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Ok.. I'm going to be making a trailer like the one on championtrailers.com  which is a 5'x8' utility trailer. I added up the lengths of steel and it came to about 83 feet total. It says to use 2"x3" angle. My wife got me a quote for 100 feet of 2" x 3" x 3/16" angle. She said it came in 20 foot lengths and was $12.36 each piece. Does that sound right to anyone? I havent bought any steel in at least 10 months and I thought the prices were alot more than that and it's too late to call now.Secondly, do you think 3/16" is the right thickness to use? The page doesnt specify the thickness to use.Thanksaxehind
Reply:Just read your thread.  I  was considering the same thing.  It seems 3/16 is  fine according to some plans I  have seen.  I got just about the same amount of angle you figured.  I  have a scrap steel place around here that sells steel for 30 cents a lb.  I  think  I  read somewhere it was 4lbs a foot.  That would work out to about 100 bucks.  Now that sounds cheap right?  Now put on the cost of the axle kit and shipping.  About 300 bucks or so.  Now lights,coupler,decking, paint,jack fenders and weld inspection.  It adds up real fast.  Suddenly that 100 bucks turns into 6 or 7 hundred.Now  remember at least here in Pa. you have to have the welds inspected.  This may or may not be a problem.  It  has to be reg as a homebuilt and is more difficult to get the paper work for.  Yes you can save a bundle on the trailer but it may or may not be worth it.  I figured it would cost about 600 bucks to build the thing.  You can pick em up on ebay for real  close to  that not counting shipping or goin to get it.  I am now thinking about converting a boat trailer.  They are pretty cheap and have the paper work with them.  Also you can still  fab it  the way you want.  Hope this helps just my thoughts.Last edited by thumbs; 03-29-2005 at 11:20 PM.GarySouderton, Pa.
Reply:According to my ciphering and goezintas that comes out to about 20 cents a pound. Wonderfull if true. Just over 60 cents a foot. Everything I've bought lately has been in the 60 to 80 cents a pound. Hmmmmmm????I dunno.
Reply:I guess it depends on exactly where you are and where you go.  The steel yard here wanted about 4 bucks a lb.  The scrap yard is .30 or it was about a month ago.  I bought a 25 foot piece of 2.5X3X1/4 for about 38 bucks.  That was a little less than .30 but that's what he asked for. I think it weighed in at around 150 or so.  All the steel there is .30 no matter what it is.  Quite a bit of it is new stuff.  I don't know how he gets it but it's amazing.  He had 1/4 inch AL diamond plate in hugh bundles.  The sheets must have been 4x10.  Great place to spend a few hours.  All kinds of stuff and cheap.GarySouderton, Pa.
Reply:I just got another quote on smaller angle.100ft of 2" x 2.5" x 3/16  is 36 cents a pound and it weighs 2.75 lb per foot.He said it was old stock which is why the price was lower.axehind
Reply:That first price you had sounds pretty cheap. I just bought a 20' piece of 1 1/2" X  1 1/2"  3/16" angle yesterday and it costs me $26.79 by the time tax was added to it.
Reply:Yeah I agree it is cheap.  I didn't buy any angle but did buy the square tubing.  I asked about angle and he told me steel is .30 a pound.  Now maybe my weight per foot is off but I can only tell ya what I was told about the cost.  I thought it was dirt cheap also.  And when I saw that a bunch of stock was under shed and looked like it  just came off the  truck I was really supprised.  My buddy took me there for the first time and he told me it was cheap before  we got there.  Now to conferm this I went to a scrap yard closer to home but trust me it was a scrap yard.  I  was quoted the same thing .30 cents a lb.  Of  course this was mostly junk.  I  think  maybe that is  what they get when they take it to  get it melted down.  They figure they get the cash and don't have to haul it.  I first went to  the steel supplier in the area.  I can't remember exactly what the cost was but I though a foot of the 3/16 angle was cose to 4 or 5 bucks.  This is more than you guys say you pay for steel.  I went from a cost of almost 200 bucks to a cost of 38.  Now my price per foot may be off but the cost the supplier wanted compaired to the yard where I bought it is very accurate.GarySouderton, Pa.