I think it is different in the northeast than other parts of the country.While other parts of the US may use the same or more amounts of salt,it seems like our stuff rots quicker.I know of quite a few enclosed trailers that have been turned into storage sheds.Those are mostly snowmobile trailers,they ran up and down the RT 93 corridor to the real riding country.Usually the fall of next year the owners bring them over,the door doesn't shut right,wheel is sitting at an angle,tongue is angled up for some reason.Then I get them under it with me,and start poking with a screwdriver.A lot of times the plywood floor is holding the whole thing together.Most are shocked,I just bought that trailer three years ago! Well,you took it up 93,filled it with brine,and let it fester all summer.At that point I tell them you now have a nice enclosed shed,set it up on blocks,and it will last for 25 years.No taxes,and if you want to you can keep it registered for $12.per year.I tend to take care of my trailers so I expect a few more years out of them.I am still hauling my dozer,excavator,and bobcat around on a trailer I helped build in 1974.I replaced the axles a couple of years ago,but the original decking is just starting to break up.I always squirted old motor oil on the deck.I have a lowbed tilt deck trailer we built in 1980.It was a 1972 15 ton trailer,made with 4X12 box main beams,and 3X4 box crossmembers.It was made to haul farm machinery,and by 1980 the the crossmembers were crunching down into the main beams.The final straw came when one of us hooked the winch to a tractor,pulled the lever,and the winch came off with two chunks of the main beams.We built a new trailer using the original suspension,winch,and hydraulics,but used beams for a 25 ton trailer.I still have that trailer although I am done trucking.We never got around to painting it and it looks ugly.It is still solid a a rock.I have a 1978 Pace American sitting out here now.All channel and angle framed.It was taken care of,and has lasted,but the quality of that trailer comes at a price.I pull it with a 3/4 ton Dodge with a Cummins in it but I would consider that a minimum for that trailer.It pulls nice,but it is heavy.You really need the brakes when it is empty.
I have been around enclosed trailers for years, and even facinated by them when I was a kid, and I have yet to hear of a 30+ year old trailer where the box-tubing rusted from the inside and the trailer fell apart. Now granted, I am sure there is an isolated incident or two out there, but wouldn't we all agee the shear numbers makes this a very small percentage. If this is the case, why do we even worry with such things? If it is of a concern, consider having it treated by a company such as Zeibart. Most trailers automatically carry a 5 year warranty anyway so ask the question to the manufacture regarding this and get their answer in writing.
