# Buying a Used Trailer Good deal or not?



## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

I am planning to purchase this equipment trailer from a seller nearby. I plan to sandblast the entire trailer, blast/replace the deck, and paint the trailer for maybe a small flip project. I can pick it up for $500



Ad states" "im selling this 1995 9 ton trailer, tri-axle, electric brakes on 2 axles, good tires new brakes and hubs on 1 axle all lights and wiring updated to LED's. Pintle hitch, Oak wood deck. i dont have any paperwork though, i just used the plates from my other trailer, or you can go get it weighed and get paperwork. "


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## diggerdude (Jan 11, 2008)

id buy it! not a bad price!


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## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

diggerdude said:


> id buy it! not a bad price!


how much could something like this sell for after i blast and paint it?


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## XanadooLTD (Oct 6, 2007)

There could be more problems than just a bad paint job. Axles, tongue etc.


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## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

XanadooLTD said:


> There could be more problems than just a bad paint job. Axles, tongue etc.


Smart thinking! i just e-mailed him asking about.


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## PARA1 (Jul 18, 2007)

That price is toooo good to be true ------do some checking.:thumbsup:


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## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

"No Paperwork" as in no title??? How you going to register it?


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

Aside from the minor issue of "no paperwork"...

Chances are the trailer will/may need: New brakes, new tires, maybe new tire rims. It could need additional brake work, and wiring/socket/lighting work. All that could easily add up to $2K or more...

Something to think about....


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

We bought a second 16 foot enclosed trailer last year. 2003 model, Looked great.

Paid only $2000.00. Ended up spending $1500.00 in brakes, tires, wiring, socket-connection work.


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## Michaeljp86 (Apr 10, 2007)

Looks like it has mobile home axles on it, Id say it was "home made" at some welding shop. I see these a couple times a year for $500. This isnt really a super deal for a flip. You can make some money on it but most people want a regulat 8-10k equipment trailer. This with the deck above the wheels it have a high center of gravity, hard to load, pulls bad. If you can use it yourself its probably OK but mobile home axles have a goofy tire size. like 14.5 rims or something like that and regular mobile home tires are soft and wear fast. You can buy new on road tires for them for like $400 each. 

Ive came across 5 of these for $500 and passed on them. I want a nice tandem axle 10k trailer. One of these would be OK for hauing something every now and then but its not something you would want to drag around all the time.


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## Bone Saw (Feb 13, 2006)

that is a sweet deal, however it is virtually impossible to title and register a trailer without the following: either an existing title and/or a vin, which you said they dont have the title in which case hopefully if there is a vin somewhere on the trailer and the owner had a title at one time, he may be able to get a duplicate and an exchange can go down
or certificate of origin from the manufacturer, 
if non of the above applies, good luck ever getting it road legal.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

I don't know about your state, but in mine (PA) all you really have to do is take several pictures of it, take it to a garage for a safety inspection, and mail all that off to the state DOT and you get a title in the mail. No problem whatsoever.


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## diggerdude (Jan 11, 2008)

Michaeljp86 said:


> Looks like it has mobile home axles on it, Id say it was "home made" at some welding shop. I see these a couple times a year for $500. This isnt really a super deal for a flip. You can make some money on it but most people want a regulat 8-10k equipment trailer. This with the deck above the wheels it have a high center of gravity, hard to load, pulls bad. If you can use it yourself its probably OK but mobile home axles have a goofy tire size. like 14.5 rims or something like that and regular mobile home tires are soft and wear fast. You can buy new on road tires for them for like $400 each.
> 
> Ive came across 5 of these for $500 and passed on them. I want a nice tandem axle 10k trailer. One of these would be OK for hauing something every now and then but its not something you would want to drag around all the time.


I have a dyna weld trailer with the same type of axles. It doesn't mean they are from a mobile home just because of the way the rims are mounted.


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## Michaeljp86 (Apr 10, 2007)

mdshunk said:


> I don't know about your state, but in mine (PA) all you really have to do is take several pictures of it, take it to a garage for a safety inspection, and mail all that off to the state DOT and you get a title in the mail. No problem whatsoever.


 


diggerdude said:


> I have a dyna weld trailer with the same type of axles. It doesn't mean they are from a mobile home just because of the way the rims are mounted.


On my trailer I just took it to a grain scale for $4 and the guy wrote the weight down and I took that to teh secretary of state and she said did you build it? yes, did you buy the material or already had it? I said I already had it. She gave me a paper to fill out and gave her $75 and handed me a permanent plate. 

Some smaller trailer companies did use used mobil home axles. Theres nothing wrong with them just the tire size.


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## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

he said tires & rims are good, its not homemade, its a 9ton trailer, he says pretty much get it weighed and dmv inspection for title & registration. only thing missing is a backup battery. 

Should i do this for $500? I dont plan on registering it either. just basically blast and paint. It would make good blasting practice on it also.


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## diggerdude (Jan 11, 2008)

if its as good as it sounds get it. other wise send me the guys #!:laughing:


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## chris klee (Feb 5, 2008)

Michaeljp86 said:


> Some smaller trailer companies did use used mobil home axles. Theres nothing wrong with them just the tire size.


the tires and brakes are all made to be temp use, therefore they will not last too long.
they do make equip trailer axles that look like that. my uncle used to have a really old trailer that looked like the one in the pic (except painted). that was way back and he probably still has it today .


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

plazaman said:


> Should i do this for $500? I dont plan on registering it either. just basically blast and paint. It would make good blasting practice on it also.


500 bucks sounds like a no-brainer, to me. 

I have an old 6-ton Eager Beaver trailer that looks almost identical to that one, and I paid either 1200 or 1500. Yours is 3 single axels, so your has to be a 9 ton. The 10 ton and up go to tandems.


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## woodisgood (Feb 29, 2008)

No vin, registration ever think maybe it's stolen.


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## Michaeljp86 (Apr 10, 2007)

plazaman said:


> he said tires & rims are good, its not homemade, its a 9ton trailer, he says pretty much get it weighed and dmv inspection for title & registration. only thing missing is a backup battery.
> 
> Should i do this for $500? I dont plan on registering it either. just basically blast and paint. It would make good blasting practice on it also.


I dont think you will make much off it for what your time is worth, you may get $1000 for it so is it worth it to make $500?


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

Like said above check that these axles are original, if they are trailer axles see if the brakes were upgraded. New tires can be had mounted on new wheels for around $80 a piece and the axles should be 7k lb each. Definitly check the spring perch's and shackles for rot, bent or broke. Here in NY you just take it to a weigh station for the weight slip and register it as homeade at DMV.


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## Michaeljp86 (Apr 10, 2007)

woodchuck2 said:


> the axles should be 7k lb each.


If they are mobile home axles they will be 3k each, so 9000lb all together.

I have had over 10k on a trailer with 2 mobile home axles on it. 

My grandmas house had 5 of these axles on it and it bent one of the axles.:laughing:


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## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

he said it was a 9ton trailer


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## Michaeljp86 (Apr 10, 2007)

*Category*Trailers And Tow Vehicles*Make*TRI AXLE*Model*TRAILER*Price*$500
* 
TRI AXLE TRAILER. 10 ton, need new tires, bed, lights, all steel is in good shape, good axles. $500.


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## Bone Saw (Feb 13, 2006)

bout a year ago my brother was trying to sell an aluminum boat with a trailer, i don't know how he came about having this boat and trailer, but he didn't have and never had the/a title for the trailer, guess he swapped out a tag from elsewere??? contacted dot and several tag joints to get this trailer titled and every time hit a road block, obviously if a trailer was ever titled, a title exists, however if the vin is not on it or the vin tag is missing trying to find out about the last titled owner would be impossible, which left option b: every trailer has a cert of origin from manufacturer, if you ever bought a trailer new, you left with a 60 day tag and a cert, title came in the mail, at which time you would register it and get a permenent tag.

same scenario different trailer, after i traded my landscape trailer for the enclosed one, I needed a flat trailer for a few things, my father had a 5x10 landscape trailer for years which sat in his back yard, being the cheap skate he is he never titled and registered it , but swapped out the tags from another trailer. I wanted to take this trailer off his hands and get it titled and registered, but again, got absolutely nowhere with it due to not having a vin plate or the cert of origin, and the trailer sits in the same place. MD have you had any experience titling a "bastard" trailer before, I would be most interested to find out what to do???


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## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

im from NY, so what woodchuck said, i should have a problem if i wanted to register it.


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