Used TT Recommendations

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

Hi,

My wife and I are looking at purchasing a used travel trailer sometime in the next year. We love tent camping, but that's getting harder with kids/dog and rough on her back sleeping. We would love to stay under $10K if possible - I know that limits our options but that's where we are at for now. Length wise somewhere in the 20-28ft range. Sleeps 3 or 4 comfortably. Mostly for trips within a few hrs of house. What should I look for/avoid?? Any good forums I can research used campers on?

Thanks,

Steven

 

[SnoKing]

1. Looking for water damage and/or musty smell is high of the list of things to check on. If it smell bad, run!
2. Signs of delamination.
2. Date code on tires. Are tires a matched set.
3. Look at roof closely.
4. Look at spring shackles and shackle mounts.

Should be a lot to choose from.

 

[GCroyle]

Water damage is a big concern on any rig, roof condition and overall body condition. Lot's of mechanical things are just that, brakes, tires, bearings etc.

I spied on your whereabouts and looks like less than 1 hr W of you in Marion starting the week of Oct 21 thru the weekend you might want to take a day trip over to Tom Johnson Camping World and stop in a kick some tires at the RALLY PARK over 200 Airstreams later in the week in addition to TJCW inventory to peruse. Somebody might have a lead on what you're looking for Airstream wise and it ain't far to drive for you. PM me if interested in other info.

 

[Wayne M.]

Paging JGillott.

 

[AH64ID]

All my camper research has steered me away from anything not made by the Nash Family of RV's, such as Arctic Fox, Nash, Outdoors RV, Desert Fox, or Fox Mountain. You do pay a little more for them, but they are more solidly built.

Camping style comes into play as well, as most of our camping involves dirt/gravel roads (sometimes over 100 miles round trip) so we want a camper that's not going to fall apart. So think about how and where you want to camp, and what that means for trailer durability.

Do you want/need 4 season?
Ground clearance requirements?
Bed requirements?

 

[SnoKing]

All my camper research has steered me away from anything not made by the Nash Family of RV's, such as Arctic Fox, Nash, Outdoors RV, Desert Fox, or Fox Mountain. You do pay a little more for them, but they are more solidly built.

Camping style comes into play as well, as most of our camping involves dirt/gravel roads (sometimes over 100 miles round trip) so we want a camper that's not going to fall apart. So think about how and where you want to camp, and what that means for trailer durability.

Do you want/need 4 season?
Ground clearance requirements?
Bed requirements?

He is kind of on the wrong coast for a Northwood product. SnoKing

 

[jgillott]

Paging JGillott.

Lol..I'm here.

In addition to what has been mentioned above, make sure that all systems work correctly on the unit and be sure to test them yourself. Do not take the word of the seller.

Fill the unit with water. Run water on both the city water and with the pump. Open every cabinet and look for signs of water leaks from fixtures, drains etc. If it is a gas/electric water heater, confirm that it works in both modes.

Test you fridge in the same way. Make sure it operates on both AC and gas. Run the air conditioner and furnace to check for proper operation.

If the unit has a slide, test it multiple times for correct operation. Most of the trailers out there right now have Schwintek slide mechanisms that have been problematic across all manufacturers that use them.

Speaking of manufacturers, if buying used, don't get hung up on looking for a specific brand. Buy the unit that is in the absolute best condition for the price you want to pay. Modern RV's are built with parts and components that are used nearly industry wide by all manufacturers. You will see Atwood, Dometic, Lippert, etc. parts and pieces in every trailer you look at.

I'm sure that I've missed a few things. I'll stop back in later when I have a little more time.

 

[AH64ID]

He is kind of on the wrong coast for a Northwood product. SnoKing

They are back East, just harder to find. More are moving East every day.

 

[Wiredawg]

The internet is your friend. Here is a checklist:

https://www.rvbasics.com/techtips/used-rv-buying-guide.html

And many videos:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=used+rv+inspection+checklist&FORM=HDRSC3

This is after you've found it, the next is finding it. Now is the time to buy as the RV season is passed. Be sure to check tires or at least be prepped to buy some.

Hope this helps...please let us know what you find.

Happy Trails,

Ron

 

[Jim W]

They are back East, just harder to find. More are moving East every day.

When I was last looking for a new 5er the closes I could find was 300 to 500 miles away from my home. Two different dealers one in MN and the other was in IA. This was to far for me to travel for warranty work if needed.

What ever you purchase make sure that you understand how everything works take notes and pic's. Have the dealer activate all of the systems whether it is fresh water fill, the furnace/AC and or if there are slides make sure they work correctly. Take a flashlight with you also when you are checking the suspension components on the trailer. Looking for worn or crack shackle plates, equalizer and slop in the bushings. These should be replaced before purchasing. I would also negotiate a new battery and full propane tanks in the deal.

Remember once you take the trailer off of the lot it is yours and use trailers are sold without any warranties.

 

[SnoKing]

Dealers you used trailers because people trade them in. Did they trade because they wanted something larger or were they tired of issues they faced with the existing unit?

To OP, in the size range you noted I would not settle for anything with 14" rims and tires. Lots of used trailers in that size will have axles that are marginal at best. Which brings us to tires. Look for event wear across the tread on all for. Also plan on installing new tires first thing in most cases. The go to ST trailer tire now seems to be the Goodyear Endurance.

 

[AH64ID]

When I was last looking for a new 5er the closes I could find was 300 to 500 miles away from my home. Two different dealers one in MN and the other was in IA. This was to far for me to travel for warranty work if needed.

If you're buying something with a warranty it is worth considering. I do know that ORV will deal with non-network repair facilities for warranty work, as there are a lot of people traveling a lot of miles to buy them.

With a used trailer a day on the road seems worth it to get a brand/floorplan/etc that works well. I recently traveled 300 miles, one-way, to get our 2011 Wind River 5er... saved more than a few grand, and got a brand/floor plan we wanted.

 

[jgillott]

To OP, in the size range you noted I would not settle for anything with 14" rims and tires. Lots of used trailers in that size will have axles that are marginal at best. Which brings us to tires. Look for event wear across the tread on all for. Also plan on installing new tires first thing in most cases. The go to ST trailer tire now seems to be the Goodyear Endurance.

This is a very important point and I'd just like to add a little to this for the OP. Many manufacturers will install axles on a unit that are not actually rated to handle the full loaded GVWR or the trailer. For example, a trailer with a GVWR of 5500# will be delivered with 2 2500# axles, with the manufacturer assuming that remainder of the weight to be carried as tongue weight. We are seeing quite a few hub failures and bent axles with trailers equipped that way. It is my personal belief that the axle ratings should at least meet if not exceed the trailers GVWR. So for that same 5500# GVWR trailer, it should be equipped with 2 3500# axles instead. Real world reliability for a unit that is actually being towed places on a regular basis will be far better if the unit is somewhat overbuilt.

 

[SnoKing]

This is a very important point and I'd just like to add a little to this for the OP. Many manufacturers will install axles on a unit that are not actually rated to handle the full loaded GVWR or the trailer. For example, a trailer with a GVWR of 5500# will be delivered with 2 2500# axles, with the manufacturer assuming that remainder of the weight to be carried as tongue weight. We are seeing quite a few hub failures and bent axles with trailers equipped that way. It is my personal belief that the axle ratings should at least meet if not exceed the trailers GVWR. So for that same 5500# GVWR trailer, it should be equipped with 2 3500# axles instead. Real world reliability for a unit that is actually being towed places on a regular basis will be far better if the unit is somewhat overbuilt.

In August of 2018 we bought a 2019 Laredo 225MK TT, it has a 8000 lb GVWR and came with two 4400 lbs rated axle with 6 lug hubs, and ST225/75R15D tires and wheels rated for LRE tires, so I switched out the tires the first week for GY Endurance ST225/75R15E's.

A friend had a similar size EVO trailer with two 3500 lb axles, and in two years he had two bent axles and tires destroyed. He now has an Arctic Fox TT.

 

[jgillott]

Last August we bought a Laredo 225MK TT, it has a 8000 lb GVWR and came with two 4400 lbs rated axle with 6 lug hubs, and ST225/75R15D tires and wheels rated for LRE tires, so I switched out the tires the first week for GY Endurance ST225/75R15E's.

A friend had a similar size EVO trailer with two 3500 lb axles, and in two years he had two bent axles and tires destroyed. He now has an Arctic Fox TT.

My current Jayco is 5500# GVWR with 2 3500# axles, 6 lug wheels and LT tires from the factory. It took me a while to find it equipped that way, but it was definitely worth the wait.

 

[AH64ID]

This is a very important point and I'd just like to add a little to this for the OP. Many manufacturers will install axles on a unit that are not actually rated to handle the full loaded GVWR or the trailer. For example, a trailer with a GVWR of 5500# will be delivered with 2 2500# axles, with the manufacturer assuming that remainder of the weight to be carried as tongue weight. We are seeing quite a few hub failures and bent axles with trailers equipped that way. It is my personal belief that the axle ratings should at least meet if not exceed the trailers GVWR. So for that same 5500# GVWR trailer, it should be equipped with 2 3500# axles instead. Real world reliability for a unit that is actually being towed places on a regular basis will be far better if the unit is somewhat overbuilt.

One of the reasons I like ORV.

My TT is a 7900 GVW with a pair of 5,200lb axles and at least a 10K frame. It's a little heavier than 7,900lbs most the time
My 5er is a 9500 GVW with a pair of 5,200lb axles, and looks to be a similar or slightly stronger frame. I'm not sure what it will weigh loaded yet.

I've also removed the OE 15" wheels and ST 225/75R15's in favor of 16" wheels and LT 225/75R16.

We've had more than one trailer in our group of friends have axle issues from undersized OE axles. One of the trailers was recalled to have 4,400lb axles replace the 3,500lb ones it came with.

 

[GCroyle]

Hi,

My wife and I are looking at purchasing a used travel trailer sometime in the next year. We love tent camping, but that's getting harder with kids/dog and rough on her back sleeping. We would love to stay under $10K if possible - I know that limits our options but that's where we are at for now. Length wise somewhere in the 20-28ft range. Sleeps 3 or 4 comfortably. Mostly for trips within a few hrs of house. What should I look for/avoid?? Any good forums I can research used campers on?

Thanks,

Steven

Guys,

Remember the OP's statements and budget. The budget puts a limit on this project. It's gonna require some tire kicking and fixing up a sound rig with potential. Sounds a bit like a starter to test things out or get back into camping with a camper.

 

[Wiredawg]

Guys,

Remember the OP's statements and budget. The budget puts a limit on this project. It's gonna require some tire kicking and fixing up a sound rig with potential. Sounds a bit like a starter to test things out or get back into camping with a camper.

Yep, this is more like mom and pop deciding to stop RVing and have a for sale sign in their driveway. You might check repos too. Ask your bank if they have any. You might even ask a dealer if they have something in the back or what the oldest new bottom end unit on the lot.

I just did this search and found these new on line for under $10K.

https://www.rvingplanet.com/blog/top-5-best-travel-trailers-10000-budget/

https://camperreport.com/9-affordable-camper-trailers-under-10000/

USED:

https://www.cartrucktrader.com/used...40/radius-3000/price-10000_to_14999/for-sale/

Hope this helps,

Cheers, Ron

 

[AH64ID]

Check with some local dealers too. We bought our recent 5th wheel from a dealership that the owner doesn't like used inventory on the lot for more than 30 days, so they price it just above wholesale. If you can find a local dealership that does that you just have to watch and wait.

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

Thanks for all the great replies and advice so far.

Not sure I will have alot of choice in the brand and if it will be 3 or 4 season(would love a 4 season rated one). I've been looking at some classifieds and some private sellers can't even tell you model number(or even know where to look).

Full size queen bed preferable.

I'm a diesel tech so no issue crawling in/under looking at stuff, and will try to repair most mechanical things if needed after purchase.

Already planned on new tires as well, if they need replacement.