| fordf350 |
12-07-2014 03:09 AM |
Well I have a couple thoughts on trailers. I personally go with steel and I dunk it in saltwater. Chesapeake Bay, Keys, Morehead etc. You put your boat back on the trailer and wash it right? Do you wash the trailer? Painted steel will hold up as long or longer than aluminum. But you have to keep the painted surface in good condition. Yes aluminum is lighter and almost as strong as steel depending on the application. Steel rusts and people don't like when the steel returns to it original state, Iron Ore. And turns everything brown. But aluminum corrodes also. It is just harder to see. It will look white or sometimes like blackish colored oil looking film. Granulation is another form of corrosion in aluminum that is very hard to see. When water or salt water works it way between joints or small inclusions in the aluminum itself it corrodes from the inside out and you don't see it until it's to late. Galvanized trailers are steel that is dipped in a hot bath and coated in the protective coating which is pretty darn tough. But it to can get scratched and rust over a long time. There is also "Dissimilar Metals" We have all seen it. Look at a older galvanized trailer and there are rust stains in the fenders. This when you attach galvanized parts together with steel parts. Or steel to aluminum. Than you add water and you have created electrolysis. Much like the battery in your car. That's when the corrosion starts. Washing with soapy water and than a little CPC goes a long way over time. I have been in the aircraft repair business for 30+ years now and if you have seen some of the corroded aluminum parts that I have you might reconsider steel. By the way the axles under every trailer I see are still made from steel. besides I think a nicely painted trailer that match's the boat looks nice.
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