Buying an old trailer

[Zacvv]

Hello,
I'm looking at purchasing an old 80s travel trailer. It's about 20ft long and it's been sitting in my buddy's yard for two years. What should I be looking at when I'm looking over it?

[Zacvv]

I have not picked up the trailer yet waiting for the snow to melt down a bit more. A week or so and we should have it.

[Caveman_Charlie]

Zacvv wrote:
Thank you all for the feedback. It looks like the biggest thing i need to look for is leaks. I am buying it from a friend for 500 dollars so not sure how concerned i am about the little things.
Im not to sure with these older guys if they have battery charging systems? is this a silly question? Is it easy to buy one and buy new batteries?

Kinda hard to go wrong for 500 bucks. If it's too bad you can strip off the camper and use the frame to build a snowmobile trailer. Helped friends do that a couple of times.

It probably has a converter / battery charger but, it will be the old school type. They work but, if you plug in a lot they can overcharge your batteries. And, they take a long time to completely recharge the battery / batteries. But, I've used them and gotten by just fine.

What brand name, model, and length is the Travel Trailer? Knowing that may allow the members here to help you out more.

[ksbowman]

Probably not on the batteries, anymore a 2 year battery last 2 years. I bought a 1987 5th wheel for hunting and knew it needed some TLC. It has turned out to be a great trailer and when I bought it I made sure it didn't leak, all appliances worked and the tires were good and up to date. With that assurance I figured I could part it out and come out ahead. It has a frame and axles that are better and heavier than our late model Keystone and I couldn't be more pleased, as said above just make sure what you've got before making the plunge as the resale won't be much.

[Huntindog]

Zacvv wrote:
What about battery life? Would they still have a chance of working after sitting so long?

Only if they were cared for during that time... If they have sat unused, unfilled and uncharged that long,,,,,you WILL need new ones.

[Zacvv]

What about battery life? Would they still have a chance of working after sitting so long?

[westend]

Zacvv wrote:
Thank you all for the feedback. It looks like the biggest thing i need to look for is leaks. I am buying it from a friend for 500 dollars so not sure how concerned i am about the little things.
Im not to sure with these older guys if they have battery charging systems? is this a silly question? Is it easy to buy one and buy new batteries?

In my '71 Starcraft, a converter was an option. I would think by 1980, it was almost standard. I have the original PD808 30 amp charger and it is a beast, huge transformer and a big rectifier board. I kept it as it has a solid state charging circuit (two stage). Some converters did not have the multi-stage charging circuits and those should be replaced. It is a fairly easy upgrade, involves a few wires.

If the trailer has water damage and you wish to restore it to like-new condition, it will involve a fair bit of work. I chose to completely gut mine and rebuild as I wanted to improve the insulation and a few more things. The upside of that is that I could change the layout to exactly my own needs. You can look through the rebuild thread in my signature line, "The Cowboy/Hilton", to get an idea of the work involved.

[Zacvv]

Thank you all for the feedback. It looks like the biggest thing i need to look for is leaks. I am buying it from a friend for 500 dollars so not sure how concerned i am about the little things.
Im not to sure with these older guys if they have battery charging systems? is this a silly question? Is it easy to buy one and buy new batteries?

[jaycocreek]

This old dog has seen more back country roads than most pickups and everything works.

[2012Coleman]

Check to make sure its not infested with mice/insects.

[westend]

shasta24 wrote:
Yep, deep pockets and a sense of humor. Good luck

LOL, I'm laughing along with 'ya. :B

If you're not afraid of using your skills and your hands, look it over good and make a decision.
If you're afraid of getting a splinter or a scratch on your hand, look elsewhere.

Don't let the fear mongers take away the enjoyment of camping in your pride and joy. While others are trying to figure out how they are going to get more propane to cool their food or tame the noise of that squirrel cage furnace, I'm parked up the trail with solar running my fridge and the heater noiselessly heating away. There's a lot of ways to get things done.

[shasta24]

Yep, deep pockets and a sense of humor. Good luck

[Caveman_Charlie]

You may have to put tires on it if the ones that are on there are too old.

I've had a few of these older units and if you are handy you can get use out of them. Don't let people scare you away but, be prepared to do some maintenance.
And, it depends on what sort of camping you want to do. If the gas / electric fridge is bad, or goes bad, and you are always going to places where you can plug in you can replace it with a small apartment type house fridge. If the furnace is bad and you always go to places where you plug in you can use a electric space heater.

But, as stated by the other members makes sure the roof is in good shape and there is no leaks. If you have to start rebuilding structure that is difficult and expensive.

[jaycocreek]

Make sure everything works,refrigerator-heater-water heater-water pump and no water damage- electrical and wiring, see it all working yourself, all of them.

I have two 70's trailers in the driveway that have not had much put into them. There are older trailers out there that exceed some of these newer/cheaper built mistakes on wheels and some fall apart on the first wash boardy road you travel.

[Francesca_Knowl]

Make sure it has a clear Title- don't even THINK about buying it if not.