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Any tips on what to check out when buying a cargo trailer? All my research leads me to believe that anything towable is pretty much falling apart the moment it leaves the lot. Should I tow it at speed to see that it doesn’t wobble? Jump on the plywood and look for soft spots?
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Jul 7, 2021 04:19
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 14:17 |
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I went through this recently. What type are you looking at? Size? Enclosed/cargo? Flat deck? Single axle? Double? Where are you located? (Climate, road salt etc.). What is your tow vehicle?
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Jul 8, 2021 00:45
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What I found when I was looking for enclosed trailers was all of the used ones were beaten to death or were priced close to new. Sometimes both. The big things to look at were the tires/bearings/brakes. On the trailer I ended up buying, the brakes were not working at all and the tires were at the wear bars. I ended up replacing the entire brake mechanism as they were worn out. On all 6 wheels. Don't buy a triple axle trailer unless you like replacing tires. Also, if it is an enclosed trailer, go inside during the day, close it up and turn off any internal lights. This will let you see pinholes or other issues with the roof.
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Jul 8, 2021 15:53
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ZincBoy posted:What I found when I was looking for enclosed trailers was all of the used ones were beaten to death or were priced close to new. Sometimes both. Bring a hose and soak the roof too. Especially around any penetration (vents, skylights, windows, etc).
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Jul 8, 2021 16:03
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A Real Hologram posted:Any tips on what to check out when buying a cargo trailer? If it's a flatbed with a wood deck you should expect to replace the wood eventually, especially if it isn't pressure-treated. The big important things in order for me: 1. Axle condition: is it/are they bent? Has it been bent and then straightened and sleeved or anything stupid like that? This is more of a problem with larger equipment trailers running 7500 lb axles, or dimensionally large utility trailers with 3500 lb axles that were overloaded to haul equipment or stupid amounts of heavy stuff. If you look underneath and see an axle bent upwards about to touch the frame or !!! the deck !!! run away. This also applies to wheels with lots of negative camber. 2. Frame condition: Rust? Holes, bent sections, is the whole trailer tweaked when you look at it from any direction? How do the axle mounts look, if it's leaf sprung (unless it's real big, it's probably leaf sprung) are the shackles in decent shape? Have someone jump up and down on the thing and see if you notice any play between the bolts and the frame mounting points. If there's play it usually means they were left loose and have worn the frame. Is there excessive wear on the overload plate on the frame if the trailer has two axles? (This could indicate the trailer was used excessively with the suspension maxed out or with an uneven load causing one axle to bottom out). 3. Bearings, wheels, tires, brakes: These get clumped together as usually-neglected and to get something to where I'm happy to use it I budget having to replace basically all of these. Check the bearings by rocking the wheel on the vertical axis in and out towards the axle, if there's any play then the bearing is probably loose and needs serviced. 4. Wiring: Utility trailer wiring is stupid easy, you can build a harness with pretty minimal effort if needed and most of the time if there's a problem it's either bad grounds or a wire has been ripped away somewhere underneath. 5. Everything else: ramps if it has them are pretty easy to fix if they're all beat up, the deck is an easy job if it's wood. If it's a steel deck flatbed and has rust holes or whatever that's a different story. So if the axle(s) are good, the frame is good, then things get more feasibly replaceable down that list. Hope that helps.
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Jul 8, 2021 16:28
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ZincBoy posted:What I found when I was looking for enclosed trailers was all of the used ones were beaten to death or were priced close to new. Sometimes both. Agreed. I gave up on finding a decent 7x12/14 a few months ago to tote motos in. 6-7k used and they look like they had been through a war. gently caress that I'll just pay the 10-12ish to get one that hasn't been beat to poo poo. Single axle cargo trailers typically won't have trailer brakes. Anything under 3000lb brakes aren't required. A 6x12 is getting pretty heavy for a single axle so they're kinda lacking in payload. Do bearing repacks annually. While you're in there check/adjust the brakes and the springs/mounts. Check the electrical system regularly and ensure the battery for the emergency breakaway system is working. Definitely do the pinhole/hose check with anything used...people are hell on equipment.
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Jul 8, 2021 18:01
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Thank you for the advice! I will be heeding everything said so far. Bringing a ladder to check the roof, flashlight for under. Tow vehicle is a ‘21 Hyundai Palisade with factory tow package including transmission cooling, auto-leveling - 5000 pounds max limit. So far for suspects / prospects: We found a 6x12 with 6.5’ interior height dual axle that was made in May of this year, used for a single drive from Chicago to Seattle and now they are unloading it for $6500 including spare tire, X Track, and D Rings. Rated to 7000 pounds, it has a 2 5/8” hitch. Obviously we don’t plan to load this thing even close to its capacity. Has a 7 pin connector. The VIN come back clean, they have the Certificate of Origin and it looks decent: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/507404586981102/ Concerns so far: looks like they added caulking around the window on the door - seller says that her dad slept in the trailer for security when they drove those three days… and did it to ensure no leaks. My read? It leaks. Didn’t want a window on the door so may need to consider a change there. This definitely looks like a lower end trailer in terms of the number of fasteners and so forth. Honestly we need this to survive a 2400 mile trip and then we will likely sell it to the next family who needs to Haul their butt on a move. If things look decent and we pick it up, do you all still recommend that we have the bearings repacked for the cross country haul? Thank you again Something Awful friends!
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Jul 9, 2021 13:45
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They added that awful window. It leaks. It's new enough that there's probably no permanent damage. You could remove it and install it correctly or replace it with a black framed window at the very least. The V-nose design is nicer than flat front IMHO. $6500 seems steep to me for that brand. sharkytm fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Jul 9, 2021 |
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Jul 9, 2021 13:54
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New build in May of this year and a one way trip indicates you won't have any rust/rot issues. They absolutely added that window in the door (wtf) and likely did a hack job of it. 7 pin harness means it'll have brakes on one of the axles. Does your car have a brake controller/7 pin harness? I don't recognize the brand, but most are made by a few big companies that crank these out alongside their 5th wheel trailers and RVs. What is the interior panelling made of? If it's particleboard/OSB, I'd stay away. Price seems a little high, but when I was looking for my trailer a dealer told me the manufacturers are currently about 7 months behind. Another dealer said with the price of steel and lumber having gone up, there were price bumps earlier this year, with another coming up. I'm not saying buy that trailer, but definitely have a look at it and see what wiggle room there may be.
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Jul 9, 2021 20:28
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Thank you all again for this great advice. We are headed down tomorrow morning. 🤞
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Jul 10, 2021 06:08
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Here in TN there are some trailer manufacturers and a 6x10/12 is only $3500-4500 new for base models from what I have been pricing...new
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Jul 12, 2021 16:23
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 14:17 |
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everdave posted:Here in TN there are some trailer manufacturers and a 6x10/12 is only $3500-4500 new for base models from what I have been pricing...new Prices have jumped about a grand overall, and availability has gone way down (here in Florida). My customers all buy their trailers from the same place, which dude gets them from Georgia. $4k would buy you a custom (so, doors of choice and interior lights) 7-8x14-18ft with light duty axles not six months ago. A word on axles. Light -duty five lug axles will bend to poo poo the first time you really hammer a curb. Find and price out axles before this happens. It can be surprisingly hard to find axles, depending on what your trailer is compatible with.
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Jul 12, 2021 16:35
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