Forum Discussion

GInoTheLegend's avatar
Sep 17, 2021

Suggestion needed ASAP

Hello :) I'm new to this forum and new to the rv society, but I really need to ask question someone who has done that before.

I have some land in the forest and want to build something there, now it's 2hrs away from the city so If I can sleep there overnight that would be awesome.

There is a guy ~20miles away at the lake resort who is selling me his old 36ft trailer-house. I got people who can move it but they told me to make sure the tires are good and the trailer is unblocked etc (remove the skirt, and the blocks it's standing on)

Now the trailer is a bit old from 84 but there is no smell there at all - people lived there every summer. It stayed on that lot for the last 12 years and when I checked the tires they old looked bad, but 2 out of 4 seemed not flat :)

Now, I've changed my tires and breaks on the cars all the time, but that thing is 36 feet long and seems big. If you have done that kind of work before - is there good advice you have?

This is how the weels look on it, the right one is flat, the left one is hard but both are over 12 years old and have to be replaced

***Link Removed***

https://filesharing-eugene.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2021-09-16+21.01.06.jpg

wheels

16 Replies

  • JIMNLIN wrote:
    I wouldn't pull those old tires on a highway. They'll most likely shred or blow out.
    If the trailer is to be moved two hours away to another permanent location I would buy the cheapest ST tire I could find.
    I would jack one side of the trailer up and take those two wheel to the tire shop. Then do the other side. That way you don't have to worry about jacking the whole trailer off the ground.
    Lifting that size trailer even one side requires using the right size equipment. Be safe.


    :R

    The OP is planning a "one and done" move, they are not planning to see the world with this unit.

    GInoTheLegend wrote:

    I have some land in the forest and want to build something there, now it's 2hrs away from the city so If I can sleep there overnight that would be awesome.



    Your asking someone to buy new ST tires at say $150 a pop for $600 for a one and done project..

    The tires on that unit appear to be "mobile home" tires on open mobile home rims. They are not cheap and getting the correct size to fit those rims is often not an easy task. And now days with all of these shortages could be substantially much more expensive than $600.

    As long as the trailer is not loaded to the ceiling and the driver keeps the speed low and the tires are not showing big gapping holes and holding air they WILL most likely survive low speed turning for the 20 miles that was mentioned.

    Mobile home movers do this ALL the time with old tires and often on mobile homes that sat in place for well over 40yrs.

    The mobile home that was on my property was a 1960s', placed on the property sometime in late 1970's, I bought property early 1990's.. So, if you follow the math the tires on the mobile home I had to make go away were in the range of 30yrs old. All I did was put some air in them and they survived a trip down the road about 10 miles..

    Mobile Home mover didn't even blink an eye at those tires..

    Now if the route was on a 70MPH Interstate, that would be a hole nuther can o worms to deal with since most states frown on driving too far under the speed limit.
  • You misspelled Mille Lacs….
    And the reason that guy is “selling” you that trailer home and it seems like a “deal” is because it’s worth -$0, as in less than $0. Even if functional they are hard to move and being old aren’t worth anything.
    You don’t sound like you have the rest of this equation figured out either , if you’re stumped on the flat tires.
    Re think the whole thing and make sure you have a plan and aren’t just hauling someone else’s junk into your property while he laughs his way to the bank.
  • Uggggg.. Mobile home open rims and tires..

    OK, from "been there, done that" point in my life.

    Bought a early 1980s 26ft TT that also had set 12yrs in a campground. Camper was 25 miles from my home.. The tires on my trailer had lots of air checking and cracks but they held up long enough to get home.

    Also had to deal with getting a mobilehome off the land I was purchasing, the bank didn't like a mobile home on the land.. Had to have a mobilhome mover come in and pull it to some land that was owned by my DWs family 15 miles away.. That mobilehome had been sitting on the property well over 20yrs.. The Mover aired up the tires and away they went with it..

    Air the tire up, set to sidewall pressure all around and see if they hold air.

    If tires hold pressure, proceed to tow carefully at speeds under the speed limit since you are towing a pretty short distance. Might wish to ask your towing friend if they have any spare mobile home tires and rims handy just in case..
  • I wouldn't pull those old tires on a highway. They'll most likely shred or blow out.
    If the trailer is to be moved two hours away to another permanent location I would buy the cheapest ST tire I could find.
    I would jack one side of the trailer up and take those two wheel to the tire shop. Then do the other side. That way you don't have to worry about jacking the whole trailer off the ground.
    Lifting that size trailer even one side requires using the right size equipment. Be safe.
  • any tire over 5 years old need replaced, they dry rot and you do not want then blowing. That will cause damage to the trailer and could damage plumbing, electrical, and the body. Changing a tires changing a tire nothing different, pull the wheels, take them to a tire shop get some tires and go back and put them on. Brakes are likely rusted and would need some work, what's the guy moving using to move it? An older 36ft will be heavy.