Materials Cost for 18' - 20' flat deck trailer.

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I know this is subjective to location, date, etc. but I am curious to find a rough figure for metal costs to make an 18 - 20' flat deck trailer with wood deck.I can price axles...so just maybe what you spent on metal.This gets me an idea.Thanks
Reply:The actual design of the trailer will play a huge part in this. The 20K tag along trailer for our old Mack would be a heck of a lot more in steel than say the 10K equipment trailer, even though they were roughly the same length. I'm not talking tire, axles and brakes here, I'm simply talking about how much steel there was in both units.In most cases when you add up all the materials and compare it to a similar "store bought" trailer, you'll likely find the store bought trailer is cheaper. This is especially true if you over build your trailer. There's generally no way you can compete with the kinds of pricing places get when they buy in bulk. Add in the extra tooling, wire/rod, gas, consumables like grinding disks/ cut off wheels and so on as well as the basics. Then there's the time and ag factor you have to figure in as well. How much is all that effort worth to you, and would you be better off say working those hours doing something that makes you money and simply spending a bit more for a ready made unit?If you are serious about doing something like this, your best bet is to pick up one of the premade engineered trailer design plans that most closely fits your project. Northern Tools and others sell them cheap, usually less than $40 or so depending on the design.. That will give you a minimum steel list to work from and a known loading. Then simply post up the list and ask what people are paying for those items.I'll also toss out the usual safety caveat, since you are new and we have no idea what your skill level is. Trailers are not "learning" projects. If you can not do code quality welds in all positions, every time, with a machine big enough to weld the steel required, this is not a project for you. "Ugly but it holds" welds and a 110v machine won't cut it.Last edited by DSW; 12-17-2011 at 11:09 PM..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:$600.00
Reply:New steel alone will be in the 70¢ to 90¢ a pound range. I can see a decent medium duty 20 footer being an easy 1500 to 2,000 pounds, of course axles, wheels, tires, glitz, glitter, deck & all. Not all of that is steel but there should be some ruff dollar amount that covers it all. Maybe a buck to a buck & a half a pound.If it's supposed to be a full blown equipment trailer the weight and costs go way up."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Asking a question like this is like asking how much a 4 door car will cost.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by SundownIIIAsking a question like this is like asking how much a 4 door car will cost.
Reply:Most people find that building new costs more than buying new. That being said, you can't always buy exactly what you want.  As DSW I'm sure pointed out (didn't actualy read his post because I'm sure its similar to all trailer thread posts) this is not a project for a beginner. I think it's safe to assume you don't have the metal laying around and just need to figure out the cost of said metal. Because if you had the metal you'd also have a good idea of the cost of it.  And because you don't have the metal, It's also safe to assume that you'll spend more on metal, axles, lights, electircal, decking, wheels, tires, etc, than it would cost you to buy a new trailer or slightly used trailer. You can't compete with a manufacturer. They have volume on their side.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:$500 seems light -I'd say closer to $800-1000 depending - go to a steel shop and get their free stock book and get them to price out your material list - wont cost you anything but your time
Reply:This morning I bought some 2"x3"x 3/16ths tube. Came in at $1.10 a pound. Maybe that's expensive, maybe it's cheap, I dunno. That's what I have to pay here. So 2"x4"x 3/16ths will be 6.8 lbs a foot. Just the basic perimeter of a 20 foot trailer would take about (plus or minus) 54 ft x 6.8lbs per = 370 lbs.. That doesn't get you all the cross member material, tongue, fenders, top rail (if you're gonna have one), ramps and yadda yadda. Next thing you know your a thousand pounds of welded steel into one. Axles, wheels and rims, lights and wiring, deck, nuts and bolts, coupler and a spare tire added to that and you could be 1800 lbs and $2,000.00 easy if not more.."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyJust the basic perimeter of a 20 foot trailer would take about (plus or minus) 54 ft x 6.8lbs per = 370 lbs.. That doesn't get you all the cross member material, tongue, fenders, top rail (if you're gonna have one), ramps and yadda yadda. Next thing you know your a thousand pounds of welded steel into one. ..
Reply:Unless you're doing something completely custom where you need a specific feature that is not available on a regular manufactured trailer there is typically not cost benefit to doing it yourself (for personal use). That being said, if you want to start a business venture, you may be able to get a reduced cost on materials strictly because of the volume you'll need. just depends on the relationships you make with your suppliers.If you are going to do it as a business venture you'd better have jigs set up, and do cuts all at one time. Otherwise you'll be spending to much time on assembly to make it fiscally viable.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:You want a rough idea for a 10k or lighter trailer?$2000 +/- for steel$2000 +/- for running gear (axles, wheels, tires, springs, etc)$500-$1000 for other costs like paint, lights, wiring, jack, etc.$More labor than you have time to do it$.On top of that you can add any equipment you need and don't have.That's all assuming you are actually capable of building a safe trailer yourself.Bottom line....just buy one.  It's cheaper, faster, easier.My name's not Jim....
Reply:If you really want a welding project just buy a used trailer... I haven owned 3 different trailers and all 3 needed plenty of work to suit my needs.