Travel Trailers with Aluminum Frames

mountainborn wrote:
This one seems to have an aircraft grade aluminum frame. Are there advantages to this ? Is it the only one ? Is it practical cost wise ?
YouTube video of all aluminum frame in the factory

That is a very nice looking frame. I like the way that they used an additional piece of aluminum to attach the axles to. I wonder why the cross members are only attached to the bottom of the main frame rails. The idea is to keep the frame rails from twisting which will reduce strength if they do. Maybe the trailer structure mounts to the top and keeps the frame rails from twisting.
I also notice that the axles don't appear to have much camber to them.
Maybe I missed it, but what brand trailer is it?

One more big advantage to a metal frame is lightening protection.

Tires do not necessarily protect one from a lightening strike (assuming a GRP frame) whereas metal frames act as a Faraday Cage and route the strike down to the ground.

Our Alpenlite is aluminum.......it was built in 1984 and is GREAT! Lighter weight than others the same size AND no wood frame to be damaged by water!!!

My Camplite 21BHS has an all aluminum frame. No problems so far.

One advantage is lighter weight. The other is no rust.

What about Airstreams?

SunnyBrook (now Winnebago Towables) has been building with aluminum frames for years, dunno if they still do. I had no problems with the 3 I had made in 1995, 2000, & 2005.

Just now viewed the video & I see the chassis is aluminum. The SunnyBrook chassis was steel but the framing for the body was aluminum.

SunnyBrook (now Winnebago Towables) has been building with aluminum frames for years, dunno if they still do. I had no problems with the 3 I had made in 1995, 2000, & 2005.

Livin-Lite uses aluminum frames - that's the only one I know of these days. (Aerolite used to, but had frame problems with their long trailers.)

See no reason why it wouldn't work, all it takes is $$$$$$$$. Aluminum per pound is more expensive than mild steel and probably more expensive to weld up. I'm not a welder so I'll let the welders comment.

The only advantage I can see would be the weight savings, and of course, Aluminum won't rust, but can corrode badly.