used vs new trailer

[mr.tech]

with in the new few months I will be buying a trailor. I am looking at 16ft flat beds cause I will be hauling mor than just my jeep. My question is shoul I buy a new or used trailor? I have noiced that they are about the same price in good condition but being from texas I see old ugly 16 and 18 fotters out in pastures all the time. I am only 17 so money is tight and the cheeper th better. also if I do go pasture shopping what is the best way to aproch farmer joe about selling his old rusty trailer?

take a look at this new trailer I found online
http://www.longhornsales.com/tandem-axle-flatbed-trailers.html

[threadkiller]

Um... That ain't a flatbed. That would however make a fine first trailer, but I'd bet that in a couple years you'd be wanting a wider bed.

Anyhow, buy used if you can find a decent one. Check underneath to make sure the frame isn't rusted too bad and that the wiring is in good shape. Make sure the tires are at least good enough to get you home. Above all else, don't fall into the mindset of "I can fix that floor, rust, brakes, tires, etc." because 9 times out of 10, by the time you spend the money and time to make the repairs, you could just as easily have bought a new trailer.

[stunnin650]

somtimes if u can get a trailer very cheap it might be worth fixing, but think about prices of things, like tires for two axle are going to run i say at least 300 wood for the bed if it's no good $100 +, wheel bearing and seals in they were not maintained can go in to the 100 range lights and wiring not hard to do but still cost, does it have ramps if not need to make a set if u can do it your self cool if not big $, and regisration do u need to pay all the back fees, just somethings to think about if your going to pull one out of the field

[mr.tech]

also if I pull one out of a field and the owner has no title how har would it be to rerejister it as a home built or if the back fees are high. oh and I can build ramps, rewire, or what ever.

[dubbyx]

Pulling it outta the field won't be the hard part... how are you gonna move it once you get it out to get it fixed up? Borrow a trailer?

Most times the farmers don't register their trailers. They don't have to if they've been listed as a farm vehicle. If they have tags on it, then they have access to some sort of listing with the state registration. You won't have to pay any "back fees" on a texas trailer. Just have to sign a form saying it has not been used on the highways, and you are registering it for use. As far as re-titling a trailer in texas it's not too hard. Just call your local office and ask them how they do it. Some areas you'll have to claim it as homebuilt, some you have to actually do a little paper-chasing. In the end it only matters to the person who you get to talk to in the office.

Most of the trailers that end up sitting behind a farmer's house here will have little or no rust on them. Of course, that's up in the panhandle where it's a little dryer. Expect them to have bad wheel bearings. Expect the tires to be dry rotted. Expect the wiring to be completely replaced because mice love to chew on the wires. Chances are at least one deck board will have to be replaced, and it will need a paint job. If it has a brake axle, the brake parts will need to be cleaned/replaced. Possibly the springs will need working as well.

A little time and some rattle can paint will go a long way. You can make a good deal if you find the right trailer. I wouldn't spend more than $400 on a 16' utility that needs major work, or has been sitting in a field. You can buy them for about $600 new if you look around. Farmers are great at knowing what they've got and extracting the last penny outta a school boy who thinks he's gonna fool them into a good deal, so good luck there.

[SolidAxleDurango]

somtimes if u can get a trailer very cheap it might be worth fixing, but think about prices of things, like tires for two axle are going to run i say at least 300 wood for the bed if it's no good $100 +, wheel bearing and seals in they were not maintained can go in to the 100 range lights and wiring not hard to do but still cost, does it have ramps if not need to make a set if u can do it your self cool if not big $, and regisration do u need to pay all the back fees, just somethings to think about if your going to pull one out of the field


I wish some of you people would learn to use mother fucking, god-damned English. At a minimum, maybe some punctuation?

What's the deal with the retards and nine-year-olds posting here lately? It makes it very difficult to (want to) reply to posts.. :shaking:

[SolidAxleDurango]

also if I pull one out of a field and the owner has no title how har would it be to rerejister it as a home built or if the back fees are high. oh and I can build ramps, rewire, or what ever.

:shaking:

[thump93yj]

also if I pull one out of a field and the owner has no title how har would it be to rerejister it as a home built


Been there... next to impossible to do it legal.

In Tx, to register at the weight you'll be hauling... trailer must be titled. Titled stuff has to have a VIN. Home-builts can be titled... after you go to TxDOT and get the forms for VIN assignment... AFTER you go to an authorized vehicle anti-theft unit and have it inspected to ensure it's not stolen, not manufactured, etc... that's where it gets sticky.

I bought a "farm" trailer that needed a significant amount of work. Farmers pay $10 a year for tags and don't need titles etc. So, said farmer had no clue where the title was PLUS it was last titled out of state... no clue how or how long it would take to get a title reissued... AND no clue what the VIN was due to the sticker missing and no VIN stamped or welded on it. Self-justifying the amount of rebuild work needed into making it a "home-built", I took the tax office, weight scales, trailer photos, TxDOT, DPS anti-theft unit merry-go-round route for a couple of days... only to be told by said DPS officer that I was SOL without the title. On top of that... SOB took pictures of it, came out to my house later to investigate it as a possible stolen trailer!

In the end, after possibly making the farmer buy it back... he found the title and I got registration and title transfer done. PIA. Could have really sucked as I had already rebuilt the trailer floor, wiring, tires... some minor frame work to get it inspected and registered only to be told No. On top of all that... trailer kinda sucked... axle location was too far back causing it to ride like hell when it was empty. Sold it the next year.

[4x4not]

I bought a used trailer for fairly cheap, but I ended up having to put many hundreds of dollars into it because it wasn't road-worthy. In the end I could have bought a new trailer for only about $500 more.

[Mechanos]

Just have to look closely at all the little things before you buy used.... but deals can be found. I bought a 22' low-boy gooseneck w/ tandem 5.2K axles, brakes on both axles for $1500. I put $600 in 5 new tires and a new wheel for a spare, $50 in light and wiring and $50 to add a break away kit. So, for $2200 I got a 22' GN that hauled my rig 4200 miles round trip to 'Con and back trouble free....

[Trailer Guy]

with in the new few months I will be buying a trailor. I am looking at 16ft flat beds cause I will be hauling mor than just my jeep. My question is shoul I buy a new or used trailor? I have noiced that they are about the same price in good condition but being from texas I see old ugly 16 and 18 fotters out in pastures all the time. I am only 17 so money is tight and the cheeper th better. also if I do go pasture shopping what is the best way to aproch farmer joe about selling his old rusty trailer?

take a look at this new trailer I found online
http://www.longhornsales.com/tandem-axle-flatbed-trailers.html
So you noticed that used trailers are selling for just about the same as new. Then wouldn't it be the right choice to buy the new one. You've got all new parts, and a warrenty. Plus doing the registration is easy, the dealer does it. Oh, by the way, the trailer in that link is only 72" wide, a stock YJ with 33's is wider than the deck of that trailer. So I would so that trailer is a bad choice.

[Travis Waldher]

So you noticed that used trailers are selling for just about the same as new. Then wouldn't it be the right choice to buy the new one. You've got all new parts, and a warrenty. Plus doing the registration is easy, the dealer does it. Oh, by the way, the trailer in that link is only 72" wide, a stock YJ with 33's is wider than the deck of that trailer. So I would so that trailer is a bad choice.

My stock YJ on 33's w/ 10" wide rims, standard backspacing IIRC was 80" wide.

[SolidAxleDurango]

Durango specs...

64" wms to wms
35x12.50 on 8" wide rims with 3.75" bs
Outer tire to outer tire = 77"

My car hauler is std width and it's 83" inside the wheel wells...

[stunnin650]

I wish some of you people would learn to use mother fucking, god-damned English. At a minimum, maybe some punctuation?

What's the deal with the retards and nine-year-olds posting here lately? It makes it very difficult to (want to) reply to posts.. :shaking: i guess we all can't be as good as u asshole

[drnut]

i guess we all can't be as good as u asshole

I corrected you.

I guess we can't all be as good as you, asshole.

That's better.

[KS Toy]

LOL, "mr.tech" and "stunnin650" must be related. :shaking: