Steel Tray V Alloy Tray V Tub - ????

[Tarts]

Hey all, have a steel tray atm on my dual cab 2014 d22 str but thinking of selling it for either an alloy or putting my tub back on.

Reasons are

1) too heavy and burning a hole in my pocket
2) paint.all chipped and will cost nearly $1000 to blast it and powdercoat it
3) over having this big steel tray and not using it like i should.


The dilemma is between the alloy and tub is that i ride downhill mountain bikes. BUT also pig hunt with dogs and have a dog crate on my steel tray that i would still like to use for hunting.

Tub for MTB.
Alloy for hunting.
dont really do much 4wding anymore.

Need some opinions please. Thanks.

 

[atcmatt]

Get steel tray painted. Alloy look crap and rattle, tubs are too small. Problem solved :/

 

[Tarts]

Wasnt the response i was looking for... but thanks anyway

 

[tweak'e]

steel tray to heavy LOL
i need the weight to hold the rear wheels down ! take the side boards off and its a tail happy fish.

but steel painted decks are horrible. don't know why they bother. dipped galv is the way to go.

if your not using it for heavy loads then alloy is good.
things to watch is you loose a bit of room due to the head board tubing being a lot bigger than steel. they flex a lot more which can cause straps to come loose or rub the cab. deck slippery unless its the grippy tread type or covered in timber.

i prefer flat decks but if tub suits your loads better then why not.

 

[subz123]

I had a steal tray on mine weighted me down so i put a tip top alloy try with a trandel tray amd ladder racks. Thought it will be lighter lol ended up weighing for then the steal with all the extras
Might change it and put a tub

 

[Tarts]

The biggest load ill be loading up on the alloy is a quadbike and the dogs heading hunting.
My tray atmo is 370kgs. Fair bit.
Alloy tray could be the answer.

Tiger trays do the "tough" tray for $1260.

 

[atcmatt]

You would definitely be better off getting an alloy tray from a more reputable company like Obrien or Tip Top. If you have never seen a tiger tray in person, go check one out before you buy. They are cheap and flimsy looking, hence the price in comparison to leading brands...

 

[subz123]

My mate has the tiger tray freacken shit but for there price there okay my tip top tray was 4k with all the extras i got a qoute from O'Brian trays from memory there bout 2k just bare no extras maybe have a look on ebay or gum tree good luck

 

[d22dave]

I took my alloy tray off, and replaced it with steel, new alloy tray might be alright, but like mine as they get older they start to rattle loose, my tray was probably ten year old, but every six months I would drill a few rivets out and put new ones in. And as tweak'e commented about rear bounce, I think mines a bit smoother ride with the extra weight of the steel tray over the alloy

 

[Old.Tony]

Here's an alternative. Remove your steel tray, sandblast it, paint the underside with a rust inhibitor and paint the upper side in urethane (like the tub liner spray). Still leaves you with the weight issue.

Aluminium is lighter but is also relatively brittle compared to steel. If it's only the rivets causing trouble, replace the rivets with stainless steel bolts (not screws) with SS washers (and nylocks). Keep the paint up to aluminium especially near the seaside (painting it in a similar fashion to steel is worth doing). Trouble with aluminium is it needs specialist welding equipment to repair, and breaks more easily than steel. Over time, the metal structure of steel will outlast aluminium.

How is the current tray "burning a hole" in your pocket?

 

[stndby]

why not cut out the steel floor and put down alloy floor but keep your steel construction

 

[fourocker]

Maybe a different approach with a tub will help

Helps alleviate some of the size issues for me anyhow.