Looking at buying an OLD travel trailer

[Jff24Gordn]

My uncile is selling an OLD 22' travel trailer. Its a Holiday Traviller. It is from the mid 60's. It appears to be in good condition. It has been sitting for about 15 years. It has no apparent roof leaks. No evidance of mice, smell or droppings. It will be getting new tires before it moves far. It has a gas/electric fridge, gas stove top, gas oven, gas water heater, gas furnace, and AC (witch must have been a big $$$$ option back then). It doesnt appear to have a black water tank. It has 3 beds, a booth table to bed, a couch to bed, and a loft bed. The frame is starting to get some surface rust but doesnt look bad. The sewage hose is stored in the back bumper, and it has rusted through. And it comes fully furnished with dishes and glassware.

I figure for $1500 it aint a bad deal.

any suggestions on other things to look at?

 

[DBF]

BRAKES!!!!



and make damn sure they work. These old trailers are heavy. Your Cummins will move it, but will it stop it before you run over somebody?



Regards, DBF

 

[Deezul1]

If it has only one waste water tank its prolly the black water tank and the grey water drains outside unless it only has a Port a potty then its grey water. Brakes arnt that hard to add if needed, you can buy complete assemblies with backing plates and all but I dont know about price. It sounds like a great deal for the shape its in.

 

[KMeek]

Check the wheel bearings too!

 

[JPS]

OLDER TRAILER

One of the most expensive replacements on any RV is the refrigerator. Just so you realize that and have no unpleasant surprises! Depending on how you plan on using it, I have used electric only fridge. for short trips! jps

 

[Blakers]

I bought a 24' Sportsmen made in 1978 for $1200. It has air conditioning. Everything works except for some of the windows don't crank out. Perhaps parts are available to fix those.



I went through all the bearings, replaced seals, checked out the brakes, replaced the breakaway switch and put on 4 new 6-ply Marathon tires. Also a new deep draw battery and had to do a few minor wiring enhancements so the battery would charge from the truck. Painted the outside up about 20" from the bottom to cover up some blemishes.



Anyway, I think I got a good deal and didn't have to take out a loan.



Blake

 

[Jff24Gordn]

ok, i forgot to mention brakes and bearings. Its a single axle trailer, so it cant weigh too awefull much. It aint too much for the truck, because ive passed 30K gross several times.



It doesnt look like it has any waste tank. just has a pipe with a plug that goes out the bottom. The bathroom is set up so it has a drain in the floor, and the shower head is on a hose off of the sink and a shower curtan to keep the water off of the toilet.

 

[Briar Hopper]

Steve St. Laurent owes you one

So Jeffy boy, if you buy that antique flap shack, you think Steve might find a way to return the favor you did him ? Or is that why you want one WITHOUT a black water tank?

 

[JPS]

VERY USED travel trailer

How fast can you run? I'd start right now, be for I bought this thing!!! Just kidding, Say I could send you a black 5 gal. pail-black tank you know! jps There are a lot better trailers than that around,for cheap, I have two of them sitting out back right now!

 

[HBarlow]

Vintage Trailer

I'm not certain but I believe the Holiday Traveler you described was a model of the respected Holiday Rambler trailer family which is still in business. If so, it probably had aluminum wall framing rather than wood.



You can expect to replace the refrigerator, heating furnace, water heater, possibly the ac/dc converter, battery, water pump, and some of the fresh water plumbing. The fresh water tank could be split as well. When you add up the cost of all these items, if needed, a newer trailer may be a better choice unless you admire vintage trailers.



If the plywood floor is rotted, as is typical in vintage trailers, it could be beyond economical repair. Lift the carpet and look carefully around the entry door, along sidewalls, under sink and bath, etc. Floors can be repaired in sections but if the entire floor is rotted, you may not want to get involved.



'60s vintage travel trailers had a black water/sewer tank to catch toilet waste but did not have gray water tanks to catch bath and sink waste water.



Complete brake backing plates are easily obtained and replaced and can be found for around $50 per side.



Vintage trailers are currently popular and if in decent shape are worth more than their original selling price.



A high quality older trailer, if not totally neglected, can be better than many newer stick-built trailers sold today.



Good luck.



Harvey Barlow

 

[roycrown]

Don't consider myself much of an authority, never did, but I worked at an RV dealer from '67-'71 and at that time (a great time!) Holiday Rambler/Traveller was "way up there" as far as quality and prestige, only perhaps one notch below Airstream.

 

[Philip]

If the refreg is a three way setup. If it doesn't work on the first try. Take it out and turn it up side down for a couple of days. Then turn it right side up and light it off on propane.



It uses a heavy ammonia jelly of the cooling medium. If it settles down from setting for to long. The flipping trick will most of the time cure it.

 

[TowPro]

Personaly, I feel anything that your Uncle should be paying you to get it out of his yard. Your going to end up sinking a lot of money and time into that bad boy.



Look around, I picked up 91 Shadow Cruser Pickup camper for $500. 00 this spring. It needed lots of time, but not much money to get it ready. Next weekend I am picking up a early 90s sunline Pickup camper for $100. 00. It looks clean, but one of the jacks broke out fo the bottom of it, causing it to lean way over to one side. Really I am buying it for the AC unit, but who knows, after we get it safe on the truck and I can look inside it, it may be as nice as my Shadow Cruser.



I have seen single axle campers from the 90's going for $500. 00 to 1K often. (I have also seen them sitting for sale with high price tags, but there still sitting for sale). Maybe look around, the one your Uncle has sounds like its been sitting for 15 years, it will be there after you take the time to look at others.

 

[The patriot]

I'm selling my 1984 Chateau 24' for just a little more than that.

I'm the second owner, and everything works. Good condition, lots of new parts.

Ad # 397.

Eric

 

[BPINE]

Hey Wayne that sounds just like my trailer and you see what a little elbow grease can do, she looks great now. LOL All the advise above sounds good to me, everything on an RV costs more than it should so be careful.



Blair

 

[Jff24Gordn]

well, i am not gonna get it, sounds too much like work.

 

[Jack in Alaska]

Watch for dry rot in the structurall framework.

Take out a few screws arond each window and they will tell you if there is good or bad wood there. Rusty/corroded means rotting wood.

I found that very thing in an old 1976 Holiday Rambler that looked brand new.

 

[Loren]

Jff24Gordn,



I see you aren't going to get the trailer. Probably a good move.



Some information for the rest of us:



Our 1970 Holiday Rambler had only one holding tank. It received both the black water and the gray water. You could not dump them separately.



Yes, Holiday Travelers were made by Holiday Rambler. The Holiday Ramblers were more expensive. I don't really remember, but the Holiday Travelers may not have come with the aluminum frame construction that they put into the Ramblers.



By the way, we bought our Holiday Rambler in Lafayette when I graduated. I rode with the dealer to the factory to pick it up. We lived in it for two years and sold it for about 60% of what we paid for it. Our 32 footer cost about $9500 new.



Loren