11 Things to Look for in a Vintage Trailer
Camp Ready or Not?
if you’re hunting for a camp-able vintage trailer, there are 11 things you should look for before you commit and tow your “new” trailer home.
1. Solid Flooring
Replacing the subfloor in a vintage travel trailer is no easy undertaking. Look for soft spots around the entrance, below the windows, behind the wheel wells, and under the sinks and shower. Make sure there are no soft spots. If you end up with a weak floor that requires replacement, you will be forced to do a full restoration that beings with the removal of everything inside the RV.
2. Water Damage
Water damage is the enemy of all travel trailers, old and new. When a trailer is exposed to the elements year after year, the seals around seams, windows and doors will expand, contract, and become brittle. Water will infiltrate the walls, turning your trailer into a petri dish for mold growth. Inspect all the seals, around the windows, in cabinets, and vents. If you find water damage, keep looking.
3. Axle & Frame
You want the frame, axle, the springs, and the bolts of your vintage trailer to be solid. Axle replacement will cost at least $2,000 per axle. Then look for rust on the frame from one end to the other. Surface rust is ok and common. Look for penetrating rust.
4. Windows & Window Hardware
The older the trailer is, the less likely you are to find windows for it that are still being made. Vintage Trailer Supply and Vintage Trailer Gaskets are good sources for these parts, however, removing and replacing windows and window hardware is a time consuming project and the hardware can be expensive.
5. Electrical System
Start with where you plug in the trailer to shore power. Work toward the power center. Is the trailer 12-volt only 110-volt or both? Look at the fuses. Does the power center need to be replaced? Check every light switch, fan, and other things in the trailer that turns on and off. Updating the electrical wiring in your trailer is a big deal. Why? You have to remove the interior walls which means again you have to gut your trailer.
6. Appliances & Propane Lines
Does everything work? The stove, range, refrigerator, water heater, furnace? How are the propane lines? If something that operates on propane doesn’t work, is one of the copper lines crimped or disconnected? If you find something that doesn’t work, figure out the reason and whether or not you can live with fixing it or updating it.
7. Tires & Wheels
The rubber in tires deteriorates over time due to UV and environmental exposure. The resulting "dry rot" leaves tire structure brittle and leads to sidewall damage and eventual failure. This isn't "Oh I'll just fill it up and drive on it." No, this is a complete loss of function. Here’s how to know how old your tires are. Look for the DOT code, a series of numbers on the sidewall of your tire. Note that the number may be on the inside of the wheel.
The date of tire manufacture is the last four digits of the DOT code for tires manufactured since 2000. The first two digits are the week of manufacture, and the last two digits are the year. For example, if the last four digits of the DOT code are 0219, that means that the tire was manufactured during the second week of the year 2019. Before 2000, the date of manufacture is the last three digits of the code. The first two digits refer to the week within the year of the decade. For example, if the last 3 digits are 049 it means that the tire was manufactured in the fourth week of the ninth year of that decade. That said, there’s no way to know which decade so just replace the tires.
So, before you move your trailer ANY distance at all, pull it to as close a tire store as you can find. Have them inspect the tires, replace them if necessary. Also, make sure the tire store lubricate and repack bearings. Why? If your bearings are not properly lubricated and packed, the hub will fail and you’ll end up with at best a hot mess and at worst a disaster.
8. Brakes
Many, many vintage trailers have brakes that cannot be repaired. The parts are simply no longer available. Best case, a new backing plate can be installed on the spindle. Worst case, the axle and hubs will need to be replaced to update the brakes. This is a costly project. When you're having your tires checked, have the tire store check the brakes as well.
9. Towing
Have a look at where the trailer mounts to your ball on the receiver of your tow vehicle. Check that the locking mechanism seats correctly. Look at the connector between the trailer and your tow vehicle. Are the connectors corroded? Bring WD-40 and a wire brush on your hunt to clean the connectors before you pull the trailer. Then when you do, check the brake and turn indicator lights. When we go hunting, we always bring tow lights just in case we need them.
10. Title
It’s always best to have a clear title for the vintage trailer you’re about to purchase. Some states allow you to get a title with just a bill of sale, but others may require more. If the title is not in the name of the seller, most DMVs will not transfer the paperwork to you, which means that you won’t be able to register the trailer.
Not good.
Check your state’s DMV rules ahead of time, and make sure that the seller’s name is on the title prior to transfer.
12. Cash
We carry cash when we hunt. It helps with negotiation on the price when we are able to share with the owner the problems we find, often problems the current owner isn’t even aware of.