I think that since he has made that statement to you,and is trying to sell an all aluminum trailer,I would ask him,'Where are there stress fractures on this trailer that you're selling??"

I know that sounds pretty simplistic and you may say,"well,DUUUH,lady!" but that should have been the first thing that the seller would have known he was making pretty obvious to a potential buyer.

Stress fractures can be a problem in aluminum structures. The repair is not just to stop drill the crack and weld the crack closed. After the weld is completed, the surrounding area becomes brittle and has to be annealed by the application of heat. Otherwise you may end up with another crack beside the repair. If it's a chronic area for breakage, a doubler should be installed.

There are several different series of aluminum that are used in fabrication. Some are very stiff and rigid, others are able to flex without breaking. The manuf has to determine the best combination of properties that best suits his needs.

In any case the repair should only be attempted by a qualified welder. If there are many cracks I would avoid that particular trailer. It has obviously been subjected to stresses it was not designed to handle, and could be a continual source of problems long into the future.

BOL  Gard

I have two aluminum trailers of different brands. I've never noticed any structural failures on either one. One is almost ten years old, the other is seven. I bought both of them used, and checked them out really well before I bought them and nothing structurally has changed since. The one I've only had since this summer.

I do almost no off the road traveling, mostly four lane and secondary road usage, so I wouldn't have the issues the other posting may have encountered. We have only recently gotten some trail horses and plan on mixing that riding with our showing. So our trailers are generally not used as hard as some other owners might use theirs.

I would consider purchasing a trailer needing one or two structural repairs, depending on the damage location and severity. However if it were involved with many issues and obviously used to breakage, I would avoid it.

BOL  Gard

As an aside, and I don't want to restart the Exiss best or worse trailer thing again, my seven year old Exiss Event is in a new condition, with no problems of any kind. I looked at many brands of trailers before our purchase, and chose this one because of its construction and condition.

The only modifications I've made since our purchase was to install small accessories in the LQ, acid etch the stall flooring and install the liner.

There are many good trailers out there, just look out for the bad ones.

BOL   Gard

My interior is also by Sierra. I couldn't be more pleased with the trailer and LQ combination. I hope you are as well.

Gard

You bet we are.