Hi Guys,
Thanks for the welcome. I agree, there just ain’t no reason for bad blood between Rover owners and the Toyota guys. Toyota was my last daily driver, and it’s going to be my next. When I was looking for a project, I looked at Rover 88’s and FJ40’s. In my area it’s easier to find a rover in good shape because of the aluminum bodies. We use lots of salt on the roads and it takes a toll on older cars.
About the Sankey, be careful of Skytop Rover. That picture has been on the website for the last four years. When I went there to buy the trailer two years ago, the guy couldn’t find it on the lot. If you really want one send an e-mail to
fcwrecker@aol.com. He has a couple of ¾ ton and a few 1 ton models that are in great shape. If you contact Howard about the trailers, please tell him you heard about him from “pony tail dude.” Maybe he’ll go a little easier on me at next years off road event. (ask about Guy Fawkes weekend)
1 ton Sankey
I found a bunch of un-issued UN Sankey trailers last year. They were unassembled, and still in wooden crates. They were getting $350 for the ¾ ton and $450 for the one ton with tailgate. These things came with covers, hoop set tires, manuals, everything! They guaranteed me that they could fit 10 in a container, and they thought they could fit twenty of the ¾ ton. It was going to cost $4K shipping to have the crate landed in Boston (maximum $400 per trailer.) I found lots of people who wanted the trailers, but no-one was willing to pony up any money. The deal didn’t happen.
From the looks of things, a Sankey is about the same price as the stuff you guys are used to. I bought mine very inexpensive, but they usually go between $1K and $1.5K a little higher for the 1 ton model in good shape. They have manual serge brakes which makes up for the tow vehicle which barely has brakes at all. As for plywood, the inside dimensions of the ¾ ton is 4’4” by 6’, just about the same measurements as my old T100. The plywood won’t fit flat inside the trailer, but you can fit a dozen sheets inside, with 40 8’ studs on top. They’ll sit on the back of the trailer, just like my old truck.
I got to work on mine a little this weekend, and I was impressed with what I found. The paint is in many layers. It was RAF blue, then UN white, MOD green and Camo on top of it all. I also found a bullet hole that had been repaired in the front of the trailer. I wonder what color it was when people were shooting at it.
Again, thanks for the warm welcome
Dan H
Pembroke, MA
dan@landy67.com
