Wow, maybe I should increase my zone of searching. That seems like a decent deal for sure. The boards look fresh, I'd check wiring to make sure everything worked, wheel bearings, etc. There's not too much to look for with an open trailer.

 

Look at the bottom of the wood deck for rot/mold/etc, and expect it to need brakes and bearings. Look at the date code on the tires -- older than 5-7 years and you'll want to replace them. It's probably also got a 15-year-old breakaway brake battery which is now completely shot. If it needs all of those then you're better off buying a brand new one for $2500.

--Ian

 

At $1000 I'd ask if it was stolen. I paid $1925 brand new for a very similar trailer and sold it 5 years later for $1800. If the wood is as good as it looks in the photos, the only thing that would stop me from buying that would be structural corrosion. Breakaway batteries are cheap, axles are cheap, wiring is cheap.

 

I have been looking in the SC/NC area for a bit just to get a feel for pricing. It popped up this morning, and honestly I don't need it yet, but at that price I might not say no.

​​​​​​​I will make sure to take a look at all the things you pointed out. He claims decking is new. Are tires, brakes, and bearings, really $1500?


The guy has gotten almost a dozen people asking about it so far. So I think he realized he asked to little for it. I am waiting to hear about having a clean title or not, as that is the 1 thing that is definitely a deal breaker for me. I don't need tags for it in SC, but to tow in NC or GA I would. So I want to be legit on that. I can take a look at the structure of the welds and such.

 

You can buy both axles brand new for ~$225, including a pair of brake shoe plates and drums. Bearings are like $15 per corner. If the wheels aren't messed up, good trailer tires are ~$100/ea and they will be better than the crap that comes on new trailers today.

Basically, you can afford to buy that trailer, gut it of all moving parts, buy new everything, and you'll end up with a better-than-new trailer for less money.

 

Lars - Next time you see a $1000 open trailer pop up in your neck of the woods, just go ahead and buy it for me.

k thx!

 

That is sort of what I was thinking. I don't need to tow for the next few months, but at this price it is hard to pass up. I can get it, get it in my back yard, and refurbish it there and have it good to go by the time I do need to tow something.

Will do, this one sort of caught me off guard. I am just looking to keep up with the local market, but at this price I don't exactly want to pas if this one checks out. I have the cash on hand and the guy gets home at 6pm tonight. So I am hoping to swing by shortly after that to check it out and possibly buy it.

 

If decking is new, then yeah, it's probably a bargain over a new one even if you have to replace the other stuff. At least, it is if you're DIYing it. If you're paying someone to do the brakes & bearing service you could hit that.

(I tend to assume that any wood-deck trailer on Craigslist needs new decking).

--Ian
​​​​​​​

 

That deal Lars found is ridiculously good. I've been looking for awhile and never found something like that.

I finally bought my own trailer! 18' wood, 3' dove tail.



Paid $2k for it, would of been happier at $1800, but I guess that's typically the case. Bearings,hubs, tires, and brakes were done last fall, that was it's biggest selling feature for me. The tire rack and tool-box was a plus.

I'll be giving her a go this weekend to CMP.

 

These prices for trailers are making me want to buy a tow vehicle again. I'm gonna want to replace my camry at some point anyway, might as well get something to tow to the track with.
W E W.

 

The trailer ended up being sold before I could get to it. Lots of really sketchy ones in the $1200-$1500 price range.

 

Where do you attach the tie-down's on the Miata?

In the rear, I still have the OEM loops, as well as a track tow-hook. Baby teeth gone from the front. One track tow-hook.

 

Wheel straps work well on basically every car, as long as you make sure the line of the strap intersects the wheel center.

 

I use wheel straps as well.

 

Thanks. I presume you guys are talking about "axle straps" looped through the wheels and strapped to trailer, rather than the kind that loop over the tires.

 

Also where do you buy these tire straps at? I have not looked for any yet, but would be nice to know where to look that are good sources, so I don't buy some cheap crappy ones.

 

I got mine from Mac's: Professional Tie Down Systems for Any Vehicle

 

I use axle straps through the wheel for the fronts as well.



As for vendor, I generally just buy stuff like that from Amazon.

--Ian

 

Goodyear recently released a new trailer tire, the Endurance. Made in USA, and speed rated "N", for 87 mph.

 

I've used these straps a few times now:
I'd like for them to be a little longer because the excess strap doesn't clamp into the hood/trunk like others I've used. So I end up rolling the excess up and put zip-tie around it. I need to find a better reusable method for the excess.

I noticed when I use the straps latched onto the tow-hooks on the car they always end up a little loose every time I stop when I do the walk-around. But I haven't had the straps get consistently loose when I use the wheel-strap.