Enclosed cargo trailers are build worlds apart in quality yet all look very similar.

The standard siding and roof aluminum skin used in the industry is .025-.035".
This aluminum is designed to be an enclosure and weight constrictive. (supposedly the best for lightest trailer)
Unfortunately, this also makes it prone to damage including bad weather and is easily defeated as deterrent for access (break in's). You can gain entry in a 0.030" aluminum skin trailer with a pocket knife.
Higher quality trailers will sacrifice weight for a .040" aluminum that gives structure, is more secure (requires tools to break in) and resists damage and weather much better.

Skin attachment is usually done with rivets and screws in the lighter aluminum. Panels are layed over each other like fish scales and seams are caulked to try and make them weatherproof. Heavier aluminum like the 0.040" use 3M seam/panel sealer. This is the same process used on most newer cars to hold on body panels. You will still have the fish scaling overlay. No screws or rivets needed. This makes for a clean exterior than won't have screws or rivets coming out.

Most manufacturers make trailers on 16" centers for floors, some do walls and a few do the same on the roof bows. Some use square/rectangular tubing for all structure, others use angle and pressed steel panel supports. Tubing is the preferred metal. Pressed panel structure is also prevalent because they can be made from very thin sheeting reducing weight but hurting structural integrity.

Interior paneling is also a place where manufacturers' cut costs.. but can also hurts structural integrity. 3/4" ply floor is pretty standard.
Some bottom end trailers will not even have interior walls or made from very thin veneer.

Lower quality trailers with sub-quality frames and week interior paneling are usually pretty easy to spot on the road as you can watch the rear door (doors) sway in the door opening as the trailer travels down the road. The thin veneer also does very little to protect the trailer from objects falling in the trailer that can easily break through the exterior.

If you notice I am not naming brand "X or Y". Most manufacturers' are also making different quality levels of trailers. This mean high end trailers are built well but entry level trailers are poor in comparison. This makes it very difficult to buy a used trailer as you might think "Brand X" makes a good trailer and you end up buying an entry level trailer with "Brand X" on it.

Suspension is almost always springs with higher end manufacturers having torsion axles. LED lighting is pretty standard these days. Radial tires should also be a quick way to see if the manufacturer is cutting corners. Bias tires are usually another cost cutting measure.

Long story short, you get what you pay for.
There has been a long history of manufacturer's trying to cut corners and getting caught in economic decision issues. Many of these lead to them going out of business. Unfortunately many great trailer manufacturers' have also gone out of business from the poor economy and the recent history of material sky-rocketing slowing sales even more.
In fact over 60% of trailer manufacturers have gone out of business in the last 6 years... most because they couldn't weather out the poor sales due to rising material costs.

 

I don't know if this post is too old to respond to but I appreciate the insight into trailer construction. I'm shopping for an enclosed trailer in Charleston SC and there aren't many options. My work truck broke down and I don't have time to wait for a special order so I'm choosing between a Bendron Titan or a Cargo Express which I'm told is the same as a "Pace" or "Look" trailer. (Look Trailer owns all three brands now)

The BT trailer has a full 6' interior height and a side door both of which are appealing to me. The CE trailer has 66" interior and no side door... I'm not sure how important either of these will turn out to be.

The CE has LED lights and Pine 3/8 ply walls. The BT has Old school lights and they say the walls are 3/8 but it looks like luan plywood instead of pine

The CE claims they have .040 aluminum walls and the BT has .024.

As far as I can tell, they are otherwise about equal. square tube frame, 16" o/c sidewalls and 24" o/c roof in tube. Floor is 3/4 ply with C-channel 24" o/c.

They're both the same price, around $1850 for a 5x8 with angled nose.
Any opinions on either of these trailers?

 

I specifically did not making this a which is a better brand thread so I don't get sued by one brand or another.

I am simply stating what to look for in one brand vs another when deciding which trailer to suite you needs. For occasional or light use trailers an entry level and priced trailer will do. For daily or commercial use the entry level trailers could be trashed in as little as a season.

You are correct about Look acquiring Cargo Express.

November 2011 – Look Acquires Pace American and Cargo Express brands
http://www.looktrailers.com/page.php?page_id=641

I am not familiar with the other brand (BT). Their website says they have built 27k trailers. Believe it or not that makes them a pretty small manufacturer. The Look brand is making that at least per year between their different brands and manufacturing facilities.

From the website the BT trailers look decent, but without looking closer at construction they all look the same from the outside. This was the point of this whole thread.

CE has different levels of trailers and you need to know what you are comparing. Some are entry level and others are geared more towards the commercial line. Even BT has different levels. This is what makes comparing trailers by brand very difficult.

Look at each model and compare everything. Skin thickness. Roof bows; tube or stamped, spacing. Upright supports; tube, stamped and spacing. Floor supports; tube, angle or stamped and spacing. Interior wall lining; 3/16 veneer or heavier. Obviously the heavier construction makes for a heavier trailer, but increases longevity and reduced capacity. Axle capacity, torsion vs sprung, etc. Radial vs bias tires. There are many things that effect pricing and quality differences between brands.

Good luck with your choice and making the right decision for your particular needs.

 

I am getting ready to start looking for another cargo trailer and I want to get opinions on what brand I should buy.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
i also found a site that has a list of trailer brands and give reviews about them. It also lists dealers for the brands. cargotrailerguide

 

I have limited advice to give but I would suggest getting a gps tracker installed in any trailer you buy. I had mine about 6 months before it was stolen right out of my driveway. I did have a hitch lock on it and thought that would be protection enough because I didn't figure someone would sit in my exposed driveway defeating a hitch lock but they did. I was inside sleeping at the time and never heard a thing.

As for the trailer when I had it... I bought the Bendron Titan and used it to remodel a townhouse that I flipped. When the trailer got stolen, I had to do something quickly, so I ended up putting $1200 into my old van and going back to working out of that. I never got 100% used to working out of a trailer and found it much less convenient than the van (mainly due to parking).

The trailer I got had worked fine while I had it. I used the side door much less than I thought I would and probably wouldn't pay extra for one in a 5x8 trailer if I bought one again.

Recently a trailer was stolen around my area and the owner did have a tracking device installed. They tracked the trailer to a house about an hr away where they found $500k of stolen goods. I'm tempted to buy another just to put out there as bait...

http://www.postandcourier.com/articl...PC16/151239882

 

I agree about the GPS. I know of so many guys where they just stole the whole dang trailer, equipment and all!


Guys around me don't want to pay the monthly fee but when they lose their trailer they cry the blues.


I'm still undecided on what brand to buy.


Need one for pretty fast and everyone I call says long wait time.


S Ga trailers much cheaper than northern factories.