Advice on a 2005 TT that hasn't been moved in 13 yrs

Do not buy it without having an experienced RV tech inspect it - period. Especially if you have little to no experience with RVs. You could pay one a few hundred $$ or so now, or spend thousands of $$ later fixing things you did not know about and wish you never bought it.

Water intrusion and rot & mold would be my #1 concern without question. It can cause very serious damage and in the worst cases, result in an unusable RV that would cost far more to repair than it's worth (think stripping down to bare studs). Replace tires and battery(ies) before moving it. A battery is a requirement when towing a trailer so the brakes will function (make sure all 4 brakes work). After that, perhaps water heater, furnace, fridge and AC unit?

If the TT was delivered to a site and never moved afterwards, that would suggest it was never taken to the dealer for any warranty work that might have been needed.

I would jack up the trailer and inspect the free turning of the wheel bearings. Brakes are probably fine. New tires would be a great idea. Look for water damage.

I have built three houses from the ground up, including the plumbing and electrical and my advice is:

If you are handy, (very handy) and the price is much lower than any comparables that you know have been on the road recently then go for it.

If not, don't touch it. It is a gamble and you could be in for a lot of anguish.

jack L

if it been sitting that long, it would be a good idea to check all the rolling parts, brakes, bearing, tires, the last thing you need is a bearing failure on the highway or tire fail, having a bearing fail can cause the axle to be damaged, and doing road side repairs or having to have it flat bedded would mot be the best thing...

If I was going to tow it regularly, and not just moving it to another seasonal site, I would replace the tires, bearings and races. The drums and brakes are probably in good shape, and just need to be cleaned up and lubed.

I'm a little concerned about the wheels, bearings, brakes, etc. if it's been sitting that long. I'm not all that mechanical so looking for advice on those things and any steps I should take to make sure it's sound before buying. Thanks!

You should be concerned. Just me but I would never buy a RV without my checking the unit for leaks.

Wheels will be fine.

Brakes...can be stuck in their present position and make contribute to one or more not working.

Bearing are the biggest issue when vehicles sit in one spot that long. The rollers sit in one spot on the races and can etch in those contact spots around the race. Oh sure it can run down the road a while till those etched spots become larger causing the bearing to heat up and leak grease past the dried out seals.
And the trailer can be pulled home or to shop that services trailer running gear.

I would replace the tires and drag it home w/i a days drive making sure the brake can stop the trailer in the first couple of miles.....but I would sure R&R brakes and bearing when I get home.

I guess sometimes they work and sometimes they don't .

I had an 89 Layton on a site for 12 yrs , I towed it once a year for a 2 week vacation then returned to its seasonal site.
When I sold it, a dealer came and towed it away after airing up the tires. He made a 75 mile uneventful trip back to his dealership.
When I went to visit the dealer at a later time , he told me he inspected it from bumper to bumper repacked the OEM bearings which were fine, installed new tires and did a re-coating on the caulk . The entire floor was solid and the trailer didn't have any leaks.
BTW, in 12 years, I never re-caulked this trailer until year #12 when one of the roof vents stated to drip it's first leak . I pulled it out and installed a new vent and could not see any more water damage.

I never had an issue with any appliance and the TT was used 50-60 nights a season for 12 years including some winter months as a dry unit.
The new owner towed it for 5 more years without issues.

midnightsadie wrote:
you said your not handy, hire a inspector,cost maybe couple hundred bucks,THATS CHEAP compared to what you don,t no about this rv.

X2
Yes, an inspection of the running gear is a "must". When you get to a trailer that's been parked for that amount of time, inspection is warranted.

Oh dear, the sky is falling

What a bunch of pansies..

NO, the bearings WILL BE FINE.

Get a grip people, the bearings ARE SEALED, sitting WILL NOT HURT THEM.

First things first.

You NEED to have a electric brake controller in your vehicle, no controller, no move.

Second, AIR for the tires, inflate to the side wall pressure.

Check the tires for any MAJOR cracking in the sidewalls or tread area, minor cracks can be workable provided you are not moving trailer far or at high speeds. Be prepared to remove the tires at the site if replacement is needed.

Third, you NEED a 12V battery for the trailer, this battery is critical to your trailer break away system.

Fourth, TEST the trailer brakes while parked. With 12V battery connected to the trailer you simply pull the break away pin. You will need to jack each wheel one at a time to verify the brake locks the wheel when pin is pulled and unlocks the wheel when the pin is put in the switch. If one or more does not work you will NEED to diagnose and fix BEFORE moving the trailer. Note, break away switches do go bad and might want to buy one to have on hand.

Fifth, once brakes are working plug the trailer cord into your vehicle, verify you have break controller connection.

Sixth, with trailer cord plugged into the vehicle, check and verify ALL running/marker lights work, check turn/brake lights work. Fix any lights before moving.

Seventh, make darn sure the owner HAS a legit clean title BEFORE exchanging money.. In some states, no title means the trailer is scrap..

Eighth, fix the trailer the way you want it, ignore the naysayers here, lots of negative nannys here that can't see the value in buying used..

My current 1980s trailer sat in a trailer park for 15 yrs, bearings were PERFECT, no rust and plenty of good grease.. Tires were even PASSENGER TIRES and had lots of cracks, pulled the trailer 15 miles and didn't go over 45 MPH, made the trip perfectly fine..

you said your not handy, hire a inspector,cost maybe couple hundred bucks,THATS CHEAP compared to what you don,t no about this rv.