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TRAILERS Aluminum VS Steel
A Brief History of Horse Trailer Construc�on
Story and Photos By Tom Scheve
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“If steel is a more logical choice to use in the structure of horse trailers, why are there so many aluminum trailers on the market?” The following conversation from potential buyers frequently leads to this question, which does not have a short, simple answer.
Most horse owners firmly believe that steel rusts; aluminum doesn’t, and aluminum trailers weigh less. Truth is, steel does rust if it is raw and untreated, even if it’s painted. However, today’s technological advances have all but eliminated rusting through various coatings, making steel the logical choice for trailer frames and structure. It’s also true that aluminum is lighter than steel. However, aluminum is also one-third the strength of steel. High-quality, well-built aluminum trailers use much more aluminum to achieve adequate strength and weigh about the same and often more than similar quality-built steel constructed trailers. The antithesis is that cheap aluminum trailers may be lighter, but they don’t hold up under duress. So, “why are there so many more brands of aluminum trailers on the market now than there is steel?” The answer lies in a combination of factors, which all came together some forty years ago, that centered around one fundamental unshakable inherent misconstrued belief: “Steel rusts; aluminum doesn’t.”
Back in the early nineteen eighties, the number of horse owners in the United States was well under a million. Though the numbers were small, they were a cohesive group. Information could easily and quickly spread throughout a horse community, primarily by word of mouth through horse clubs, shows, national horse associations, and overall gettogethers by horse enthusiasts.
Because the market was small, so were the companies that built and marketed horse trailers. Most were family-owned operations, many no more than large welding shops. Since steel was readily available, easy to weld and form, and inexpensive, they had no reason to consider using anything else. They were well aware that new painted raw steel gave little protection against rust but could do little about it. Meanwhile, as horse owners watched each others’ trailers rust away right, they were ripe for a solution. The more aggressive manufacturers quickly recognized their disenchantment and searched for an alternative. Since preventing steel from rusting was not possible at the time, the logical metal choice was aluminum. Though it was more expensive than steel and costly to work with, some took the leap. As aluminum trailers came into the market, it turned out that it was an easier sell than the manufacturers expected. The simple belief inherent in the horse community that steel rusts; aluminum doesn’t, was the cause. Horse owners had a choice: watch their trailers rust away or invest in an allaluminum trailer that will never rust. They weren’t aware of the inherent flaws of aluminum, such as corrosion and stress fractures, since they didn’t have easy access to research sources that are available today. Another surprise was that the higher cost that manufacturers thought would hamper sales ended up being a plus. People generally believed that if something costs more, it must be better. The final factor that helped secure the future growth of aluminum trailers was that everyone knew that aluminum was lighter than steel. With gas becoming more expensive at the time, smaller gas efficient vehicles were becoming popular, making lighter trailers an added plus.
As manufacturers grew over the years, aluminum-constructed trailers gained such a solid footing in the market that they were unwilling to change when steel improved with the introduction of protective coatings. Even though many manufacturers knew that steel was better suited for trailer frames and structure, they weren’t about to deviate from giving the customer what they wanted. Even newly formed manufacturers felt that the overall markets’ belief that aluminum trailers were top-quality, was too challenging to overcome. As a result, manufacturers continued building aluminum structure trailers, further fueling the belief that aluminum trailers were the way to go.
However, the advent of the internet did “put a dent” in the Aluminum trailer phenomenon. Social media, horse boards, and websites allowed fellow horse owners to share their opinions and flaws about their trailers. Corrosion showed up
in aluminum trailers, primarily on floors eaten away by alkaline in manure and urine. Lightweight aluminum dividers were tearing and ripping under stress and impact, causing needless lacerations. At the same time, they also saw that cars no longer rusted and that undercoating and rust treatments such as Z-Bart had disappeared. It didn’t take a metallurgist to realize that steel had technologically improved. But even so, the perception that aluminum structure trailers were superior was, and still is, a problematic conviction to overcome.
In today’s market, the simple truth is there are high-quality, well-constructed aluminum trailers and lesser quality aluminum trailers. The difference is primarily the amount of aluminum used and the quality of the craftsmanship. The same applies to steel trailers, and bear in mind there are pros and cons to the construction materials in both. Some trailer companies have gone against the norm, and have engaged the positive traits of both steel and aluminum, such as ours. The frame and structure utilize the tensile strength of steel, while the lightweight aluminum works in non-structure areas such as the exterior skin.
A final note: Though basic construction is essential, a safe, well-conceived trailer design greatly enhances the safety of horses out on the road.
EE
Tina Wilson
Realtor Broker Associate,
ABR, SFR Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Home Team Realty
Office: 352-622-9700 Direct Local: 352-897-0725 “Sell” phone/text: 215-239-7441
2161 E. Fort King Street Ocala, FL 34471
