Aluminum or Steel Livestock Trailer: Which is Better?

[@TheFarmingLife]

Aluminum trailers hands down. Hope everybody is enjoying their day

[@cow35f]

My last steel trailer I took undercoating to the inside walls. Helped with rust from manure issues

[@jimpolk]

Great idea.

[@kill2liveman]

What we did is that we use bedliner on the sides of the trailer down by the floor and then put some in the wheel wells to help against corrosion

[@daleley7645]

Glad Derek could fix it for you. Nice of him to help mount it too!

[@awesomeperson7782]

Love the new vibe with the thumbnails. Hope the algorithm picks it up 👌

[@joshkranz160]

I was in the same boat as you last year with my semi. I bought it about 5 years ago, it was an old cheap truck but a great way to get started driving truck (I had no experience either when I started). Did the same thing as you... bough one and learned as I went. After about 4 years, it was really nickel and diming me. I decided to bite the bullet and buy one about 20 years newer, way less miles, and a much nicer cab and options. Not to mention it looked better and drove a LOT better. It was the best decision I made. I got more out of my old truck than I paid for it, so all in all it only cost me about $15k to trade up to a much nicer rig. I know everyone's farming operation and financial priorities are different, but for me it was tough call but I have no regrets whatsoever about the upgrade. Keep up the great videos

[@mrgreekfarmer]

Channels like this are why I spend my time on KZbin. Being able to fix the machines by yourself is a big money saver. This traier is gonna look really nice on the upcoming videos.

[@chadengemann8237]

i have a 24' foot that i rebuilt myself and it was a lot of work to do it right. two key things i have done to mine on the repair, was repair the rusted tin/steel out with SS bottom skirt on the inside and found out that horse stall rubber mats work the best on the floor. Also one key thing i do to mine is it gets washed out after every use when we get back. it is easier to clean when it is fresh.

[@richardhutchings921]

Nice to see Hannah. Aluminum is fine if you can repair it yourself. I think you made the right decision by going with the steel. Keep up the good work.

[@rustynail2205]

Ryan, a quick tip for the new trailer. Put your foot on the base of the spring when you release the pressure the Jack pressure. It will be much easier on the jack and make certain you never get your finger caught in there when it releases. It Llooks awesome and so does the hood.

[@busterbailey5559]

I have pulled steel trailers for 30 years i think u did great and i am glad to see Hannah is there to help you lol Buster Bailey from east Tennessee

[@melwallenhorst3486]

I think that you made the right decision with the steel trailer. Even if you used it 5 days a week steel may rust but you can fix it yourself. You can weld on it to fix it and paint your repair

[@gregmercer5171]

we have a 2013 all aluminum Adams Trailer and it still looks new and very easy to clean plus we keep it under a shelter when not in use. it also weights less and easier to pull. Plus the resale value is better.

[@brentstrasser2567]

Amen finally someone who makes sense about a trailer investment over the lifespan of the trailer.

[@petruzzovichi]

Another great video Ryan. It's always nice witnessing family interaction resulting in success. Well done.

[@14Marathons]

Your reasons for steel over aluminum make perfect sense....for your situation. Good explanation. Great video.

[@jimpolk]

It still amazes me how much of an all around mechanical engineer a farmer has to be. Kudos!

[@chuckg9805]

Look nice - are ya yanking my chain - big red looks NEW!!!!!!!!! good work men

[@BradMyers]

Nice trailer and good explanation on why you decided the way you did. Being able to work on the trailer yourself is a huge plus. I think you have been taking it to easy on your intern, her nails look awful nice, not working her hard enough.

[@samson1200]

I think you made the correct choice! Steel holds up strength wise over a longer period of time from my experience. I do not know if you are considering adding a 3rd axel to help haul heavier loads so DOT does not flag you.

[@braydensimmons7833]

We farm in Nebraska and we are big into cattle we've had the same aluminum cattle trailer for about 25 years and just got a aluminum stock trailer last year I think they are worth the money

[@whitechurchfarm]

I bit the bullet and purchased an aluminum stock trailer in 2013. Happy so far, but, I would have been just as happy with a steel. I don’t feel it’s a whole lot lighter...pulls kind of heavy I think. Oh well...I’m easily pleased. Enjoy your new trailer. The cows won’t care whether it’s steel or aluminum. 😁😁

[@scorpionsedge]

I really like the new trailer! I'm glad you were able to get Big Red's hood fixed too. Always something.

[@robertg.9964]

I made the same choice as you did Ryan. My trailer is used year round here in New England but in the warmer months I am hauling firewood, tractors and other lawn equipment and odd stuff for friends. In the winter, my steel utility trailer hauls 4 snowmobiles 5-7K miles a season. I do my own repairs as well as welding. Steel trailer allows me to modify or repair anything with ease. The aluminum trailer in the same set up was 2X's the price. Safety stand point, steel will slowly bend as it fails, aluminum cracks wide open and fails much more quickly. Over all I agree with the choice you made since I went through the same thing just a year ago. Enjoy.

[@brittblanton8342]

Thanks for the update, for the operation you guys have it sounds like the steel trailer was the best way to go. Rocket looked like he was suffering from a bout of severe depression when he was in the cab of your truck 😂

[@IronBarioth]

Perfect purchase, it fits your budget and what your looking to use it for aluminum is nice but I agree too high priced for occasional use, it is good for some people, you just have to find something that fits what you need it for.

[@acomputernerd]

Big red looks sweet with the fix. Glad you’re happy with the trailer. Thanks for the video!

[@jeffc6268]

I always power wash my steel trailer after hauling cattle. I think it reduces corrosion. Hopefully it’ll last a while.

[@khoughton411]

Good Ol' Rocket! I love when he gets to ride in the cab! Give him extra pets and snuggles from Kansas!

[@jameslee4504]

With stock trailers it always depends on what you want to do with it. If you’re going to be bouncing through rough pastures steel will hold up much better than aluminum. If all you’ll be putting on it miles on good paved road aluminum works better for that. I say this as a rancher that’s been around both kinda of trailers. My neighbors would all say the same thing. Unfortunately aluminum doesn’t take pasture abuse very well.

[@TheRancher250]

☝🏼💯% spot on.

[@TheFarmingLife]

How many guys drag a trailer through the pasture. Maybe out in Montana or Wyoming. These new aluminum trailers made by Eby you can't go wrong.

[@jameslee4504]

@@TheFarmingLife I’m in the Sandhills of Nebraska and even with all the sand some of the pasture roads we have to bounce down get pretty rough. Steel holds up a lot better out in our part of the country

[@andrewbusshardt4533]

Nice trailer and yah run that hood looks good. Its funny u pull up the drive way at the main farm and i can still see the where the stave silo was lol. Hope u find where its built somebody. Cant wait for the next video Ryan have a good one

[@bionic80]

Bryan's does good work!

[@waterskiingfool]

Nice of that guy from @therestofthestory to help you out. Big red looks good. New trailer is really nice also.

[@andyyost4856]

Nice looking very functional trailer!!! Steel / Aluminum is all personal preference. Big Red looks great!!!

[@charleslynch7274]

Congrats on the trailer and congrats on getting the semi hood fixed

[@forgedironfilms9767]

I would say long overdue for a trailer upgrade! Thanks for showing the differences between the two.

[@johndalton552]

The only differences between the steel vs aluminum trailer we bought was the aluminum trailer was 2000 pounds lighter, and $8,000 dollars more in price. Plus the aluminum trailers have the tendency to crack around the back doors when we are hauling up and down the mountain roads to the summer range

[@leol1682]

They did a very good job on the hood of truck and love the new trailer too .

[@stevendiener3001]

You made the right choice. Steel all the way.

[@masonbyrnes7380]

Very good points we are thinking about going the same route!

[@ethanstractorpartsandremov7564]

Super 10! Those are fun to drive! Easy as well

[@IcamanSogge]

Such a nice trailer and I bet the cows will enjoy there new ride thanks for sharing.

[@purplerunner1715]

I think it's a very smart choice that you went for the Steel trailer, given that your not running it every single day, then fuel cost and high load capacity is not an issue. And yeah common plate/bars and some tools can get you back and running again pretty quick in case of small breakdowns with a steel trailer.

[@levigregorytiama5448]

I’ve been a trailer mechanic for 5 years now and i can say that if you constantly (and i mean after every use) clean it all out and paint anything that may have a scratch or missing paint, steel will last 15-20 years. However aluminum takes no maintenance and will easily last the same. The best trailer i know of is a Gore horse trailer. Steel frame aluminum body. It’s expensive but I’ve seen 40 year old gore horse trailers selling for the price of new stock trailers just because they hold value so much.

[@jameslee4504]

Just one more tip for you that we’ve found in out stock trailers: all of them have wood floors and putting in stall mats greatly increases the life of the floor. At least in steel trailers that is.

[@HowFarmsWork]

Maybe all the new ones do, but I've seen ones with holes right through the aluminum to the ground!

[@michaelowen1750]

We bought them on sale at TSC for about $20 a piece a few years ago.. the trailer still has them

[@TexFarmer]

I've got stall mats in my cattle trailer and after 8 years the wood underneath still looks brand new. I do make a point to power wash the trailer after every time I use it, and that includes pulling the mats out and washing the wood floor underneath.

[@edcs13]

I was up in Lancaster not that long ago and I feel like I saw that trailer up there.

[@lazyacre21dan35]

Now you're gonna have to detail the rest of big red 👍

[@neilkeiffer1431]

We used a product called Fluid Film on the outside to protect during the winter and sprayed bedliner on the bottom two feet on the in inside to hopefully help it last longer

[@timmiller7037]

Nice job on the truck hood! Steel is in my opinion is better you can always weld it up if any repairs are needed .. not that you can’t weld aluminum.. but steel is much easier..

[@cidervalleyfarms3713]

I like you're choice of trailer, when we bought one similar to yours the steel is sort of a no brainer it is a lot chaeper

[@brettadams417]

The last 60 seconds is where he starts to talk about the trailers...your welcome world!!

[@danieldzurko8053]

Conrats on your new trailer and the big red look great

[@ohiofarmlife4020]

We have steel 7x22. For the amount of hauling we do steel works just fine. If I were up and down the road everyday in the winter with one I’d probably opt for aluminum but for just a couple times a year steel suits us just fine!

[@ernestdougherty3162]

Damn great job and nice new trailer and Big Red's Hood come out looking beautiful great job thanks for sharing and God bless you and your family

[@timthompson5885]

I definitely agree with the steel! Looks to be very well built! You'll be haulin like a mad man now!!

[@chasesblog]

When we had our cattle operation we had all steel trailers though couldn’t tell you why but they worked great for us, ranging from 16 ft horse trailers to 2 at least 32 ft cattle trailers and one of the smaller ones, around 20 ft or so if I had to guess, was the heaviest built of all of them though was an easy haul down the road even with a full load of cattle. We’ve still got the trailers though they aren’t used anymore except the horse trailers occasionally

[@cameronmcconnachie7794]

Our steel cattle trailer is a 1999 or a 2000 Corn Pro and we’re still using it

[@roscoejones4515]

You'll be hauling cattle like a boss!

[@briantomazi9491]

excited to see you bought an S&S stock trailer, I am a dealer in Missouri I have several trailers ordered from them

[@johnmoore669]

Hey Ryan, I think you guys made a great choice on the trailer. I was thinking about something though, can you spray the floor of the trailer with a bed liner to keep the poop and muck from rusting out the corners/floor? I know they have do it your self kits- just an idea... Great to see Big Red back together again. Spring planting is just around the corner. Take care and be safe :)

[@Greg_Gatsby]

You did well to get a steel stock trailer and repair the hood of Big Red. Now consider (again) a better grain trailer. Good video!

[@tim_g3478]

Did the trailer meet Hannah’s approval? Wasn’t sure from her reaction to the divider latches. Nice having a cousin-in-law in the body repair business. Looks like he did a nice job on the hood!

[@hannahsmith239]

Yes! Prefer steel trailers

[@jimcantrell4840]

Really Nice Trailer.......and appears to be a great job on the hood!

[@clinthochrein888]

All is good in the hood👍🏾 I like the decision on the steel cattle trailer.

[@ericdavis9360]

Nice trailer. I’m still hauling cattle with a short horse trailer lol. Working on getting a cattle trailer soon. Great video. You need to have another farm day. I’d love to get the wife and take a trip from WV and see your farm,meet you and your family,and see how much different it is there then here.

[@joesanders652]

Whatever works best for yall

[@doclull1989]

Hey Ryan!! The hood looks awesome!! Now you to buff the rest of big Red! Hannah!!!

[@HowFarmsWork]

Hey Darrin, hope you’re having a good week!

[@stevensaxon8888]

@@HowFarmsWork lots of people here in ga spray their new trailer with bed liner paint. Hope this helps

[@richardpoe2461]

You should try and rust proof the new trailer., should make it last longer. Big Red looks good as new!

[@marknewman5847]

Good choice on the new trailer it looks nice . Hood looks brand-new on your truck thanks for sharing

[@cameronbeilke5908]

Lower cost of investment makes sense to me if you aren’t using it as often

[@SimonKL11]

The old trailer served you well, but the new one will be much better👍😉

[@tb91506]

Good business choice!

[@renemllermadsen8509]

Niiiiiiiice you got it fixed Ryan It looks like a brand new Truck now she is a cool old truck Big Red ! :D

[@rossnolan2883]

Both are good 😊

[@marksmotorsportsandfarming7376]

I vote for the steel trailer since aluminum trailers are a lot more expensive

[@fordmodela1281]

steel makes a lot of sense for your utilization , very nice

[@Rhelmer21]

We have 2 aluminum trailers that we bought new in 2012 and we love them but we also haul our own cows and neighbours cattle a lot and the flooring in ours is really durable and we haven’t had to fix anything

[@Bmwcolorado]

That trailer looks way better than the old one

[@benny8300]

I like the old one better

[@Bmwcolorado]

@@benny8300 hmmm

[@toddholmer9700]

The hood looks great. Hopefully it will work out well.

[@larryfisher5796]

Wow nice trailer that should last a long time ☺️

[@brendanmeegan6444]

Best luck with ur new tralor

[@connormcgowan5360]

Nice trailer I have a 1998 exiss 24 foot aluminum it I will never go back to a steal

[@brandonm6052]

Most ranchers I know in western Nebraska or anywhere really generally prefer steel for the ease of fixing. The majority of aluminum trailers around back up to a loading chute and hit the highway.

[@danfinley3690]

Thanks Ryan for another cool video

[@johnh8192]

Hood looks great!

[@chrisrenken9303]

I think it all depends on the purchaser if your going to be hauling a lot it would be better to go aluminium but if your only going to use it a few times a year steel would be the best route to go

[@HowFarmsWork]

This was our thought process too. Aluminum will hold up better over the road but steel will be a better choice for less usage and frequent off-road visits.

[@troymartin3693]

Great to have a trailer upgrade!! Hopefully ya can do the same with "Big Red" in the near future... Or possibly add another truck to your fleet??? Need me a new hat... 😂

[@michaelthomas3014]

I’m with you on the steel it’s nice to look cool on your stool but unless I was pulling one every day steel is way too go forward me

[@jamesc6432]

Hood looking brand new! How did you learn to drive stack, we just got a dump truck at my fram and I'm looking to learn to dive stick pretty soon!

[@jordanschneider6505]

It's a great day for another great video. Never Stop Farming!!!

[@fitzieindoorsoutdoorsadventure]

I really love this video!!! I really like the new hood and new trailer!!!!

[@jimpolk]

That's a great looking trailer.

[@tokencivilian8507]

Being in aviation, live animal transport (think high end race horses, as an example) is one of those things where the FAA has special guidance about corrosion. The urine and dung, even when using special containment "stall pallets" is especially corrosive to aircraft structure, so freighters used to haul live animals get extra maintenance attention to prevent corrosion. In a similar manner, if the steel trailer is only used a few times a year, if you're not already doing it, perhaps a good pressure wash when it's done for the day would be in order to help limit the rate of corrosion. A once a year drill with wire brush + can of rust preventative primer-paint walk through might also be in order. Sounds like the steel vs aluminum choice is the classic capital expense vs "productivity" choice. If you don't use it enough, it isn't worth the extra expense for the "more productive" (lighter weight) aluminum trailer. Great to see some recent content coming from you and TRoTS. The "drought" of content was a killer.

[@Pinziee]

good luck with the trailer !

[@chadrohacs3379]

Good Lookin Trailer!

[@BWYinYang]

Apply bull liner on floor and wall, inside wheel wells would keep that trailer last lot longer. Also, apply bull liner on exterior front panel keep from getting chipped off.

[@thomasstrand9853]

What works for you is the important thing with you get a steel or aluminum

[@jasonnichols70]

Nice trailer. I saw the holes in the old trailer is there much more wrong with it?

[@straightpipeacres6365]

Nice RIG buddy!!

[@bevspecht5221]

How you are you now good and you not so bad lol

[@straightpipeacres6365]

@@bevspecht5221 oh not so bad. Calves been dropping like crazy here lol. 8 left to go hahah

[@farmlife8734]

Nice video love that trailer

[@tonymckeage1028]

Great Vlog Ryan, interesting comparison, thank for sharing