Some tips for buying a 2nd hand trailer?

[Neptune]

Looking at buying a trailer, it will mostly probably be second hand. Would prefer to buy secondhand from a dealer though, as hoping that would be more peace of mind as they would have (hopefully!) put it through all checks before re-selling.

Can anyone give any tips for buying a 2nd hand trailer?

Thanks

 

[Annagain]

Make the note of the serial number and give the manufacturer a ring. They should be able to tell you whether it's on the stolen register and give you details like when it was manufactured so you can at least check out that what the dealer is telling you is true.

I think there's also a website where you can check if a trailer has been stolen.

If you don't know what you're looking for in terms of maintenance, try to take someone who does with you or at the very least buy a more modern one with an aluminium floor. Wheel bearings are worth checking - they're easily replaced, but cheaper if you won't have to for a while. A dealer worth his salt will probably replace worn ones anyway.

It goes without saying to check all the electrics and make sure you're buying one that your vehicle is able to tow safely weightwise!

 

[hnmisty]

Make sure the chassis is sound- electrics etc can be done later, but you don't want to buy something with an unsound structure. Check the floor, rot if its wooden, rust if it's metal.

Our trailer floor was so rotten when we got it that one of our dogs put its leg through, and the electrics were out. We paid £150 for it, and my dad's friend put in a new floor and re-wired it.

Also...check it's the size they say- the people we got ours from said they'd had two 15.2hh in there. Not possible! I wouldn't have put anything much bigger than my 14hh pony in there. It wasn't a problem, and I guess buying a newer trailer that has a model would avoid this (our trailer is OLD. Really old. From the days when phone numbers were 3 digits long and you spoke to the operator!)

Good advice on checking it's not stolen.