Old camper trailer

john in la · Mar 31, 2018

Without getting into the Why or How I am about to have a old bumper pull 18 foot camper dumped in my lap.
It will be up to me to do something with it.

While this camper has served it's purpose well it is junk in my mind.
Fridge only works on gas.
A/c is not very cold.
Needs new roof.
Press board floor needs to be replaced in bathroom.
And maybe other things I do not even know of.

I was thinking about stripping to frame and building a flat bed trailer.
Then I got to thinking the frame may not be strong enough as it most likely gets strength from the camper walls.

Is this thing even worth messing with or should I just haul it to the junk yard???

jon f mn · Mar 31, 2018

Not strong enough, and the crossmembers are goofy. If you shorten it to about 10-12' you can get by. About all you have is a set of axles, tires and jack. The axles will have to have the spring seats moved to the bottom of the axle for utility trailer work if you want it to be sturdy.

The Famous Grouse · Mar 31, 2018

Junkyard. Don't even unhitch it at your place. To paraphrase the Monopoly board, go straight to the sh!theap. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

And yes, you will most likely have to PAY to have them take it off your hands at the junkyard.

Grouse

carvel minne farmer · Mar 31, 2018

you could make a light hauler trailer john, for atv's, bikes etc. one of my neighbors has done that to a smaller single axle and a bigger tandem (was a 24 ft.) bumper pull trailer. he's a scrounger and got them both for cleaning up an acreage, they where parked back in the trees and new owner just wanted them gone. so like you he didn't pay for them so had not to much invested time he was done. on the single axle he built fold down ramps for loading his riding lawn mower and attachments. he go's out doing lawn mowing, garden tilling, etc for people.

centash · Mar 31, 2018

You could strip the aluminum out of it as well as any copper. There is no strength in the sidewalls, and not much in the frame. If the a/c unit can be recharged, you might find a use for it. How much free time do you have?

john in la · Mar 31, 2018

It's a tandem axle.
It has brakes on at least 1 axle but I am sure they do not work.

Goose · Mar 31, 2018

You might make an extremely light duty trailer, but that's about it.

Several years ago, I attended an auction of a Chief Industries plant that had been closed. They had built primarily fifth wheel campers, and had several dozen bare fifth wheel frames, complete with axles, wheels, and tires, ready to have the floor installed. I was startled at how light and flimsy the metal in the frames was. Obviously, the structure of the camper supplied much of the unit's rigidity.

But, guys were going berserk buying them. I often wondered how many had a rude awakening after the fact.

Jaden · Mar 31, 2018

Here in eastern Nebraska, some farmers put an old camper near their grain dryer. If they have a system that requires periodic monitoring or loading etc. overnight, they can nap nearby.

Zachary Hoyt · Mar 31, 2018

There was an old collapsed camper in the woods here when we came. I used the frame for a flat wagon for a while but later made a better one out of an old mobile home frame. Now the camper frame is acting as a footbridge over a small stream. I cut off the wings and was left with an angle iron frame about 4 feet wide. I used 8/4 ash boards running crosswise to make the deck, and it gets used quite a lot in the summer. The metal frame is hidden by wood, mostly.
Zach

SodBuster87 · Mar 31, 2018

If it were me I would make a trailer out of it. It would NOT be some thing to haul cars on. But it would be plenty good for atvs or a lawn mower. Generaly the frames on campers are 5-6ft wide. Campers are measured from ball to bumper so on a 18 foot you would have about 15ft+- of deck. However the axles are mostly centered but if you cut some deck off the back it would leave you with a 5x12 or so flat bed with probably about 6k lbs axles. Now the big question. What is it worth to you. A junk might take it for free but they are just as likely to charge you. Or put a lityle work into it and have small usable trailer

Sod Buster

spacecadet9 · Mar 31, 2018

(quoted from post at 11:19:21 03/31/18)
Fridge only works on gas.

here should be some demand for the fridge. Off grid cabins for example. or Amish

SodBuster87 · Mar 31, 2018

One more thought one of those 6x12 utility trailers will run you around $1,500 pretty easy and they only have one 3,500 lbs axle if you strip the camper down haul in the scrap and spend about $300 on a 2" deck you would have a MUCH heavier built trailer for a fraction the cost

Bruce from Can. · Mar 31, 2018

I?d wait till the ? Country Music Jamboree ? season starts, then advertise the darn thing for 5-600 bucks. Some young lad will buy it and haul it off to the big ?Jamboree ? , and him and his buddies will have a place to crash/party for a weekend.

Grandpa's Fords · Mar 31, 2018

Does it have a title? If it does the title is worth more than the trailer itself sometimes. Home made trailers can be almost impossible to title. I've sold trailers (campers too) that weren't worth squat but buyers just wanted the titles. I've seen the frame members saved that have the vin and welded onto another project.
Don't necessarily condone it but it happens a lot. I would drag them home that's something I would do, but usually in a few years I send them down the road one way or another

DoubleO7 · Mar 31, 2018

Strip it down to bare frame.
Make a rack to haul several canoes and kayaks.
Sell.

JDEM · Mar 31, 2018

Scrap yards will not take camper trailers or motorhomes where I am. Kind of hard to get rid of. Usually have to set on fire and burn off all the wood and fiberglass first.

If the refrigerator still works on gas - it must still be okay. That is worth something. Electric mode is just a small 8-10 amp heating coil that tries to make heat like the gas flame does.

Funny. I have been trying to buy an old camper to bring up to the Michigan UP and leave. But - I want something not rotted. Most rot something awful and once you start to see any - it will be 10 times as bad as it seems. I just looked at a 2006 camper the seller wants $4500 for -and it is all rotted out. Of course he says in his ad "easy fix."

I am hoping to find a real old one made from aircraft-aluminum instead of OSB board and wooden sticks.

Roger in Iowa · Mar 31, 2018

What is the frame made of? Some older ones have pretty heavy channel. Your tandem axle and with brakes is a plus. Need to do some more looking at it...

37chief · Mar 31, 2018

We had a trailer on our place. I don't remember where it came from. Brother and my self decided to make a flat bed trailer. We cut all the bolts holding it to the frame,(we thought) Towed it to the dump, and talked the tractor operator into pushing it off. It just wasn't coming off. He was about ready to tell us to take it back home. It finally came off in pieces. Towed the frame home. It sat for years, until it was cut up for scrap. The frame iron was very light material, and would not have made a very strong trailer. Almost 50 years ago, how time fly's. Stan

showcrop · Mar 31, 2018

I would put it on Craig's list for $900.00 or BRO, needs work. If you ask too little you won't get interest. It will save you either a big charge to deposit it for demolition or a lot of time to tear it down for a light duty trailer which you could buy cheaply anyway.

fixerupper · Mar 31, 2018

If you do make a trailer out of it what will you do with the junk you tore off the frame? The stuff you tear off will be junk no matter how you do it. Or you can do like old did and make a chicken coop out of it. Do you have a neighbor who needs a chicken coop?

Crazy Horse · Mar 31, 2018

I might be tempted to pretend to spend an overnight at the local Walmart ..... you know, rub shoulders with the guys driving those 50' diesel powered motor homes. Maybe drink a few of their beer, and one or two of your own. Then sort of wander off in the middle of the night and forget where you parked it.

SodBuster87 · Mar 31, 2018

Big question for the OP what is your time worth? Unless its $100/hour build the trailer. Just have realistic expectation about its capacity it beats paying to get rid of it or getting caught and fined for dumping it somewhere.
Sod Buster

grayrider · Mar 31, 2018

I would get the trailer, you?ll find a use for it, I took one and made a canoe trailer to haul 6 canoes on, built another one for a big smoker grill rig, lots of uses for an old camper trailer frame

JDEM · Mar 31, 2018

We made two chicken coops out of two trailers. One was a boat-trailer that became a mobile coop. We pulled it 800 miles full of chickens.

The other had a drunken Indian living in it. He got hurt and kind of disappeared and left it on our land. Made a great chick coop out of it.

John T · Mar 31, 2018

Having owned several campers and as a past used RV dealer its my "opinion" but NOT having seen the unit ITS LIKELY WORTH VERY LITTLE AND IN FACT A LIABILITY TO DISPOSE OF. The fridge is of little relative value as is a non or poorly working AC unit but heck it may do for some storage ???

John T

grandpa Love · Mar 31, 2018

Hey John!!! Y'all got a shortage of rednecks down there??!! Slap it on Craigslist around here for 500-800 bucks and it wouldn't last a day. We got a free pop up camper , stripped it down and made a hay ride trailer out of it. Yours would make a great trailer to use around a hobby farm. Or some one would screw some tin on the roof and it would be great at hunting camp. Kevin in Central AL.

db4600 · Mar 31, 2018

That reminds me of a neighbor who housed his young pigs in an old trailer house. He was an interesting man. Toward the end we were better off backing down his driveway because there was nowhere to turn around.

hd6gtom · Mar 31, 2018

I have 1 sitting out back, trailer is too light to do much with it. Might haul a golf cart or a couple of motorcycles. I'm gonna screw some 3/4" plywood to it and haul it to a consignment auction. Burn't the majority of it. Same here dumped on me.

David G · Mar 31, 2018

I would prevent having it dumped on you.

Eldon (WA) · Mar 31, 2018

I made a nice produce hauler out of a twin axle frame....worked well for drying garlic, onions or hauling squash and pumpkins. I got lucky, someone did all the work of removing the shell and contents, I got the frame for 100 bucks.

2x4 · Apr 1, 2018

chicken house

Tim(NY) · Apr 1, 2018

Craigslist:free. It'll be gone within the hour.

Old camper trailer

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