Its is a little like how long is a piece of string ? Some will say alloy can corrode etc
If built and treated right the alloy is lighter..
Steel and be hi tensile and can be almost as light..
It depends very much on the design of the chassis, a steel chassis can accommodate a degree of flex, where an aluminium alloy chassis would have to be a rigid structure to avoid it work hardening and cracking.
Aluminium has a tendancy to weaken and crack at the welds especially through vibration. (learnt this through experience with large Alli boat trailer). I would stick to Steel it may be slightly heavier but IMO much stronger.
Cheers
-- Edited by Redlander on Friday 29th of August 2014 02:47:16 PM
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Being a retired fabricater, I can tell you that ally is half the weight of steel, and nominally 2/3 the strength.The only problemis the welds are not as strong as the parent metal, so usually ally frames are bigger for the same strength as steel. Mild steel welding is stronger than the parent metal.Alloy steels are stronger , but harder to weld.Also steel is cheap compared with ally, and doesn,t require expensive mig or tig welding with expensive gases.I love building with ally, but with gas at $120 (argoshield)a bottle and mig wire expensive, a packet of ms elecrodes for $30 looks good.I am building a new slide on out of 25mm steel rhs, and the materials have cost just over $130. I would hate to think what an ally frame would cost. Bill
-- Edited by bill12 on Friday 29th of August 2014 02:44:14 PM
Not all metals or alloys are equal.. ( as in oils ain't oils lol ) But value ? Steel is safer .. Bill I like my Mig .. Wire is cheap enough.. Right about gas .. Per item or project it's cheap enough.. But you still have to pay for it even if it's not being used., I have two bottles TIG ang MIG ..
I use TIG for fabricating alloy on race car products ..
