96" wide trailers?

I would prefer a 102" wide flatbed. But, I've been pulling my 48'x96" East for almost 2 years and have only had 1 load they wouldn't put on it. Was a load of oilfield pipe pyramid loaded. 15", and I was going to be 3 joints short. If it were blocked wouldn't have been an issue, as I had hauled the same load the week before but it was blocked between layers. I've thought about a 53' as well, but I'm usually maxed out on weight by the time my 48' is full. I weigh 29500 empty. Would be nice for long steel though, if I could get the weights right.

 

The camber, or arch is engineered into trailer. Aluminum is brittle and if it doesn't flex, it breaks. Steel will take a pounding over and over and not care. The only reason for aluminum trailers is lower tare weight.

In no way would I ever consider a aluminum trailer stronger.

The original inception of a arched trailer was to simply not appear loaded to state patrol. But became a necessity in full aluminum trailers.

They are not stronger.

 

Youre factually incorrect, sorry, strength will mean different things depending on what application you are talking about.
Aluminum. Its softer (brinell scale), and its less dense. These are true statements, BUT, remember my actual assertion, pound for pound aluminum is 3x stronger, but 3x less dense

Take a steel ibeam, take an aluminum ibeam, make them to the exact same dimensions, the aluminum is 1/3 the weight and has 1/3 the load carrying capacity. Thats not the same as it being weaker

Make an aluminum beam 3x the cross sectional area as the steel beam, weight is now nearly identical as well as load carrying capacity.

Overloading steel fatigues it, but it will yield gradually, overload aluminum and it tends to tear. Repeated fatiguing cycles (bringing right to the absolute edge of its yeild strength) will tear both in half eventually, steel is fine, but aluminum eventually this will result in snapping.


But theres more, aluminum can be extruded in ways you cant do with steel, so you can get your strength in different ways in aluminum, introducing camber also allows you to go many more cycles on aluminum, steel the cycles arent a problem, but it has less deflection before it shears.

Steel can and WILL shear on you with abuse, but so will aluminum. but a well engineered, well taken care of, not overloaded trailer of either will last forever... you just get slightly more notice that youre screwed with steel, while pulling more weight the entire 8 million miles

 

I'm busy, ill come back later to tell you how your right, wrong, and agreeing with me.

 

For building boats the rule is aluminum is half as strong for 1/3rd the weight.

mid that translate to structural engineering of beams I do not know.

I’ve also never tested if a 3” by 3” aluminum bar is stronger than 1” by 1” steel bar.

I suspect the actual shape of the item in question will change how it behaves under stress as much or possibly more than the base material.

 

This one wasn’t stronger.