"d parker" wrote in message
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"Eisboch" wrote in message
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"d parker" wrote in message
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Aluminium is dangerous in salt environments and heavy loads. Fine for a
mast. But there is no way I would tow a 1 ton boat on one of those
trailers things. It stresses under extreme loads and will give way
without warning. Imagine a trailer giving up on the freeway. How many
people would you like to kill?

One may be ok to tow an inflatable. But forget it for a serious
sal****er boat.

DP

Nonsense. Properly designed and manufactured an aluminum trailer is
every bit as strong or stronger than a galvanized steel trailer and it
won't rust.

Eisboch

Yes.. ever seen a stress fracture give way on a gal trailer? No? didn't
think so. Stress fractures in Alloy will snap open at whim. Particularly,
as I mentioned, ones created in a salt water environment. They are
insidious and not always visible as they may occur inside the frame or
even at the welds.

Rust on the other hand is usually visible and leaves tell tale signs of
its existence by way of well know stains leeching through the protective
surface.

I know aluminium is strong. Its a great product. Just not in trailers
designed for heavy loads. If that were the case every semi trailer rig on
the road would be alloy to initiate fuel savings and assist with easier
breaking and accelerating. But no, they are steel- they aren't even put in
and out of salt water.

DP



Any metal will yield if bent beyond its modulus yield point. It is basic
mechanical engineering. In the case of semi trailer rigs, designed to haul
50 tons or so, aluminum is not practical, (although it is certainly possible
to design for) so high tensile strength steel is used. But for boat
trailers there is nothing wrong with aluminum when properly designed for the
intended load. If aluminum scares you, take a look at some of the new
aluminum trailer hitches for your towing receiver. Rated at over 10,000 lb
capacity, they are stronger than a conventional steel hitch. You would
freak, I suspect.

Eisboch