Looking at a '03 Hilux on Friday and it has a painted steel tray. I hear steel trays are more expensive but why so? I would of thought Aluminium would be more expensive and more sort after due to it not rusting like steel?
So can someone please explain the pros and cons of each? And what would be the weight difference between the 2 in an identical style of tray?
Cheers
Mitch
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Steel versus alloy tray?
Moderators: toaddog, TWISTY, V8Patrol, Moderators
alloy ones are for show. the only advantage is they are slightly lighter.
unfortunatly alloy ones bend and buckle very easly. they also flex so much you have to make sure they are well spaced back from the cab or they will rub the cab. i've see the some have big heavy duty front to stop that but you looose 3" of deck space due to the huge tubing they have to use to make it ridged.
weight wise the catch with alloy is to make it strong enough it has to be a lot bigger which increses its weight and size.
steel deckes ar stronger and easy to repair/mod. try welding alloy when out in the sticks!
alloys are simply for show ponys. they look good which is why manafacturs like them. however us farmers tell em to stick it and get real decks.
to note: for some reason alloy decks here get plywood base which i'm told assie one don't. no idea why, price? without the plywood base you would puch holes clean through so mayby assiue just likes their show ponys ??
unfortunatly alloy ones bend and buckle very easly. they also flex so much you have to make sure they are well spaced back from the cab or they will rub the cab. i've see the some have big heavy duty front to stop that but you looose 3" of deck space due to the huge tubing they have to use to make it ridged.
weight wise the catch with alloy is to make it strong enough it has to be a lot bigger which increses its weight and size.
steel deckes ar stronger and easy to repair/mod. try welding alloy when out in the sticks!
alloys are simply for show ponys. they look good which is why manafacturs like them. however us farmers tell em to stick it and get real decks.
to note: for some reason alloy decks here get plywood base which i'm told assie one don't. no idea why, price? without the plywood base you would puch holes clean through so mayby assiue just likes their show ponys ??
Mate your full of shit.tweak'e wrote:alloy ones are for show. the only advantage is they are slightly lighter.
unfortunatly alloy ones bend and buckle very easly. they also flex so much you have to make sure they are well spaced back from the cab or they will rub the cab. i've see the some have big heavy duty front to stop that but you looose 3" of deck space due to the huge tubing they have to use to make it ridged.
weight wise the catch with alloy is to make it strong enough it has to be a lot bigger which increses its weight and size.
steel deckes ar stronger and easy to repair/mod. try welding alloy when out in the sticks!
alloys are simply for show ponys. they look good which is why manafacturs like them. however us farmers tell em to stick it and get real decks.
to note: for some reason alloy decks here get plywood base which i'm told assie one don't. no idea why, price? without the plywood base you would puch holes clean through so mayby assiue just likes their show ponys ??
mjc85 go and speak to a company who sells both and make up your mind from there.
the standard steel tray you get through most sydney dealers is actually weaker than a decent alloy one ( i wont name companies ).
G'day mate, i have run both steel and alloy tray's.
If you are going 4WD go steel all the way, but if it's for work go the alloy.
The old Rodeo ute had an alloy tray, and was great for around town, lighter, so i could fit more crap in, but i put that tray against a tree and put a BIG bend in it that could not be straighted
.
On the current ute i have a steel tray and have put that poor thing through more shit than it should have to cope with
, and not one scratch yet, and it has really been throught the war's 
.
Chris
If you are going 4WD go steel all the way, but if it's for work go the alloy.
The old Rodeo ute had an alloy tray, and was great for around town, lighter, so i could fit more crap in, but i put that tray against a tree and put a BIG bend in it that could not be straighted
.On the current ute i have a steel tray and have put that poor thing through more shit than it should have to cope with
, and not one scratch yet, and it has really been throught the war's .Chris
from prior experience i would never buy an ally tray again.. as for the fact they are too light and flimsy... hard to bolt things too such as toolboxes compressors and cages, u need big spacers across the tray to space the weight over the 1mm alluminium sheet or what ever it is... of course ally trays are the go on the beach but for everything else i rekon steel is heads above.. so yeah id go steel just for the strength factor.. also you can also get the steel ones galvanised and or painted... which is aplus
sounds like assuie can't build decent decksCWBYUP wrote:
Mate your full of shit.
mjc85 go and speak to a company who sells both and make up your mind from there.
the standard steel tray you get through most sydney dealers is actually weaker than a decent alloy one ( i wont name companies ).
fully hot dipped galv decks will last yonks. with care it couyld easly outlast some vechiles. don't touch galvband or painted ones.
sand is a bit of a killer but we are near the sea and do beach front driving and never had a problem with rust.
if worse happens you can always cut it out and weld it back up, something you cannot do with alloy that easy.
a few local farmers have had alloy trays. one guy has gone through 3 trays a year! (bending out of shape, puching holes through the deck etc) another had to remount it as it was flexing and rubbed the cab through to the steel. others have had all the bolts rattle out of them (why the F*** they don't use nylocs or spring washers beats me). one guy kept loosing loads because the deck would bend letting the straps off :(
kiwis really know how to use utes and give decks a hiding even in normall use.
i notice that the vechile manafacturs are now putting steel decks on instead of alloy over here on their show models. even the aloy decks over here come standard with plywood decking on top of the alloy deck to strengthen it up, something the agent said they do not do in assuie.
by the sounds of it you assuie guys are getting a really bum deal on decks.
HEY MJC -> if you wanna make it last, drill a couple of holes in the corners and spray some fish oil in there keep pumping it in and it'll seal the inside and rust proof it, do this once a year and it should last pretty well.
i'm a bit slack with mine just cos it's on the beach pretty much every day so it's lucky to get a wash once a week
i'm a bit slack with mine just cos it's on the beach pretty much every day so it's lucky to get a wash once a week
Is it beer o'clock yet??
go for a steel tray
the reason most (not all) ally trays are crap, is mostly the way they build them, 90% of ally trays that ive seen are sort of desined like clip lock, they just clip the main sections together and pop rivet the edges, its really simple any one can build them, thats why they are so cheap.
its just like lego, the more pieces you add the bigger it is.
if your really worried about it, you can knock up a good steel tray over a week end.
the reason most (not all) ally trays are crap, is mostly the way they build them, 90% of ally trays that ive seen are sort of desined like clip lock, they just clip the main sections together and pop rivet the edges, its really simple any one can build them, thats why they are so cheap.
its just like lego, the more pieces you add the bigger it is.
if your really worried about it, you can knock up a good steel tray over a week end.
mq shorty, black, rust free!!, quarter chop, F&R tube bars and sliders, q78's or 33'' stt's, 4.88's with lsd waiting to be thrown in.. :D http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9540
Like g60 said MOST alloy trays now are basically just clipped together with a few screws and bolts to finish the job. Having had alloy trays on work utes in the past any load that sits in the same place for any time will wear a hole in the tray (once lost a large oxy bottle down the road this way) i have also noticed that alloy trays rattle more than steel. When it came time for my ute i didn't even contemplate alloy. There is no reason why you couldn't get a decent alloy tray made as i have seen them it will just cost more that's all. Alloy can't be all bad as there are plenty of big tippers out there with alloy trays! In the end tho it comes down to what it will get used for, budget and personal preference
its spelt Aussietweak'e wrote: sounds like assuie can't build decent decks
kiwis really know how to use utes and give decks a hiding even in normall use.
i notice that the vechile manafacturs are now putting steel decks on instead of alloy over here on their show models. even the aloy decks over here come standard with plywood decking on top of the alloy deck to strengthen it up, something the agent said they do not do in assuie.
by the sounds of it you assuie guys are getting a really bum deal on decks.
Evan...
plywood decking is standed in nztweak'e wrote:sounds like assuie can't build decent decksCWBYUP wrote:
Mate your full of shit.
mjc85 go and speak to a company who sells both and make up your mind from there.
the standard steel tray you get through most sydney dealers is actually weaker than a decent alloy one ( i wont name companies ).
i notice that the vechile manafacturs are now putting steel decks on instead of alloy over here on their show models. even the aloy decks over here come standard with plywood decking on top of the alloy deck to strengthen it up, something the agent said they do not do in assuie.
by the sounds of it you assuie guys are getting a really bum deal on decks.
don`t won`t all those pretty sheep falling off do we
Road Ranger
tweak'e is well known foior his creative spelllingevanstaniland wrote:its spelt Aussietweak'e wrote: sounds like assuie can't build decent decks
kiwis really know how to use utes and give decks a hiding even in normall use.
i notice that the vechile manafacturs are now putting steel decks on instead of alloy over here on their show models. even the aloy decks over here come standard with plywood decking on top of the alloy deck to strengthen it up, something the agent said they do not do in assuie.
by the sounds of it you assuie guys are getting a really bum deal on decks.
Evan...
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