Aluminum car trailer vs steel

Paystar · Jun 30, 2024

Another thing to look for is if any of these trailers have brakes on both axles. Mine only has brakes on one and I wish it had more braking power.
How does that 7.3 Godzilla pull Plowhog?
Do you find it a good alternative to a diesel?

pmsmechanic · Jun 30, 2024

Paystar said:
Another thing to look for is if any of these trailers have brakes on both axles. Mine only has brakes on one and I wish it had more braking power.

You can buy brake kits for idler axles. It consists of a backing plate with hardware and a hub with a drum.

plowhog · Jun 30, 2024

Paystar said:
How does that 7.3 Godzilla pull Plowhog?
Do you find it a good alternative to a diesel?

I like it. We test drove competing motorhomes with the Triton V10 engine and I like the 7.3 Godzilla much better. Develops power at lower rpms-- the V10 was a screamer by comparison.

I travel over Sherwin Summit on Hwy 395 a lot. 31ft Newmar motorhome on Ford F53 chassis. It's a 2,400ft elevation climb, one continuous long pull so no breaks in the climb, over about 10 miles.

Highway signs advise turning off A/C during the climb, and Tom's Place puts out free radiator water on the roadside for folks whose vehicles boil over. My motorhome with 7.3 Godzilla pulled it fine-- other than the fan clutch kicking in a bit nothing noticeable. Maintained about 50mph but with no tow vehicle-- pretty good for a gas motorhome.

What I miss is an engine brake/retarder. I do shift down for some compression braking the other way, but it's not like having a diesel engine brake.

I've seen where Ford has the 7.3 in some pickup trucks. I think it's quite a good engine in that application as well.

Paystar · Jul 24, 2024

plowhog said:
Well that is a concern. I looked up your tractor and it looks to be 4,000 lbs +/-.

My load would be a Honda at 2,600lbs, Jeep at 3,400lbs, or a CanAm ATV at 2,600lbs (if I buy one .....)

I was surprised the CanAm ATV weighs the same as the Honda Fit.

I ended up axle weighing both tractors at the MTO (DOT) scales. Where it says truck is both the steer and drive axle on plate, but since these scales only axle weigh big rigs, may not be 100% accurate as both my axles were right on the edges of the plate due to length of my truck.

plowhog · Jul 25, 2024

I bought an aluminum trailer!! An Aluma 8216 anniversary model 16 foot tilt trailer.

So, good bad right or wrong I will try it out and see how it goes. My missions for it will be to haul a Honda Fit, a Can Am Defender ATV, and assorted small tractors and equipment.

I bounced back and forth between similar models-- a few hundred pounds apart and single vs dual axle. Went with dual axle for all the obvious reasons. A couple hundred extra pounds for that is not a big deal. Blowing a tire with only a single axle is a big deal.