Used trailer inspection - what to look at?

Once again I am flirting with the possibility of buying a small utility trailer, to save the interior of my old Subaru wagon from the scourge of firewood, rocks, bags of mulch, etc. Towing capacity is only 2000# so there's no point in a larger trailer, which is good because storage space is very limited. But most of the small trailers that pop up on CL look kind of flimsy, with expanded mesh floors and open sides framed in angle iron, not very firewood-friendly.

An unusual possibility popped up this week, and I'm scheduled to look at it over the weekend. It's a vintage Ideal-brand utility trailer, only 4' x 4', but a closed steel box with a hinged tailgate and a hinged top that I would guess might be aluminum. There's a trailer jack, and a spare tire hanging on the side. Leaf spring suspension. Despite its small size the owner says the GVWR is 3000#. I haven't seen any documents or tags yet, but it has the air of something that might've been built in 1963, and not terribly used or abused since then.

If you were inspecting such a trailer, what would you look for aside from rust? My guess that potential trouble areas would be tires, axle, wheel bearings and suspension, but honestly my current approach to those elements would only be only slightly more sophisticated than kicking them and squinting thoughtfully at the sounds they make. Any tips?

 

Does the trailer have leaf springs? Some do not. And they get hopping on the road and you will not like it if it does. How much is he asking for it?

 

Yep, leaf springs. $400 obo.

 

It's a little harder to "inspect" a trailer since there's so few moving parts. Luckily it's also easy to replace or fix those things if needed on a trailer. I'd make sure the lights work, there isn't too much wiggle in the tires and check under it really well for rust that could compromise the strength. Look for any bending or stress on the frame and tongue, and walk away if you see signs of that. It'll probably never pull straight if something's out of whack. If you can, find out the weight of the trailer too. If your towing capacity is only 2000 lbs, a trailer that weighs 1000 lbs isn't going to do you much good!

 

This looks like 1963, doesn't it?

 

best thing to do is look for cracks and warps on the frame. Some people load trailers well beyond their ratings or worse. I check for cracks along the tongue at any point where two pieces come together. I also crawl underneath and look for frame cracks everywhere, more so near and around the axles. If there are electric brakes, test the break away and test the brakes them selves. Last but not least, look for dry rot, cuts and tears on the tires. Good luck

 

oops, I was thinking more of a large landscape trailer, but i guess some of my thoughts still apply.

 

400 I'd go for it. Probably in the 500 lb range, 1500 payload, based on your cars tow rating. That's a lot of bags of mulch, stone , pellets or wood. Might be able to stand it up on the tailgate to store it.

 

That's pretty much what I was thinking, if it checks out. Surprisingly the ad has been up for almost 2 weeks, so the "OBO" pricing might be coming into play.

 

I don't know Jon, you ever backed up a 4' trailer??

5'x8' is about minimum I'd do if I did it again. Fit a full sheet of plywood/ pallet load of whatever. Mine is 4'x7' and while it basically works out OK, that extra foot in both directions just makes sense.

I bought mine for $250, and put another $350 into it (new lights, wood sides, tires, bearings, etc.) Mine has full steel deck.

 

This seems especially likely to be an issue, since it's an older trailer and, according to the article, hasn't been used in a while. I'm sure the tires will be less than perfect. Any guidelines as to when they're so far gone that replacement will be needed almost immediately? Assuming I don't hear a steady hissing noise when I'm near one of them...

 

No, I haven't. I was wondering whether the short distance between the wheels and hitch would make things difficult.

I can see the appeal in larger trailers, but I simply have nowhere to put one, and the load ratings on the cheap Harbor Freight folding trailers are very small.

 

Hitch her up for a test drive, and you may find it is too difficult to work with. I borrowed my buddy's 12' trailer and it was so much easier to back up. I also have a 4' yard trailer (the box), I am usually unhitching and turning by hand as it takes less time (when empty of course.)

Tires, yeah plan on replacing them and figure in the cost. I think $200 might be fair price for that trailer assuming it needs tires.

 

backing it up will be a nightmare

 

I will sell you one of these today for $900

 

offer 300 . tow it home , pull the hubs, grease them and replace the tires immediately.
Check the lights, crack a beer and enjoy your new trailer. Yes it will be a challenge to back up but it seems like you will not be using it a lot and if it is tight un hook it and roll it back. Based on YOUR requirements it seems like a good fit.

 

I have one of the Harbor Freight 4x8 trailers. I have beat it to absolute hell and it just keeps on working. They are a good value for the money, and come in a lot cheaper most used trailers you are going to find. Just throwing that out there.

 

his tow rating is only 2000lbs, he would have to tow it around empty......

 

he is using a Subaru wagon, should not be to bad. Behind a truck would be a nightmare.

 

Good call, the offer is good to any on the FHC also. Factor of safety must be 2x so maybe he could do 4,000 lbs??