Wood Vs Steel Open Trailer

[Jake]

I bought steel because 1. it was for sale, 2. it was cheap, 3. a friend sold it to me.

Weight didn't really matter to me as between the trailer and car I'm still only looking at 5500 lbs, assuming the trailer is a fatass (I've never weighed it). Mine is a closed deck which I did really want. Having something that's just a giant sheet of metal is super handy. Paul, the previous owner, built side boards for it that slide into the stake pockets, which means if I spend 15 minutes assembling things, I suddenly have a box with wheels (there is a back piece too, not installed in photo):



Was really great for my last move, I just strapped all my shit to it and drove off to Alexandria.

Aluminum strikes me as an unnecessary expense unless you're trying to tow with a too-small SUV, which you won't be doing. Some friends with Touaregs and X5's use them over steel, but since it sounds like you want a full-on #merica pickup, just get a steel closed-deck and call it a day.

The steel has been low-maintenance, I resprayed the whole thing last year because it was looking funky. Mine is a 2006 EconoTrailer and seems to have held up well with regular maintenance.