Camper into a utility trailer?

[bigcountry78]

while I was out and about last night, I saw an older, maybe 70’s model camper sitting in front of a house that had “free take” spray painted on it. Well, anything free catches my attention so I got to thinking about grabbing it and scrapping the camper and turning it into a double axle utility trailer.

Anyone here have any experience with this? Is it worth the time and effort if it’s free? It’ll need tires and decking, but do these make Decent trailers for the time involved? I looked to be about 25’. Id be ok with cutting some off the rear to get the axle location more ideal. I’d be ok if I ended up with one about 16 - 18’ long.

 

[squaredeal91]

I've used and had converted travel trailers into flat beds and they work good if you beef em up with some more steel and frame supports. They weren't designed for it but can be made to without too much work.

 

[bigcountry78]

In case anyone was curious, I rode by and took a picture. I feel like since it’s an older model, it might be built a bit better than the newer ones.

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[SirRobyn0]

I have not personally done this, and I probably wouldn't because of the amount of time, involved, but both guys ended up with good trailers. There biggest problem was disposing off all the chit from the demo. Remember you're basically demoing a small house, and only a small amount of it is burnable.

 

[Ricko1966]

The framework underneath is not real stout,motorcycles, 4 wheelers lumber stuff like that would be okay but I wouldn't try to make a car hauler. Check your local dmv about licensing requirements, don't want yoi to waste time or money o. Something you can't use.

 

[Radiohead]

I converted an old boat trailer into a light duty transporter of things too long or bulky to haul normally. For me that includes masts and tower sections, dump runs and moving house. Here, a trailer under a certain limit of weight is registration exempt, so if I keep it light enough, even that guy with the portable scale will not be able to gig me.

A car trailer, that's hard to get from a travel trailer. It can be done, but it's more work than just getting one purpose built.

 

[bigcountry78]

Thanks for the input guys. I’m on the fence because it’ll need 4 tires just to get it home. I figured it would be too light duty for car trailer status, I was thinking more along the lines of just a general utility trailer. I had already thought about disposal, but I have a landfill nearby that would probably take everything off of it. I would just have to haul it over there bit by bit. The more I look at it, the less I’m convinced that it’s worth the time and effort for what I will end up with. I guess maybe just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s worth the energy.

 

[SDJunkMan]

I've done one. The hubs on that trailer use odd wheels, not a normal 5 bolt pattern. They do take quite a bit of work to demo, and create a lot of trash. Frames are usually very light, as the structure adds strength to it. It will work for light duty jobs, but nothing heavy. Kind of fun tearing it apart though.

 

[Ricko1966]

In case anyone was curious, I rode by and took a picture. I feel like since it’s an older model, it might be built a bit better than the newer ones.

You must be registered for see images attach

I don't know situation storage wise,neighborwise etc. I bought a trailer similar to that one with plans of building a simple shed on it to store stuff out of my way but on my property. I'm going to 4 sides and a sloped roof like this one. I can fill it and park it behind the barn.

 

[bucket]

In case anyone was curious, I rode by and took a picture. I feel like since it’s an older model, it might be built a bit better than the newer ones.

You must be registered for see images attach

I love old travel trailers. It's probably too far gone to use as a camper, but if not, it'd be a shame to gut it and trash it imho.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Looks like that one has the Dexter electric brakes on it, and they do use a different bolt pattern. Similar to the VW and old Ford "wide 5" but it's a "wide 4". The '73 Holiday Rambler bumper pull trailer we had, had those on it, and it was fun getting tires put on it. There's probably not a lot of framework under the trailer, just a pair of straight rails and some crossmembers. They're basically a big box with some partitions inside. I would be wary of black mold inside it too....

 

[bigcountry78]

I love old travel trailers. It's probably too far gone to use as a camper, but if not, it'd be a shame to gut it and trash it imho.

That was my wife’s first thought. Can we camp out of it lol.

 

[bucket]

That was my wife’s first thought. Can we camp out of it lol.

Also, if you do get it and scrap it, there's a lot of parts that have value to restorers. The windows, trim and hardware, the aluminum edge moulding on the corners, entry doors and latches, light fixtures as well as the appliances if they are serviceable.

 

[bigcountry78]

Well I waited too long. Went by there today and it was gone. Oh well, I didn’t need anything else to work on anyway lol.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Oh well, I didn’t need anything else to work on anyway lol.

I can really relate to that!

I was just lamenting to a friend the other day that one thing that suck about this stage of life is that I started out with a bunch of used worn out tools and equipment. Then bought some new stuff, which is now worn out needs to be worked on, and my worn out stuff is even more worn out lol. There is always something that needs to be worked on isn't there?