Bought a Reitnouer 53' step. The only welds on it are in the rub rail area (spools and stake pockets). Everything else bolts, which as Rank already covered, isn't unbreakable, but at least I don't have to worry about welds cracking.

So what's the verdict? Did you get your trailer back yet and was it right?

Wow I guess it's something I'd have to see to believe, I can't imagine the number of bolts and brackets needed to replace all those welds, and then to have any payload capacity with all that weight. But maybe it's because I used to be a welder.

From the Reitnouer website:

"What makes a Reitnouer special? A rock solid design proven over millions of miles. Reitnouer aluminum trailers are bolted. With the exception of the rub rail, there's not a welded aluminum joint anywhere on a Reitnouer. Why? Because research and experience shows that when a heat treated aluminum alloy is welded, the intense heat required to weld the joint significantly reduces the aluminum's tensile strength. As a result, bolting makes Reitnouer flatbed trailers stronger and more durable.

"...Drop Deck models that offer the same hauling capacities as the MaxMiser. The MaxMiser flatbed has a 90,000 lb GVWR capacity, rated at 60,000 lbs in a 10 foot section, and a full 50,000 lbs in a 4 foot section. It's a great balance of weight, capacity, and price."

I bought my 2012 step-deck last November, put into service on January 1st of this year, and so far have nothing but good things to say about it. There's a few features I'd like to have that I've seen on the Fontaine Revolution, but nothing is ever perfect.

I have a heavy truck (06' Pete 387) and have 16' ramps and carry a lot of other equipment (tarps, chains, binders, etc.) and can still scale 46,400 lbs on my 53' trailer. The trailer by itself weighs in at around 13,000 lbs.

There's other bolted trailers. I think Manac uses bolts and rivets and there are some other manufactures that eliminate or at least minimize aluminum welds.

Haven't had a chance to take the trailer down yet. Might do it next weekend.

Cool, didnt say it was a bad thing, just hard to wrap my head around. Do they use stainless bolts?

Definitely all stainless hardware. I didn't take your comment as negative or positive... just that you were in the dark about the different types of aluminum open-deck trailers out there. Having seen enough of your posts in the past to know that you seem to be at least somewhat inquisitive and engaged, I thought I'd post the snippet from the Reitnouer site to give you an idea about the technology. Until I went shopping for a deck last year, I didn't know much about them either.

Good day. This is my first post. I've been reading the post regarding the weld on this trailer. I've done some welding in the past
and it looks to me like either the weld material was contaminated, or most likely the area that was being welded on cooled too quickly and there was stress built up in the metal when it cooled. The trailer should have been pre-heated IMO. Also, IMO it looks
like the weld might not have had enough material. Hard to tell from a top view. As someone mentioned, Normally a crack doesn't develop on the weld. The weld generally is stronger than the two mating materials if done correctly.

The owner mention he doesn't overload his trailer. Has this happened to other MFGs.

Thanks for you time.

Update:

Trailer should be ready for pickup later this week. Will post pics as soon as I can.

Well it's finally ready. I should be able to pick it up next week.