aluminum trailer bolted ( not welded ). worth buying?

[starbreeze]

The average price for a aluminum ( 2 axle ) trailer, here in So. Cal., seems to be $5300 . I found a company in Phoenix Az. ( Kokopelli ) selling them for $4000 plus $200 for shipping. However, they are bolted together, not welded. Does anyone, in So. Cal., know of a comparable price? Is the fact that it's bolted a deal breaker? I will appreciate any input. Thanks.

[raycarlson]

Mac 26M's have been coming from the factory since like 2007 sitting on bolted aluminum trailers, don't know why it would be a deal breaker. there very easy to mod and customize to any level of capacity and anybody can weld it permently together in a couple hours if you desire.

[starbreeze]

Thanks...That was my hunch. The makers that do weld seem to make a big deal of it. I'm thinking that the Golden Gate Bridge is bolted together and it seems to be doing just fine. I would probably just re-torque the bolts periodically. Thanks again

[mastreb]

Aluminum typically compresses after being torqued for the first time, so you're wise to re torque them once after about 30 days and after the trailer has been used enough for all of its natural stresses to emerge. But after that 2nd torquing it should be fine forever. Final torque should be in the neighborhood of 150 ft.lbs. (+/- 20%) for 1/2" steel bolts into aluminum, but go with whatever the factory recommends.

[seahouse]

If you're going to the trouble of retorquing the bolts and are concerned about them loosening (and you needn't be if they're sized and torqued correctly as Matt points out), then you also can use Locktite threadlocker or similar on all the fasteners. Even if Nylok nuts are used. Not only will it stop them from working loose, but if you put some under the heads of the fasteners it will reduce galvanic corrosion between the dissimilar metals and reduce salt water corrosion at the crevises.

Not a fan of star washers or split ring lockwashers here – avoid where posssible if the job is fussy. They do the job of locking fairly well, but create crevises for corrosion to work, and mess up the softer metal contact surfaces for future assembly.

A finer -pitched thread is more vibration resistant, and the bolt is stronger for the same diameter fastener, if you are really anal about bolts loosening.

-B.

[starbreeze]

Great info! Thanks guys. This forum is a God-sent.