trailers Buying vs. Building

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SaltandArrow

SaltandArrow

Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Threads
3
Messages
21
Location
Nantucket, MA
I've been looking around at all the camping trailers out there and am actively trying to buy a used one.
However if that doesn't work out I've been seriously considering this platform and am looking for any thoughts on durability and versatility. It seems like a decent price for a versatile tough but granted not bomb proof trailer.



SPEC OPS AnyRoad Trailer

Spec_Ops_Trailer_Three_Quarter_View__52067.1446651231.500.659.webp
 
If it were me, I'd build one.

I'd surely do the Timbren axleless wheel setup too. Premade trailers just seem astronomically expensive.
 
I almost went down the path of building one based on the trailer tubs from Dinoot. This forum is a good place to check out: Tventuring
 
I have day dreams about building one in the garage....I even bought a welder!
 
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Buy vs. Build: I think both will require a good education. You need to know what you're doing to build one correctly or to evaluate a used one - particularly a home-built. There's a lot of good info in the M.M. Smith trailer books, but they're getting hard to find and not cheap when you do find them. I'll also suggest looking at the design info on the tear-drops & tiny trailers forum.

The frame on the linked trailer looks light to me, but at least they got the tongue right. Few home-builders ever do. Those M.M. Smith books explain it better than I can in a simple forum posting. The design/build info on td&tt may as well. Axle weight rating dictates wheel bearing size, and you want big bearings.
 
Has anyone bought one of those L-WATTS trailers? Lots of 1101 and 1102's on ebay and stuff but I've never seen other pictures of the L-WATTS.
 
I thought about building one but decided to buy a Turtleback instead. I can usually get one night a week and one day every other weekend in the garage to work on projects. I decided I'd rather spend those weekends camping than building (and end up with a trailer way better engineered and built than I could manage). And I am a big fan of instant gratification.
 
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I thought about building my own trailer/camper but then my Excel spreadsheet slapped me out of it! The biggest cost for me was going to be the canvas tent material and the labor to have someone make it for me but everything else I can design and fabricate. I wasn't after a simple trailer with a RTT on it. I wanted something that I can stand up and house a family of three during inclement weather. After researching for a bit, the Kamparoo came up on CL in DEN and I bought it back in '07.

As mentioned already, time is precious and money is usually not in abundance. In my case, I was lucky enough to have found a second hand trailer at a good price and my family got to go camping in it rather quickly. Our second trip was out to DV and the trailer rocked.

I have a local buddy who wanted to rebuild the 70's era popup camper that he got for practically free and here it sits. His family is a little perturbed at the fact that they don't go camping as often due to the trailer not being done. I have a feeling it'll never get done due to myriad of reasons. Life just gets in the way as we all know and priorities shift.

IMHO, if you get a cool camper trailer, it can be the foundation that you can build off of. Over time, you can add cool amenities and turn it into your own custom trailer. Meanwhile, you're using the hell out of it and making great memories.
 
I imagine it depends on
your disposable income
your time availability
your skills.

Ali's points are well put. Sure it's interesting and fun to build one. But one should also be realistic. I got a freebie trailer for the axles, I have a welder and some steel, and it's still not done. And will not be for a while. So at that point I'd be tempted to say there is a lot to say for buying one if the money is there. Unfortunately, the fully-built exped trailer are a great deal of money for most folks so I don't think there is a clear cut answer to give to anybody else as far as buy vs build, as I would have a hard time to make up my mind for myself. Instinctively, though, I think that whether one does consider work like this to be an enjoyable pasttime or not is a main point in the decision making process.
 
Project management can be daunting with the demands on one's time. You gotta know how much you can chew if you bite it off. I've had some practice so can usually estimate pretty well how much time I will have to devote and I hate projects that take forever, especially big ones that sit in the way if not finished.
 
I got lucky and some friends helped me build one. The frame is steel, the tires came off my JKUR, found the wheels on eBay and then another friend help me build the box. I have made some changes since the build, things I hope will improve it. So far it has work out great, travel around 25k miles, on & off road.

Here's the build
Off road trailer
 
greentruck said:
Project management can be daunting with the demands on one's time. You gotta know how much you can chew if you bite it off. I've had some practice so can usually estimate pretty well how much time I will have to devote and I hate projects that take forever, especially big ones that sit in the way if not finished.
Click to expand...

Good points, Mike. I've seen this time and time again and not just with trailers but with large engine swaps and restoration projects. I don't have the patience to be involved in long term projects that has a high probability of scope creep, as it were. My hats off to folks who can pull it off.

This site is for folks who are DIY'ers and buying vs building is a strong turmoil that I imagine most of us go through from time to time.
 
Ali,
Throw in some passion for the machinery and we fellows can get all soft in the head, something like other passions in our lives;)

My main hobby is either a good teacher or a major part of the problem for some people's management skills. I'm a model railroader and building a layout is a years long effort that too often turns into decades long. Been working on mine for 25 years it's not been what we call a "Plywood Pacific" for a long time. I like to see the trains run through scenery:D

Then there was the recently completed dissertation, which did almost spin out of control :bang: but it's done and I'm graduated. Man was that ever an elephant in the room, kept me away from the trails far too much:steer:

Vehicles tend to be rather in the way, unless you're lucky enough to have a shop away from the rest of the family. It's OK to clutter the mancave, if you can live with that, but you really have to limit that which resides within the family's shared space to keep the peace. So projects need to consider not just parts, tools, supplies, etc, but where all that is going to reside while you're working on it. Relatively easy to predict 6 months out, if things drag on too long then a move comes up, your needs change, or the budget gets revised. There's no set limit, but sticking with projects that can be completed in the shorter term helps keep them from devolving into neglected long term projects.
 
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