Conversion camper to flatbed?

[wmgeorge]

I'm headed out Wed. to look at a 25 ft camping trailer converted to a 18 ft by 6 ft flatbed car hauler. He is not quite done with the details but has been using to haul his race car last summer. Needs the wood decking, fenders and the ramps finished. Brakes work and its wired, how good remains to be seen? Tires are about 50%, once again from a bad picture.

The front part I can see in the bad picture looks like its right off the camping trailer, he's just welded the frame of the deck to the old camper frame.

So given I can buy a new one factory built to haul my JD650 for $2200 or so, whats this thing worth? He's asking $850 or offer... I'm thinking $500??? BTW Merry Christmas!!!

 

[MrJimi]

Consider that a camper is designed with a big box ( camper body ) to help support it all together and it has been removed, I would think it would have to be re-supported all over. Take lots of pictures and look at tires for load rating, weather cracking and rust on frame. And think about this also, the camper was removed because it was probably shot the frame may be the same way.
Be very careful and bring a good savvy friend with you, four eyes are better than two
I might of seen this trailer on another forum? I will look for ya
Jim

 

[john_bud]

Sometimes you get what you pay for. How good is the sellers welding skills? Is it certified by the DMV (does it need to be? - probably does). How good are the brakes, bearings, etc? Frame cracks? Frame straight? Are the tires and wheels up to snuff for the weight rating? What is the weight rating???

If money is tight and you need to buy something for 7-900, I'd keep looking and get a used equipment trailer. Just too many things that can be wrong or just done goofy. Unless you have a welder, grinder and fab skills to basically rebuild it - pass.

Sorry to be a buzz kill, but it doesn't sound like a "deal" even at $500.

jb

 

[bigdad]

Well Ankeny man..

You just got the verdict from a couple of pros. I read a few months ago from another pro about investing a bunch of money in a piece of equipment then, tow it around on a possibly inferior trailer.

I know how tight money can be. Do you suppose that the axels are placed in the same location on a travel trailer as a utillity trailer? I am not a pro.... but I know weight distribution is critical.

 

[joe48]

It might be a diamond in the rough and a bargain, or it could be a disaster waiting to happen to you.
But you won't know till you look at condition, welds,etc. then how much will you have to put into it to complete? The old DOULBLE IT rule of thumb apllies here.
My buddy and I bought a very used Hudson equipment trailer that was either a 10 or 12,000 lb tandem axle unit, for $800. It was sound but the floor was shot and the cross beams bent, but had new tires on it. So we pulled the floor off cut out all the bent stuff ,welded in new cross beams, sand blasted the frame and had it painted, ran all new HD wiring in weather tite conduit,with all new LED lites. Put in new brake shoes ,tokk it to the spring shop they put in new spring shackles pins,bushings u-bolts,ck'd alignment (that was less than $200, and worth every penny to let them do that nasty stuff),then put on new white oak rough sawn floor boards.
Total investment about $2000, I don't think you can buy new for twice that,and have a trailer that will last a lifetime now.

 

[wmgeorge]

Thanks guys, all advice taken to heart. I do have a small home shop with some metal fab equipment. BUT I know sometimes that cheaper is not the way to go, especially when re-selling. I know the market around here for used equipment trailers is very Hot, you see an ad, call and its already gone!. So I know with a factory / professionally built trailer when I'm done with it... it will sell in a heartbeat.
So I need to look at it, and keep in mind all of the above, BUT the fact that he had been using it as it was, and hauling a full sized racing car on it, at 75 mph is a plus.

Happy Holidays!!

 

[MrJimi]

When I was looking for a 18 foot tilt trailer I could not find what I wanted. I bought some steel, torsion axles and all the other stuff and I made just what I wanted and I love it
here is a picture of it with my for sale car on it
Jim

 

[chh]

I've seen guys around here take those travel trailer frames and make rounds bale trailers out of them. The frames are really too light and they don't last long. To be an equipment trailer it really would have need to have had a lot of work done on it to be really safe. If I'm not mistaken most have 13' or 14' tires and rims. You would really need to check the load rating for that setup.

Good Luck and Merry Christmas!