Anybody know where to get aluminum extrusions?

[Agent Blue]

No one I am aware of builds 10-16' aluminum dump trailers. There must be a reason. Either the adequate material is too expensive or it needs to be combined with steel for strength. I remember actually bowing a 18' aluminum car hauler loaded with an older style jeep wagoneer. Not a pretty site for an expensive trailer hauling a car. I wasn't aware a factory trailer could be so delicate. I will stick with steel.

 

[jim_wilson]

No one I am aware of builds 10-16' aluminum dump trailers. There must be a reason. Either the adequate material is too expensive or it needs to be combined with steel for strength. I remember actually bowing a 18' aluminum car hauler loaded with an older style jeep wagoneer. Not a pretty site for an expensive trailer hauling a car. I wasn't aware a factory trailer could be so delicate. I will stick with steel.

I see aluminum horse trailers, car trailers, etc. - all over the place.

I have an aluminum utility trailer I've been using - and overloading - for five years now - It's still going strong.

My father has an aluminum utility trailer he built himself 40 YEARS AGO - that he is still using and it has no problems. He recently helped me haul back a bunch of granite curbing to my house with it - and it was loaded to the point where you could see the camber on the axle splaying the wheels out as the axle bent from the load.

Still going.

I see a lot of aluminum 18 wheel dump trailers out there now too. They wouldn't be paying the extra money for them if they were falling apart.

I don't want to spend my life scraping and grinding rusted steel. I would rather just pull the thing out when I need it - and put it away when I'm done. Aluminum lets me do that.

 

[Agent Blue]

Read the post again......... I stated I never saw 10-16' DUMP TRAILERS available at local sales lots. I have never read an ad where a manufacturer advertises this size constructed of aluminum. YES I have seen horse trailers , I have used aluminum car trailers ... BUT they are not DUMP trailers. I agree semi type dump trailers are available but I don't believe they are made out of plank material. You should build the first one and let us know what we are missing. I hope your welding skills are up to standard.... or do you plan on bolting it together. Unless you have alot of experience with aluminum I would watch in amazement as you jump in the fire and come out with a shining example. Many TBN readers will be anxiously waiting your fabrication.

 

[jim_wilson]

Read the post again......... I stated I never saw 10-16' DUMP TRAILERS available at local sales lots. I have never read an ad where a manufacturer advertises this size constructed of aluminum. YES I have seen horse trailers , I have used aluminum car trailers ... BUT they are not DUMP trailers. I agree semi type dump trailers are available but I don't believe they are made out of plank material. You should build the first one and let us know what we are missing. I hope your welding skills are up to standard.... or do you plan on bolting it together. Unless you have alot of experience with aluminum I would watch in amazement as you jump in the fire and come out with a shining example. Many TBN readers will be anxiously waiting your fabrication.

Look.....

I asked a simple question because I'm contemplating doing this. So far - I haven't been able to find the answer. But I'll keep looking. Most TBN readers are helpful - one of the most helpful places on the net in fact.

You seem to be looking for something else, namely: A pissing match.

I don't need a pissing match. If I wanted one - I'd go looking for one somewhere else. I could get one at work, on my drive to work or from work, from my wife, from my neighbors - or one any multitude of places.

I'm not looking for one here. So take it somewhere else.

And just for your info - there are number of places that make aluminum dump bodies - pretty much the same thing as a dump trailer - it just moves under it's own power (once it's attached to a truck):

Rugby Mfg - Eliminator one-ton aluminum dump truck bodies and dump truck hoists

R/S Aluminum Dump Bodies

Welcome To Schien

I don't know why nobody makes 10-16" dump trailers out of aluminum - maybe you need to go start asking the manufacturers.

 

[Agent Blue]

Your the one that can't read. Now that your the expert were watching for results. The rest of us will use our rusty metal trailers.

 

[jim_wilson]

Your the one that can't read. Now that your the expert were watching for results. The rest of us will use our rusty metal trailers.

I read EXACTLY what you wrote.

What does 10 to 16 foot have to do with it? Why would it matter? They make 40ft 18 wheel dump trailers out of aluminum. They make 1 horse trailers, 2 horse trailers, 30ft multi horse trailers - etc, all out of aluminum. I have a 10ft long utility trailer - made out of aluminum. My father has an 8ft long utility trailer he built himself 40 YEARS AGO - what we have overloaded the crap out of on multiple occasions - made out of aluminum. The biggest trailer manufacturers in the business make car hauler trailers up to 24 ft in bumper pull - and longer than that in bed-pull - in aluminum. There's a number of dump-bed manufacturers for truck bodies - making them in 10ft long for smaller 1ton size trucks - and longer than that for larger trucks - in aluminum.

Is there some mystical physics going on that prevent aluminum being used on 10 to 16ft long bumper pull dump trailers? I doubt it.

Up until about 10 years or so ago - a lot of these aluminum trailers didn't exist. Companies saw opportunities in the market - and started making them. They must be doing something better than just falling apart and exploding when their users haul them around with big loads in them - because otherwise those companies would be out of business.

Like I said - I read EXACTLY what you wrote. You're trying to make some implication that aluminum makes no sense for a 10 to 16 ft dump trailer. This has no relevance here based on the evidence.

Maybe the companies making dump trailers think it's too expensive. I have no idea. Like I suggested before - why don't YOU try calling them and finding out since this seems to concern you so much.

All I asked is a simple question - "does anybody know where to get aluminum extrusions " - because I would "like to" - build the DUMP BED - out of aluminum. For rust reasons.

Like I said two times before in this response - I read what you wrote. And I read between the lines too. That's why I said all you're trying to do is start a pissing match.

Maybe you need to go back and read what I wrote. I pust pointed it out to you above.

 

[Agent Blue]

I don't want to spend my life scraping and grinding rusted steel. I would rather just pull the thing out when I need it - and put it away when I'm done. Aluminum lets me do that.[/QUOTE]


You argue merits of a product that isn't available.

You don't have a semi so a 45' dump is not an option. On this forum we are speaking of a 10-16' dump trailer ( currently available in steel ) built out of aluminum.

My personal opinion is the correct strength material and the cost of fabricating will quadruple the cost of a steel counterpart . Money savers like you will never buy them. Few if any manufacturers will produce a product that doesn't have a large following at a competitive price.

There is no arguement to your inquiry. A simple fact is there is no example to copy ( aluminum specs. ) and you don't have the talent to build one. Matter of fact I don't believe you could weld a steel trailer. Before you go KNOCKING steel please show us the new and improved model.

Now put the pen down and get with the fabrication. You have viewed my building skills ( with that rusty, junk steel ). Words are cheap...... don't discount a product unless you have the better mouse trap.

I will take real vs imaginary any day.

 

[sparc]

You might try these guys. Not close to you (they're in NJ and DE) but you can order from them.

Joseph Fazzio Inc Online Steel Digital Catalog / Redbook

80/20 has many aluminum extrusions, take a look an see if there is something that meets your needs.

80/20ｮ Inc. - The Industrial Erector Setｮ

lastly, try eBay. Ya never know what you will find there, sometimes right in your backyard.

 

[lilranch2001]

I second the 8020.net website recommendation. Pretty extensive catalog of extrusions.

80/20 would cost 4 arms and 3 legs to build a dump trailer out of.
It is cool tho, you go into their plants warehouse and EVERYTHING is made out of their extrusions

:drink:

wow I just finished reading this thread, it turned into a real pissing match.
We can all dream, and maybe after he builds the first one, manufactures will copy him, or, he will find out that when you load rock or gravel into the bed, the impact will crush the extrusions and break welds.......

You never know how well a dream will turn out until the dream is realized.

 

[jim_wilson]

You might try these guys. Not close to you (they're in NJ and DE) but you can order from them.

Joseph Fazzio Inc Online Steel Digital Catalog / Redbook

80/20 has many aluminum extrusions, take a look an see if there is something that meets your needs.

80/20ｮ Inc. - The Industrial Erector Setｮ

lastly, try eBay. Ya never know what you will find there, sometimes right in your backyard.

Thanks for the link to Fazzio's. There's a number of places that sell metal online - I'll keep them in my bookmarks and compare prices the next time I'm looking for something. I didn't see any listings from them for extrusions though.

I contacted 80/20 a few weeks back and I already have their catalog - it's THICK (like 2"). And I've looked thru it and I haven't seen anything yet that is similar to what I was looking for. They have a few things that look like they are close - but no cigar.

I'm starting to think that - if I was to go down the route of building an aluminum dump bed - the way it's going to have to get built is to just use aluminum sheet and weld or screw on the reinforcements to build the bed. I've found a few places that sell synthetic bed lining in large sheets - and I think whatever I build I would line the bed with that so that it doesn't get the you know what scratched out of it.

I think I would probably still build the frame out of steel. My two concerns are rust and weight. I don't know that the weight savings of using aluminum for the frame are worth it over the extra cost. Plus I know the steel can be prepared and painted to stand up to rust pretty well for the frame. The dump bed is the majority of the weight and the thing that's going to take the majority of the abuse where it will get rusty.