Looking To Purchase a good used trailer

Buy the newest you can afford. A true 101” inside width with smooth walks is best. Notice the floor cross beam spacing. They weaken and bow over time. Not all wood floors are the same thickness. A nice wide floor threshold at the door is nice. Small 12” don’t last long. 5 door hinges are better than 4. A good sliding mechanism helps. Air assist is great till it isn’t. One more potential problem in the future, I had it once, never again. Auto a tire inflation system if possible. Greased bearings, instead of oil, helps avoid leaking wheel seals. Air ride suspension is more expensive to maintain, but worth it IMO. Rather pay more for a nicer Trailer, than less for an abused newer one. Heavy duty paper spec has probably hauled a lot of paper loads. I’d rather find an old furniture Trailer with a floor like new. 10 years old IS too old. Mines 15 now. It’s on its last leg. Not worth throwing money at an old one. Too expensive and time consuming. They definitely have a life span. Better to stay ahead of it and keep upgrading. They hold their value much better than a Truck. Pay more upfront, save the headaches, downtime, expense. Then cut any losses and trade it off. Way ahead in the long run. Keep it too long and it’s worthless storage material. I like Wabash and Stoughton. Parts readily available. Each Trailer should be compared against others. They’re not all the same. Tried and True Hendrickson suspension is good. Vantraax brand suspension should be avoided. They cause bad tire wear issues. Some suspensions are single shock per axle. Do your homework on different types. Trailer shops are a great source of info. They’ve seen it all.

 

Great Dane parked next to me is super heavy duty. Cross members very close together, and wide side rails. I like that. I just added 4 cross beams in between 5 old rusty sagging ones on my trailer. Just have to shop around, learn what’s available.

 

TIP sells off their trailers now and then most are pretty good shape
Penske sells off long term lease returns.

 

I thought wabashs had floor issues too?

 

I have a 08 Trailmobile I bought from Penske in 2013. Paid $11,200, only had about 325k miles. They always send me emails trying to sell equipment. It’s pretty expensive these days. Going to be more and more auctions. Been seeing prices falling pretty fast. I’d buy my friends 2020 Stoughton for $28k, that was my plan. Now I plan on selling everything I can get a decent price for, not buying anything for a while. Maybe one newer 2-3 yr old personal vehicle. Hopefully a cheap fishing boat. Lol.

 

. I can’t get over this Great Dane parked next to me. Look at how close the cross members are compared to mine. That’s what’s needed for heavy Loads like paper rolls ( which I still wouldn’t haul ) Other loads such as aluminum ingots. They load them 2 at a time, 4000 lbs. using a forklift that weighs 10000 lbs. or even water, loading 2 pallets at a time, totaling 4000 lbs plus forklift. Tears floors up. Makes them weak. This GD could really handle the job, and last a very long time. Well worth a few extra $$ upfront. If needed you could run that Trailer well beyond 10 years without any floor problems.

 

New trailer is definitely the way to go, but every once in a while when you see an old super 2 rolling down the road, it’s usually mounted on the front of a Great Dane, utilities work great for fleets that never haul anything heavy and love cheap #### but when you start getting into weight that will make a RGN guy blush with the LTL they just don’t hold up between doors and floor, I won’t even run my trailer with out the bulkhead up

 

Wall posts are awful far apart. I'd rather have them every 12" added plus there for freight securement too.

 

I agree. Mine are every 24”. Seems good enough. Didn’t know 12” was available. That’s even better. My current focus is on floor I beam spacing, because mine are weak. Nothing beats ordering exactly what you want and running new equipment. One less hassle. Load of dog food tomorrow requires a good food grade Trailer. Lol.

 

Great for decking if you need it. That Dane almost looks like one of those flimsy weak, worthless plate trailers that Utility, Wabash and others build. GD doesn't manufacture any plate trailers it's just a sheet and post on 48" centers.