer built steel trailer straight up for the the aluminum we would do it in a heartbeat. That back slider was just an awful design. I would imagine he has repaired that over a dozen times since he has owned it.

Another neighbor has a Sooner, seems to be a pretty good trailer, I dont think he has ever had a problem with it.
 
badroute said:
The problem with Featherlite seems to be they are built more for highway use than for gravel roads. I have a neighbor that has had one for 5 ro 6 years. If you offered him his old Keifer built steel trailer straight up for the the aluminum we would do it in a heartbeat. That back slider was just an awful design. I would imagine he has repaired that over a dozen times since he has owned it.

Another neighbor has a Sooner, seems to be a pretty good trailer, I dont think he has ever had a problem with it.
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When ever he looks at my Keiferbuilt trailer he tells me that he wishes he still had his old steel trailer back. My preference for aluminum is the Wilson, have talked to several long time owners that really like them. The Sooner seems to be a pretty good trailer after watching the neighbor pull one on the same roads I do.
 
The kid's have a 28' Eby for sale, they picked up a new one last Tuesday ~ there are half a dozen pics here:
http://cid-20e824940ef17d47.photos.live.com/browse.aspx/July%202%5EJ%202010%20-%20Wind%20Storm

We pull a 92 Norbert (steel made in Manitoba) - heavy bugger but it makes the truck ride smoother on our Saskatchewan roads :-) It's been a great trailer but does show its age. The back door is starting to rust out but it hasn't exactly seen any TLC.
 
I think they should clean it up a bit if they want the top dollar for it. :wink: Whoa :shock: that was quite the wind plow. :shock: :shock:
 

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