Atlas Specialty Trailers, anybody familiar?

iambucket · Apr 9, 2017

Hi cheaprvlivers,

My Aunt in Indiana has graciously allowed me to stay at her place while I convert a cargo trailer into a living trailer to take back to my home in Washington state. I'm hoping to get something between 8 and 8.5 wide by 18-20 long and came across Atlas Specialty Trailers in Elkhart, IN. They have aluminum body seamless rooftops http://www.atlasspecialtytrailers.com/cargotrailers.html that seemed worth looking into.

It's a very small company. They do have a 5 star reviews on google...but it was based off of three reviews (and only one within the last year). Does anybody had any knowledge or experiences about the quality of their trailers?

Very happy to have found your corner of the Internet and looking forward to our future exchanges.

Thanks,
Dan

Optimistic Paranoid · Apr 9, 2017

iambucket said:
Does anybody had any knowledge or experiences about the quality of their trailers?

I hadn't heard of them before your post. I see on their web site that they are bragging about using hat posts instead of z posts, like that's some big deal. My personal opinion - worth every penny you're paying for it - is that any company that isn't using rectangular tubing for the walls is cutting corners.

BTW, welcome to the site.

iambucket · Apr 9, 2017

Optimistic Paranoid said:
I hadn't heard of them before your post. I see on their web site that they are bragging about using hat posts instead of z posts, like that's some big deal. My personal opinion - worth every penny you're paying for it - is that any company that isn't using rectangular tubing for the walls is cutting corners.

BTW, welcome to the site.

Thanks,

If I may ask a followup to learn more about frame construction: Under the "Features" tab the first point it has listed is "Steel Tube Main Rails." The last point is "Hat posts vs. z-posts." Based on your point, does this mean walls are not considered part of the main frame? Is the fact the specified only the main frame was steel tube how you deduced that the other parts were not?

I'm learning a lot about trailers right now and trailer posts are a new topic to me. Based on this picture[img=701x317]https://propulltrailers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/construction-methods.jpg[/img]
it looks like tubing uses more metal and thus is sturdier/more expensive to produce (and buy). Is that correct?

Having browsed a few "what to look for" threads, my compiled list of things that suggest a quality trailer:

Posts (Tubing)
Seamless Roof
Aluminum - not saying steel can't be quality, just aluminum is better (and pricier)
Dexter axels (spring vs torsion is debatable in terms of which is "best")
Warranty
Positive reviews
Sealed floor

Would you add anything to this list? I don't want to get fixated on perfection, but just anything I might be unaware of, such as the tubing posts. It's always going to be a compromise between ideal and practical.

I hope it alright to ask so many questions. I'm trying to learn more about this topic which I knew nothing about only a few days ago. But I also want to think about it myself so I'm not just asking you to do all my mental work. For me it's helpful to ask a question about how I think something works to see if I'm thinking about it correctly.

Thanks

John61CT · Apr 9, 2017

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Requested-pix-of-my-6-x-12

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Optimistic Paranoid · Apr 9, 2017

By "Steel Tube Main Rails" I believe they are talking about what you or I would call the frame under the floor - the part that both the walls and the axle(s) are attached to. The alternative there is that some companies use I-beams instead. Here's the page that mentions that they use hat posts instead of z posts:

http://www.atlasspecialtytrailers.com/features.html

One company that seems to build high end trailers is Bravo. I see their factory is in IN. Don't know if they would let you tour their plant or not. The pictures on their web site look good.

http://bravotrailers.com/