Aluminum trailers are light, and that’s exactly why they crack. The same thin, strong aluminum that saves you weight fatigues and splits where steel would just flex — and most welders won’t touch it. Ames Hydraulics does aluminum trailer welding every week: cracked cross-members, torn floors, broken posts, split skins, and failed corner castings on the aluminum trailers that haul the heaviest loads in the state. Bring it to our shop at 210 Freel Dr in Ames, or let us come get it.
Why Aluminum Trailers Need a True Aluminum Welder
Welding aluminum is not welding steel with a different wire. It moves heat differently, it doesn’t change color before it melts, and a bad weld on a load-bearing member is a trailer that fails on the road. A lot of shops that advertise trailer repair quietly mean steel trailers only. When your aluminum trailer welding needs to hold under a full load of grain, gravel, or livestock, it has to be done by someone who welds aluminum right — gouge out the crack, weld the full section, and reinforce it so it doesn’t come back in the same spot.
Free Inspection on Your Aluminum Trailer
Before we quote a repair, we’ll inspect the trailer for free. Aluminum cracks travel — a split you can see at a cross-member often runs further than it looks, and there are usually two or three more starting elsewhere on the trailer. We go over the frame, floor, posts, and skin, show you everything we find, and give you one honest quote instead of a surprise bill after we’ve started. That free inspection is the smartest first step for any owner who’s noticed one crack and is worried about the rest.
The Aluminum Trailers We Repair
Belly Dump and Bottom Dump Trailers
Belly dumps take a beating — the frame flexes every load and the gates and cross-members crack. We weld and reinforce belly and bottom dump trailers so they keep dumping clean without a frame that’s coming apart underneath.
Livestock and Cattle Trailers
Aluminum livestock trailers crack at the floor, the posts, and the interior gates from the constant weight and movement of cattle. We repair the structure and the interior so the trailer is safe for the animals and legal on the road. This is some of our most common aluminum trailer welding work.
Hog and Pig Haulers
Hog trailers see wash-down, corrosion, and heavy live loads on multiple decks. We weld cracked deck supports, posts, and floor sections and reinforce the spots that fail first on a pig hauler.
Horse Trailers and Smaller Aluminum Trailers
Horse trailers, enclosed cargo trailers, and smaller aluminum trailers crack at the frame, tongue, ramp, and floor too. Whatever the size, if it’s aluminum and it’s cracked, it’s the work we do — and the free inspection applies to these just the same.
What We Fix on an Aluminum Trailer
- Cracked and broken cross-members and frame rails
- Torn or worn aluminum floors and floor supports
- Broken posts, uprights, and interior gates
- Split skins, panels, and roof sheets
- Failed corner castings and cast fittings
- Cracked tongues, hitches, and ramp hinges
Free Pickup Within 60 Miles
A cracked aluminum trailer isn’t always safe to tow to a shop, and you shouldn’t risk making the damage worse. We pick up and deliver free within 60 miles of Ames. Text a photo of the crack to 515-292-2599 and we’ll tell you the same day whether it’s a quick weld or a bigger repair, and get you on the schedule.
Caught Early, an Aluminum Crack Is a Cheap Fix
The reason we push the free inspection is simple: aluminum trailer welding is far cheaper when a crack is caught early. A hairline at a cross-member is a quick, clean repair. Left to run under load, that same crack spreads through the member, into the floor, and sometimes into the frame rail — and now it’s a major job and a trailer that was one bad mile from failing on the highway. If you’ve spotted one crack, there are almost always others starting, and finding them early is what saves you money.
Repaired Stronger Than New
When we handle your aluminum trailer welding, we don’t just close the crack — we fix why it cracked. Aluminum fails at stress risers: sharp corners, thin gussets, spots that flex every load. We weld the break, then reinforce the area so the repair outlasts the original design. That’s the difference between a trailer that’s back in the shop next season and one that’s done. Every repair leaves our shop pressure-tested and inspected so you can load it with confidence.
Steel Trailers Too — But Aluminum Is Our Edge
We weld steel trailers all day as well, but aluminum trailer welding is where we stand apart, because it is the work the shop down the road sends away. If you have already been turned down somewhere, or been told your aluminum trailer is not worth fixing, get a second opinion here first. Most of the time the aluminum trailer welding is very doable and a fraction of what a new trailer costs. Bring it in for the free inspection and we will tell you straight whether it is worth repairing.
Get Your Aluminum Trailer Welded
We’re a full aluminum welding and metal fabrication shop, and trailers are a big part of what we do — see our livestock trailer repair, horse trailer repair, grain hopper trailer repair, and general trailer repair. Call or text 515-292-2599 to book your free inspection. We’re open Monday through Friday, 7AM to 5PM.
Written by Josiah Ragsdale
Owner, Ames Hydraulics — Ames, Iowa
Josiah owns and operates Ames Hydraulics. He has worked on hydraulic and heavy equipment since he was 18, and every hydraulic cylinder his shop rebuilds is pressure tested before it ships back to the customer. More about Josiah →
Got something broken? Call or text 515-292-2599