What is the material they use for enclosed trailers? I may try building my own.

[jimgerken]

I would like to buy some of the wall material they use for enclosed trailers, like cargo haulers and snowmobile trailers. I am talking about the painted aluminum skin that is typically rivetted to a welded tubular structure. The skin itself- can a guy buy that stuff? Where?

I did a quick search and found a couple suppliers, but looking for alternatives that yo umight know of.

If you havent guessed, I am weighing the alternatives between building and buying a trailer. They seem to get a load of money for these trailers, and I wonder if a guy could do better if he ignored his time input. I already have the torsion axle, hubs, wheels and tires, all new and standing by.

Thanks.

 

[George2615]

Are you talking a single or double axle enclosed trailer. Double and single axle enclosed trailers are on CL all the time in my area. I couldn't build one for the price of a used one.

 

[jimgerken]

Yea, I was thinking of a super lightweight single axle, 6 or 7 X 16, only 5 feet high inside the box. Two sleds or two quads, approx 1200 lb load, hopefully trailer weighs 1000 empty. Similar to a Triton TC 167.

 

[George2615]

I don't know what singles go for new but you should be able to buy sheet aluminum most anywhere. Price out everything you need for the job and compare to new prices.

 

[Groo]

The only reason to build a trailer is if it is something unique that you can't easily buy.

 

[mikehaugen]

My dad had some rolls of aluminum that I believe had the same intended purpose. I think he got them from harbor freight. Cant remember the gauge, but they were called "trim rolls" or something. They were intended for flashing I believe and about 24" wide.

They were pretty thin though, not really sure how well they would work and he never went through with the project. They may work okay if you put them over some thin plywood, but it probably wouldn't meet your weight requirements then.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Fiberglass panels might work. They weigh 20lb each so about 200lb & $350 to cover your trailer.

4 ft. x 8 ft. White .090 FRP Wall Board-MFTF12IXA480009600 at The Home Depot

Shop Panolam 0.09-in x 4-ft x 8-ft White Frp Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel at Lowes.com

 

[bamboozled]

You can't build one for the price of a new one, let alone a used one. Unless for some reason you have all of the supplies laying around already.

 

[ace10]

Fiberglass panels might work. They weigh 20lb each so about 200lb & $350 to cover your trailer.

4 ft. x 8 ft. White .090 FRP Wall Board-MFTF12IXA480009600 at The Home Depot

Shop Panolam 0.09-in x 4-ft x 8-ft White Frp Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel at Lowes.com

I don't think those FRP panels are constructed to withstand impacts with debris at highway speeds. Trailer skins need to be strong yet able to conform to movement in the frame and skeleton.

 

[jenkinsph]

If you are interested in fiberglass sheeting look at Filon which is available in rolls up to 60' x 12' IIRC. It is available in different weights and is commonly used on RVs' and trailers.

My preference is for the white on white aluminum sheeting which I have on my Haulmark enclosed trailer. I agree with others that you can buy a trailer cheaper than you can build your own.

 

[Cord]

The paneling is the easy part. The trim pieces at the corners is the hard part.

 

[lilranch2001]

I believe you will not be able to match quality for much lower cost if at all cheaper, and may end up having a expensive messed up piece of crapola on your hands
:2cents:

 

[franklin2]

If you want lots of different ideas on different skin materials to use, look around here. Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers They use all kinds of different materials for their homemade teardrop travel trailers.

 

[hddnis]

I buy it 4'x10x.032 painted white on one side from the local steel supplier for $65 a sheet.

Another way to get it if from a rolled metal supplier, but you need a way to handle rolls that weigh several hundred pounds, and of course a need for that much material.



Mr. HE

 

[ultrarunner]

Had a damaged panel on my trailer on the rear ramp gate which is good size since it is one piece.

Went to the Dealer and he said he could add the piece to his next trailer order and it would take about 3 weeks from today... he charged me $80 cash.

 

[tcartwri]

Around here you would go to the roofing wholesaler for sheets or rolls of prefinished tin or aluminum. It's used to make siding and roofing.

 

[thorholt]

Check out the hotspotoutdoors.com forum, In the ice fishing section there are quite a few guys that have built their own fish houses and list where they bought their aluminum from, mostly in the twin citys area.

 

[bdog]

I built an 18' enclosed trailer years ago. The material we used for the skin was basically the same material as they use for the R panel type steel roofs, just without the folds in it. I bought it from the local steel shop. 26 gauge if I recall correctly. I remember I was drilling holes and putting in rivets for days.

When I built it I had a lot more time than money. No way it makes sense to build one. I bet I had over 200 hours in that trailer. If you figure in your time and the cost of materials you are better off buying one used.

It was a good trailer I hauled it tens of thousands of miles including a trip from Texas to Canada and back.

 

[crazyal]

I did a repair to the rear door on my 26' Haulmark enclosed trailer. It just had 4' wide sheets of aluminum over very thin 1"x2" steel tubing. My local steel supplier would of had to special order the steel so I used what he had in stock, .10 wall. Since it was just the steel framing that needed repairing I was able to reuse the aluminum. The sheets were pretty thick, much thicker than flashing. The nice thing about it is you could get colored sheets that should be very durable, but not a shiny as auto paint.

 

[forgeblast]

If you want lots of different ideas on different skin materials to use, look around here. Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers They use all kinds of different materials for their homemade teardrop travel trailers.

Wow awesome site!!