In reality, is it cheaper to build or buy (2nd hand) a 7 x 5 or 8 x 5 trailer?
I'm asking because the prices people are asking for second hand trailers in that size range seems high.
franc123,
Dec 10, 3:26am
Start totting up the bill for all brand new parts plus the cost of the steel and you might think differently. I built an 8x5 tandem from a new ready made frame I bought for $400 which included a ply deck, I already had wheels and tyres so all I had to do was get lights/plug/wiring, hubs and stubs, coupling, mudguards, paint, spring kit, safety chain and make up sides, end gates and axles and it was about $1200 worth of parts plus my own time. Total would have been over 2k if I'd had to buy new wheels/tyres and wouldn't have been far short of simply going to a dealer/manufacturer and just buying one, getting plate and reg and wof and towing it home, probably closer to 3k if it was to be braked.
kazbanz,
Dec 10, 3:35am
What money are you thinking AD?
mrfxit,
Dec 10, 3:45am
Domestic trailers get used so little that it's simply not worth buying them brand new. If you intended to use it very regularly, then thats an entirely different matter.
If I had to build another domestic trailer, I personally wouldn't be using anything brand new apart from lights & maybe bearings (If it needed them)
tweake,
Dec 10, 4:07am
the big problem of 2nd hand is your getting someone elses problem. lack of maintenance and dodgy repairs. i've seen some come in that almost cost more to fix than to buy brand new. its not always obvious. dodgy wiring thats hidden away, worn out brakes, bearings and stub damage, and often rusted out rails that rust out from the inside out.
msigg,
Dec 10, 4:09am
second hand, nothing to them, check for good chassis, sides, axle and so forth, wiring is nothing, lights are cheap as chips, bought whole light bar half price from save barn $35 plug , wire, lights. cheap as.
russ18,
Dec 10, 4:17am
I bought a 8 x 4 (actually fits a 2440 x 1220 sheet of mdf flat) tandum trailer from Trayla Trailers Ltd in Levin about 6 or 7 years ago for about $2400. Nice solid build and fully galvanized, far better than the chinese crap from M10 or bunnings.
lookoutas,
Dec 10, 5:25am
One big plus on building one, is that you can have everything in the right place for your purpose. And you can fit LED lights, then virtually forget about the concerns of whether they are going or not. Always good when you know you haven't got a WOF.
Getting one galvanized is always cheaper than painting, and painting, and painting.
tweake,
Dec 10, 6:06am
LED lights are not that good. we have had them fail. so called big brand named meant to be water proof but filled with water and died. replacement failed a while later. cheap replacement is still going. also bad earth connections or cable/plug damage. often find old trailers with all sorts of connections and wire replacements from where its been patched and patched. and patched again.
good point about getting a trailer more suited for your needs. unfortunately custom built is the most expensive.
hot dipped galv is the way to go, provided its built right. there is a few traps.
lookoutas,
Jul 7, 9:22am
They're better than any of the other crap lights I've had.
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