New Trailer

[chesapeake724]

My new rig came with a Continental aluminum tandem axle. The PO said he paid only $1500 for it: 5100# capacity, no brakes. The weight savings "feels" significant. A wild arse guess is 500-800lbs. less than a comparable galvanized trailer. Yes, it's rolling weight, but I think your tow vehicle will notice the difference in load and mileage. The ride is stiffer, I think. Because the members are i-beams and because aluminum is stiffer where steel flexes, I think the boat will feel the bumps a little more, even through the springs. I would take care not to make the boat too light. You want to load the springs to get the cushioning. While on that subject, if you're buying new, I'd look into torsion axles instead of leaf-sprung. The boat rides lower on the trailer and care and feeding is less than springs.

All that said, it wouldn't be a priority for me to get rid of a galvanized trailer and buy aluminum, so long as it was safe to use. $600.00 is probably my limit though.

Just my two cents.