Resale value of trailers and/or value to build and sell Off Road trailers (3 Viewers)

[Trail Outfitters]

Hi everyone. I have been watching all the trailer builds for awhile now, and have been very interested in them.

My good friend (body worker/fabricator) and I have been thinking about starting to build off road trailers and rehabbing/building used trailers to sell for a little profit on the side. We were, and still are, looking to start rehabbing jeeps/LC's, but we thought this would be fun as well, and with a hell of a lot less headaches. I would be most of the brains/business behind it and come up with different designs and learn some fabbing along the way.

Basically a two sided question. How are sales for off road trailers? Do they fetch a good price? obviously a very niche market. I figure we live in a good area for it near Sacramento ( a lot of off roaders). We are by no means looking to get rich, just thought it would be a fun way to gain some new skills, have some fun, and make a few bucks.

Also, what are your thoughts on "From Scratch" builds vs. buying a platform to build off of (i.e. military, jeep/cruiser tubs, truck beds, utility trailers, etc etc).

I would love to see your guys builds and budgets (feel free to PM them to me if you would feel more comfortable), and experience selling them.

We will start off with a build of my personal trailer for my 82 FJ60 and see how we like it.

Thanks a lot. Flame away!

 

[titanpat57]

No flames from me..welcome aboard and thanks for your honesty!
I'm not a great sounding board here..most of these guys are "hard core off roaders"..but that being said, I know personally I would find a trailer with a full setup in the range of 6-8 thousand to be extremely attractive. Most of these high priced trailers are very nice, and I'm sure worth the dough....but just not to me. Alot of these guys have kids, homes, bills and still want to just go out on a long weekend and have a ball without getting a second mortgage for a tent camper. I ended up with 3500$ in mine and its a heap..but was one hell of a bunch a fun (the build)to do. It was always good to know if there was any advice to be had...I sure was in the right spot, there is a true wealth of talent and skill and here.

Good luck in your endeavors, Pat

 

[KOWBOY]

How are sales for off road trailers? Do they fetch a good price? ...

Also, what are your thoughts on "From Scratch" builds vs. buying a platform to build off of ...

I would love to see your guys builds and budgets (feel free to PM them to me if you would feel more comfortable), and experience selling them.

I'll throw in on this one.

Here's my Rubi Kamper to tow behind my Rubi:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/trailer-tech/123309-m101-cdn-build.html

I started with a military trailer just 'cause I like the basic looks of 'em ... and a loosely based concept that they're appropriate lookin' to drag along behind a jeep. My design concept was ev'ry bit ... if not more ... favorin' form vs. function.

I set a budget of $10k, includin' the purchase price of the lil' trailer, all parts and pieces, and labor. I had ev'ry lick of the work done by professionals so labor was huge. However, labor rates in my rural county are very reasonable.

I went over budget ... but not too bad. I am extremely pleased with the result and it's just damn-near a direct match to Rubi. Gets a lot of attention on the road and actu'lly turned out to be quite useful as well.

However, reality is that it has no practical resale value by itself and prob'ly would only be worth half what I got in 'er even if I sold it as a package deal with the jeep.

Course ... I didn't have 'er built to sell it.

 

[sseaman]

I think if you wanted to build to make money, you need to read up on Mud and Expo on what features people want and what people are willing to pay for.

 

[Deneway]

Building a new chassis would be much less work than reconditioning old units. I'd suggest you build use, find weaknesses and refine your design through your own experience. Thats exactly what a friend is doing.

 

[Trail Outfitters]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah I figure building from the frame up would be my best bet.

Yeah I have been doing a lot of research on peoples trailers, but price tags always seem to be left out. Keep the thoughts coming. Thanks.

 

[photogod]

I lucked into my M100 for $400.00 and I think I have under $500.00 in mods. Nothing fancy, just a trailer to cary my goods. I am planning some upgrades to "keep up with the Jones" ' but nothing like Rezarf's.

Older photo...

 

[Exiled]

The supply of clean M416s/M101s suitable as a base for "reconditioning" is low, so prices tend to be fairly high. I think you're better off building them from scratch, thus incorporating all the wanted features without having to redo/modify.

AT trailers are the gold standard for US-sourced trailers, but they are a specialty item outside of the budget of the average Cruiserhead. Most people that can justify them are either well-funded or use them heavily. From a design standpoint, it's clear that Martyn and crew did a LOT of research, and the build-quality is top-notch. I think to put out a product that competes with AT, you'll soon be in the same price range.

A mid-level trailer design that includes the basic design elements people are looking for and can serve as a platform for individual customization might be the ticket. Essentially, you'd be offering a new M416/M101 without the challenge of sourcing a 40-yr old trailer and/or paying a lot up front for a trailer that needs to be modified/refurbished.

I don't know exactly how much I have in my build, probably somewhere around the $4K range but I started out in 1995 with a newly demobbed M416 that cost me $295. If I were to do it all over again, I would build from scratch like REZARF did with his.

 

[titanpat57]

No flames from me..welcome aboard and thanks for your honesty!
I'm not a great sounding board here..most of these guys are "hard core off roaders"..but that being said, I know personally I would find a trailer with a full setup in the range of 6-8 thousand to be extremely attractive. Most of these high priced trailers are very nice, and I'm sure worth the dough....but just not to me. Alot of these guys have kids, homes, bills and still want to just go out on a long weekend and have a ball without getting a second mortgage for a tent camper. I ended up with 3500$ in mine and its a heap..but was one hell of a bunch a fun (the build)to do. It was always good to know if there was any advice to be had...I sure was in the right spot, there is a true wealth of talent and skill and here.

Good luck in your endeavors, Pat

BTW...that includes my RTT, awning, jugs, cooler, stove/latern upgrades, 2 new sleeping bags, and Photogod's hot water heater as soon as I figure out where he parks.

 

[photogod]

BTW...that includes my RTT, awning, jugs, cooler, stove/latern upgrades, 2 new sleeping bags, and Photogod's hot water heater as soon as I figure out where he parks.

Oh my.... Time to break out the camo netting and put the new guard dog on duty.

 

[Thornton]

I think your going to run into 2 distinctly different groups. The ones who want to get their hands dirty and the ones who want to purchase a finished product they can hook up to and go.
I'm in the first group and on a limited budget. Picked my m-416 for $585 and already have the rooftop tent another $800. Hope to get project done for $2500 tops. I'm hoping to hit closer to $2000. Thats with a hinged cover and painted. I'm doing all the work myself.
If you can offer a new trailer for somewhere between $2000 & $2500 and then offer options you may hit on something. I'm just guessing on prices but what I've seen for some of the new expedition built trailers the prices are way out of reach for me.
Good Luck in your venture.

 

[titanpat57]

AHHHHHHHHHHHH......A PUPPY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coolest Christmas present of the century!!

Couldn't resist...sorry for the hijack

 

[KY854RUN]

I would have to second what Thornton said about what your price range needs to be for a basic trailer. If you look through my trailer build in my signature, you'll see what I went through with my M416 trailer. I had to farm out the sandblasting and bed liner, but I did the rest of the work. I have not added up the receipts, but I think that it would come close to $2000 for the trailer and the rebuild costs.

I have one recommendation, don't over build it. Many of the M416 copies that I looked at online used 1/8 box tubing for the frame. The M416 uses 12 gauge C channel for the frame and 10 gauge C channel for the lounge bars. This is plenty for the loads most of us carry. Many will tell you that the M416 will carry 1000 lbs easily.

I do not know what gauge steel is used in the bed, but it is heavier gauge than the steel in today's truck beds. With the bed being a singe wall you want it strong enough to withstand some abuse without denting.

The empty weight of the M416 is 610 lbs. This makes it easy to move when it is empty. I can lift the corner of the trailer and slide it sideways while it is hitched to my 4Runner when it is empty. Keeping the weight down will also help keep the price down.

If you offer a base trailer at a good price. Then have a list of additional upgrades that you can do on the trailer, you will have a larger market for what you are building. Good luck.

 

[Trail Outfitters]

Great ideas on the base trailer and thenading upgrades. Very good thought. I have a few business ideas cooking in my young mind...so I will fill people in on my plans later. Thanks.

 

[cbmontgo]

For what it's worth, some people just want something utilitarian that they can haul stuff in for camping that can be dragged off road. I would never pay $ 5,000 or more for a trailer unless it was something I used daily and it affected my livelihood (i.e. for work). Personally, I think these specialized trailer prices have become a bit absurd unless you really are crossing the Sahara and your life depends on it. Very few people in the States will ever *truly* need something like this.

I have around $ 1,200 into my M101 CDN (with shipping and the restoration) and that's all I will ever need...and then some.

Just wanted to give you a bit of honesty from the other side of the fence...