Frustrating !!!

JRscooby wrote:


For every "cargo trailer" that leaks, there are thousands that last decades and millions of miles without leaking.
Some companies learned by at least the '60s how to make a seam, rivet it together, and it would keep water out for decades and millions of miles. My '67 Pete had a vent in the roof. Even when the seal was so bad I could hear the cover rattling over the noise of the buzzing dozen, water did not get in.
The only reason RV roofs leak is because people will buy a RV, expect the roof to work, when it fails buy another.

Don't expect any cargo trailer made after the '60's to be made all that well.

In the late 1990s I was looking at buying a cargo trailer to turn into a "RV". After looking at a lot of water damaged leaking used cargo trailers I started looking at buying new.. But after a bit more research I was very disappointed to find a lot more complaints on newly minted cargo trailers than I expected.

Cargo trailers also are much higher priced and used cargo trailers are often insanely priced than a RV to start with, they also weight twice as much as a RV of comparable size.

I came to the conclusion that building a RV from scratch from the frame up was a better choice. I could control every part and assembly quality from the beginning to the end.

Found a custom trailer manufacturer that would build just the frame for my 25ft TT plans using one of their flatbed trailers without the oak decking planks for $3K. The advantage of having a builder make the frame was when they were done, it would have a title which would save me a lot of headaches. Comparable size aluminum sided cargo trailer started at $15K at that time.

Before I could tell the trailer builder to go ahead with the build, I found a well used 26ft 1980s TT for $700..

The used trailer gave me appliances with the exception of a dead RV fridge, windows, doors and a titled frame.

Gutted it inside and out, resided, reroofed and rebuilt the interior for $3.5K and 9 months worth of work.

If I were to do this again, I would gut the good stuff, cut the bolts holding the box on then remove box and start from floor up with new materials. Much faster than trying to repair in place bunches of rotted wood.

But, don't think for one minute that a cargo trailer will stay waterproof, I have seen way too many water logged cargo trailers in my travels.

I should also note that I have worked at a place that owned their own semi trailers, yeah, those trailers leaked also.. The company used the ones that failed state inspection for "storage", one of my jobs was to repair two completely full to the roof 50ft semi trailers of point of sale equipment.. Had to toss half of that equipment due to severe water damage..