TMC Used Trailers

I analyzed all the people I knew on purchase price to current value and guessed at maintenance.

The trailer I bought from my carrier he bought new in 2006. Compared to what I bought it and it only COST him $2100 a year in depreciation of vale. Call it $900 a year in maintenance? And there you have it?

I have spent about $5500 getting trailer back into tip top shape over the last 3 years (still needs some things) and I paid $21500.00 for it. So I’m easy into $27k into a flatbed worth maybe $18k today. So $9000.00 in 3 years?

I’m at $3000.00 year!

$3k a year is nothing in this buissness.

If you buy a $10k trailer you WILL spend some money on the maintenance! Not Hard to spend $6 or $8 k to get it up and running and usable for a few years? Sell it for what? $8k after a few years? If the frame breaks in half while under a load you just spent $10k in ( including the cleanup) fixing just that one mess?

I understand your dilemma. But looking back I should have just bought a new trailer. However you will be fine in your choice as it sounds like your doing your research. Just know it will cost you the same $3k a year to have a new one or an old one.

Remember the scrap vale of a steel trailer is what it COST you to have someone haul it away.

The crap vale of an all aluminum trailer is $1 a lb. so an aluminum flat is never going to be worth less than $8k

 

And you have to take the axles off, and strip off any other steel or wood before they'll give you clean aluminum $.

 

I bought a new trailer in 2016, other than a little grease I haven’t spent a dime on it.

 

I would sure hope not

 

I was chatting to a tmc guy who’s been there in and out of the shop and driving .. I had a burnt out marker light I was changing he stated due to cvsa points they swap out entire harness and all the lights once trailer is a certain age . I think it was 4 or 5 years but could be wrong

 

Those harnesses aren't cheap but that's probably a good idea. Every time a plug gets changed and you start putting splices in the line you start getting more and more problems. I hate dealing with something that's obviously a wiring problem but there's a number of splices in the line and you can't tell where the power is going out.