Discovering Summit Trailer Manufacturing: The Art and Science of Manufacturing Superior Trailers

Discovering Summit Trailer: The Art and Science of Manufacturing Superior Trailers

When it comes to trailers, Summit Trailer Manufacturing stands out not just for its high-quality products, but for its commitment to excellence in design, manufacturing, and customer satisfaction. Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with a representative from Summit Trailer who shed light on what makes their utility trailers, equipment trailers, and dump trailers exceptional. Here is a look into the various facets that set Summit Trailer apart in the competitive world of trailer manufacturing.

The Trailer Range: Good, Better, Best

Summit Trailer offers three distinct series: Alpine, Cascade, and Denali. Each is designed with specific users in mind, ensuring that whether you are a homeowner or a professional contractor, there is a Summit trailer perfect for your needs.

Alpine Series: Ideal for homeowners, this series features angle iron frames and is built for lighter use. It is the entry point into the world of Summit, offering reliability and efficiency without the heavy-duty specifications of its siblings.
Cascade Series: Known as the “Workhorse Series,” the Cascade is designed for contractors and heavy-use homeowners. It bridges the gap between residential and professional use, providing durability and versatility.
Denali Series: The pinnacle of Summit’s offerings, the Denali series boasts advanced features like ultra-heavy duty I-Beam frames, tube steel construction, and integrated backup kits. It is built for those who need the best in terms of strength and functionality.

Engineering Trailer Excellence: Frame and Tongue Construction

Summit Trailer’s diligence is evident in their choice of materials and construction techniques. The Alpine trailer series, most commonly available in the Summit Trailer Utility and Landscape Trailers, utilizes angle iron frames for utility trailers and transitions to channel frames for flatbeds and tilt beds. On the other hand, the Denali trailer and much of the Cascade trailer series employ steel tubing or I-Beams for both frames and tongues, offering superior structural integrity and durability. This careful selection of materials ensures that each trailer is built to last and can manage the demands placed upon it.

A Trailer Paint Process Like No Other

One of the standout features of Summit Trailer is their meticulous paint process using High Solid Polyurethane paint. Each trailer undergoes a multi-step procedure to ensure a high-quality finish that stands the test of time:

Chemical Wash: Trailers are thoroughly cleaned with an acid wash using a heated pressure washer.
Acid Etching Primer: This primer is applied before the high solids polyurethane paint, enhancing adhesion and durability.
Temperature-Controlled Paint Booth: Painting is done at a minimum of 70°F to ensure optimal curing.
Cure Oven: The trailers are baked at 165°F for 25 minutes, resulting in a durable and high-gloss finish.

This process not only provides a superior finish but also enhances the longevity and resilience of the paint, ensuring that Summit trailers look great and perform well for years.

There are several benefits of using liquid paint over powder coating. Liquid paint, particularly the high solids polyurethane used by Summit Trailer, offers a durable and high-gloss finish. Summit’s process includes a chemical wash, an acid etching primer, and baking the painted trailer in a cure oven at 165°F for 25 minutes. This ensures a more resilient trailer finish that can withstand harsh conditions. Unlike powder coating, which can chip and allow rust to spread underneath, liquid paint provides better adhesion and flexibility, reducing the risk of corrosion. Additionally, the liquid paint process allows Summit Trailer to achieve extraordinary environmental benefits ensuring both high quality and compliance.

Trailer Material Matters: Wood and Steel

Summit Trailer’s commitment to quality extends to their choice of materials. At Summit Trailer, the selection of wood for decking is a critical process aimed at ensuring strength and durability. The company primarily uses Douglas Fir their trailers due to its superior impact resistance and hardness compared to other woods like hemlock or pine. Doug fir does not absorb stain as well as hemlock, which is often pressure-treated, but Summit Trailer avoids pressure-treated wood because the chemical treatment can reduce the wood’s strength by up to 15%, making it more brittle and prone to splintering. Summit is very selective about the quality of the wood they use, rejecting pieces with large or loose knots. They ensure that only appearance-grade Doug fir with minimal imperfections makes it into their trailers. This careful selection process guarantees that the decking is robust and dependable, capable of withstanding the demands of heavy use.

And the details matter. Summit Trailer uses Sealed and Coated Screws instead of nails for attaching decking, preventing rust, and making future repairs easier. In terms of steel, Summit Trailer prefers domestic A36 grade material, ensuring consistency and reliability. They are particularly selective, rejecting any material that shows signs of rust or pitting.

Summit 7x20 7K Flatbed Trailer in Alpine Series

High Quality Douglas Fir that is Hand Selected

Trailer Axles and Suspension: The Backbone of a Great Trailer

Summit Trailer uses high-quality Lippert axles, known for their reliability and excellent warranty service. Summit Trailer opts for spring axles over torsion axles in their tandem axle configurations due to several key advantages. Spring axles offer better weight and brake distribution, particularly important when navigating uneven terrain or going over obstacles like speed bumps or potholes. This is because tandem spring axles use a center equalizer that ensures the load is evenly distributed across all wheels, maintaining balance, and reducing stress on individual axles. In contrast, torsion axles, while providing a smoother ride under light loads, can be prone to overloading and damage since they transfer the entire weight to a single axle when navigating bumps. Additionally, spring axles are more economical to replace if damaged, making them a more practical and cost-effective choice for heavy-duty use. Summit Trailer’s preference for spring axles highlights their focus on durability, reliability, and overall performance in demanding conditions.

Summit Trailer’s use of drop axles for their tilt trailers is a testament to their commitment to engineering excellence and user convenience. Drop axles lower the deck height by approximately four inches compared to standard straight axles, resulting in a less steep approach angle. This design makes loading and unloading equipment safer and more efficient, as the reduced incline minimizes the risk of tipping or shifting loads. Additionally, the lower deck height enhances the trailer’s stability and improves its overall handling, providing a smoother towing experience. Summit’s decision to utilize drop axles specifically for their tilt trailers underscores their focus on optimizing functionality and safety, ensuring that their trailers meet the lofty standards expected by their customers.

Unique Trailer Features That Are Effective

Several features set Summit trailers apart from the competition:

Welding Process: Summit Trailer’s welding process is a cornerstone of their commitment to quality and durability. They uniquely start welding their trailers upside down, ensuring superior welds from every angle. This method allows for better weld penetration and consistency, reducing defects and ensuring a robust bond. By welding from the bottom up while the trailer is inverted, Summit minimizes the need for overhead welding, which can be challenging and less dependable. Once the initial welds are complete, the trailer is flipped, and additional welding is done from the top down to finalize the structure. This meticulous approach not only enhances the structural integrity of the trailers but also improves their aesthetic appeal, with cleaner, more uniform welds. Summit’s dedication to such a rigorous welding process ensures that their trailers are not only strong and durable but also visually appealing, setting them apart in the market.
- Upside-Down Welding: Summit starts welding their trailers upside down, allowing for better weld penetration and eliminates the need for overhead welding. This method ensures stronger, more consistent welds. When the underside is complete, the trailer is right sided and welds (that you can see) are completed. Just look under the trailer if you want to see Summit’s attention to detail.
- Grinding is NOT allowed: The welds are designed to be so precise and clean that grinding is forbidden. This not only maintains the integrity of the welds but also results in a more aesthetically pleasing finish.
- Consistent Weld Placement: Every trailer has consistent welds in the same spots with the same length, ensuring uniformity and reliability across all units.
- Fully Welded Frames: Trailers are fully welded from top to bottom and inside out, providing superior structural integrity compared to spot welding or partial welding methods used by some competitors.
- Use of Jigs and Posi-Turn Machine: Each trailer is built on a jig to ensure exact measurements and alignment. The use of a posi-turn machine to flip the trailer during the welding process ensures thorough and precise welds on all sides, and in the places that you cannot see.
Lighting: Summit Trailer uses Sealed Beam LED Lighting. The LED lights are sonically sealed to eliminate moisture. The polycarbonite lenses and oversized rubber grommets provide impact resistance. Summit’s Sealed Beam LED Lighting has a lifetime warranty.
Tilt Bed Design: Unlike competitors, Summit Trailer Tilt Bed Trailers pivot off the suspension rather than a hinge, reducing cost and weight while providing better support.
Torsion Tubes: Integrated into the frame to minimize twisting and enhance structural integrity.
Dump Trailers: The Summit Trailer Dump Trailers feature higher sides, full running boards, and a large chain tray. The combination of vertical and horizontal bracing on sidewalls ensures durability and strength.
- Higher Side Walls: The side walls are unique. They are higher than industry standard to give you more carrying volume. The side walls are also braced horizontally and vertically.
- Full Running Boards: Positioned behind the fender, providing a safe and stable footing for loading, especially in wet conditions.
- Large Chain Tray: Conveniently located under the bed of the trailer, offering secure and ample storage space for chains and other tools.
- Vertical and Horizontal Wall Bracing: Bracing adds significant structural integrity to the side walls, reducing wear and tear and extending the trailer’s lifespan.
- Three-Way Pump: Offers power up, power down, and gravity down options, conserving battery life and improving operational efficiency.
- Lifetime Warranty: Covers the welds of the trailer, a feature not commonly offered by other manufacturers.
- Seven-Foot Ramps: Longer ramps on the 7-wide model decrease the approach angle, enhancing safety and ease when loading equipment.
- Heavy Wall Tubing: Used on Cascade models for added strength and durability, often with a thicker wall than competitors.
- One-Piece 10-Gauge Floor: For six-foot-wide models, eliminating seams that can crack or fail over time, ensuring a smoother and more durable surface. The floor welding seems are located outside the of the payload area to eliminate the abuse from the payload. The 6-wide floor is a single piece of 10 Ga steel while the 7-wide floor has floor weld seems on top of cross members. No stitch welding that flexes and eventually cracks. All Summit Trailers have lifetime warranty on their welds…!

Summit 7×14 14K Dump Trailer

Uncompromising Trailer Quality and Warranty

Summit Trailer stands by their products with robust warranties: three years for the Alpine series and a limited lifetime warranty for the Cascade and Denali series. Their trailers are a testament to meticulous craftsmanship, using only the best materials and ensuring every detail is perfect. Summit might be the only trailer manufacturer that provides a lifetime warranty on a Dump Trailer!

Conclusion: Trailer Fit, Finish, and Quality

In an industry where many follow the leader, Summit Trailer continuously sets the bar higher. Their trailers are not just built; they are crafted with care, precision, and an unwavering commitment to quality. From the initial design to the final product, every step is taken with the customer in mind, ensuring that Summit trailers are a cut above the rest.

If you are in the market for a utility trailer, equipment trailer, or dump trailer that combines durability, functionality, and superior craftsmanship, look no further than Summit Trailer. Summit’s dedication to excellence ensures that you are getting not just a trailer, but a trusted partner for all your hauling needs. If you’re looking for a Summit Trailer for sale near you, be sure to visit Trailer Station USA.