Restoring and selling trailers

[Schmitdy]

Hey everyone,
Does anyone here buy trailers and fix them up? I have found a few 16-18 foot car haulers for between $500-$1000 that have a good frame. But need paint, brakes, and tires.
My question is, does anyone here restore these and then turn around and sell them? If so, what do you look for and what do you try to buy at?

 

[ybnormal]

I'd buy one for $500 and fix it up myself. but is it really a car hauler or a double axle trailer with a 16ft bed? the problem in Texas is they have to have vin #'s or a title otherwise it gets expensive proving you own it and it's not stolen

 

[cvairwerks]

Going to be hard to make any money with doing it, unless you can get parts in bulk and cheap. A set of brake overhaul kits for Dexter 7200# axles, will run about 275$ a wheel, and that includes a new magnet assembly. Figure about 100$ per tire, plus new wire and lights, and you've got about 2500$ into the project and still haven't done the deck materials, paint or labor yet.

For a data point, a new BigTex, 16' wood deck, with 7000# axles runs about 4500$ list price around here.

 

[Jason280]

You can get the brake kits for $175/axle, $275 per rim is crazy expensive.

If all you are having to do is replace the decking and possibly wiring/lights, then you have some room. Once you start replacing tires, brake assemblies/hubs, etc, then you really start cutting into the profit margin.

 

[36truck]

The issue with trailers that I see is they are priced so close to new that you might as well buy new. Or they are so beat that it's not worth buying them.

 

[cvairwerks]

You can get the brake kits for $175/axle, $275 per rim is crazy expensive.

Brake kit for Dexter lists at about 155$ per wheel and the magnet kits are about 100$ per wheel. Then shipping unless a supplier is local to you and it adds up to about 275$ a wheel. If you can get the parts wholesale, you can do a bit better, but you would be **** a very low volume buyer, so might not do much better price wide

 

[Jason280]

Generic kits are still cheaper...

7k lb brake kits

 

[turbodave]

Trailer prices are certainly up from a few years ago. A basic 18' 7000lb rated car hauler is about $3500 new. That's with brakes on one axle, wood deck and not much for features.

A nicely restored used one might bring $2500 to 3k in this market. I redid mine in 2020, and I don't think it would be a smart money making investment after all the labor and odd parts.

Most are probably going to need a new wood deck, new wiring and lights, brakes, tires. Also likely will need spring hardware like hangers and shackles etc. The typical 7k rated car hauler has probably been overloaded so bent axles aren't uncommon. Replacement fenders? those are usually beat up as well.

You can jump on a site like etrailer.com and get decent pricing estimates.

I used implement enamel from the tractor store with hardener added, that was probably the cheapest part of the project.

 

[GaryM909]

A lot of used trailers for sale have been stolen. I built one last year and had a VIN put on. The guy came to my home and asked for receipts for material and parts to prove it wasn't stolen.
Parts and steel add up real fast.
If I paid myself for the labour I would definitely lose money.

 

[kbs2244]

are you in a collage town
a side gig I ran across was a guy that bought and sold to students moving in and out
small trailers for a bed, dresser, and mini fridge
they do not want the hassle of storage and will sell for beer money
when it is time to move back home Dad will pay a couple hundred for a return trailer
make sure the lights work, bearings are greased, and ho flat foam in the tires

 

[dcg9381]

My question is, does anyone here restore these and then turn around and sell them? If so, what do you look for and what do you try to buy at?

The values here seem to be in used boat trailers that have sat and are "defunct". Convert them to cargo/flat trailers and you can make a little bit of money if you can weld and have a little steel sitting around. Used market on "workable" trailers (non-marine) is pretty nuts.

I've also bought damaged trailers (jackknife, etc) and straightened them out and sold 'em. I usually rewire everything... Kinda depends on your local market and what your time is worth.

 

[dcg9381]

A lot of used trailers for sale have been stolen. I built one last year and had a VIN put on. The guy came to my home and asked for receipts for material and parts to prove it wasn't stolen.

In my state I can walk in and claim I've "home built" a trailer. They don't even ask for a receipt. They just ask me how much it can carry. Yea, any trailer that gets stolen is GONE.

 

[Ike Carlson]

Good luck. Get em for free, do it right, and it ends up priced right there with new, if not more. So many trailers for sale and they re beat to hell or just a pile of scrap. The sellers think they have a gold mine and want new price. I have found 2 worn out spindles on the last two trailers I have worked on. One was fixable for the customer. The other is very worn/rusted, so I advised him to get a new axle. He gave me the trailer because it wasn't worth sticking his money into it. I'll fix it and use it for one of my boats.

The price of steel/wood/parts makes it near impossible to break even if you are doing it right.

 

[jives]

I've just finished restoring a free boat trailer on CL. Cut, fabricated, welded to turn into a utility trailer. Here is the rough cost breakdown. This does not include materials already owned, e.g., lumber, welding wire, etc. I did not replace the bearings or tires or springs.
$90 2 x 8 PT decking
$20 Rustoleum paint
$30 Lights
$80 Angle iron (reinforce frame where rusted through)
$20 Fasteners (self drilling screws)
$45 Official weighing for DMV (must register as homemade)
$10 Registration

All of this for a measly 2000 lb axle. This was more for fabrication and welding practice, but sometimes rebuilding is not all that cost effective.

 

[Ike Carlson]

Thats a pretty cheap shopping list, too. It's not hard to get $500 deep into trailer repair.

 

[cpttuna]

I have two homemade trailers(one titled for 42 years and the other19 years). Two things that have helped keeping them so long were 8 ply trailer tires and the floor of the trailers made from scrap stainless. They both sit outside.

 

[Certified Drunk]

What's good paint that hold's up, my car hauler needs to be repainted.

 

[kerrynzl]

What's good paint that hold's up, my car hauler needs to be repainted.

Sand blast and Zinc Paint

 

[dutchgray]

I know a guy who buys, fixes and sells on trailers, everything he does to them is a bodge and done as cheaply as possible, even then he often doesn't make enough for it to be worth the effort.

The best money is made by washing a dirty trailer and then selling it.

 

[mikedodge]

I wouldn't think it's worth getting into to resell. Most people who are buying car trailers can do the sort of work they need themselves and if they are looking at used they'd be looking for the best price. Then again there are a lot of lazy people out there who wouldn't check what they go for new.

 

[nadogail]

What about the Liability Insurance?
Some people are always looking for something to sue somebody for and get rich

 

[mikedodge]

It would be like selling a used car. Buyer beware with a bill of sale that you'd need anyway for licensing saying it's as-is.