Choosing Between Aluminum and Pop-Up Camper Frames for a DIY Build

[tunaspam]

Hey looking to start building a camper.
I have these 2 in mind to build off of.
1: aluminum 5x8
2: 5x8 former pop-up camper

They are both $350, would either of these work? If so, which would you buy and why?

I plan on using a wood frame for my camper. Pretty minimalist but would like to have some wiggle room to add weight if I need/want to.
Guy selling old camper said axel rated 3500 or 4500lb. What about the tires? Can I just replace those if not rated for hwy or weight?

Thanks for help! Didn’t know how much I didn’t know about trailers!

 

[WYWander]

The camper frame being rated for 3500 lbs is a bit suspect. That's picture #4020, right? Maybe it just has weird wheels and tires, but I bet it's closer to 2000 lbs. Could even be as low as 1700.

To answer your question, no, you can't just change out the tires/wheels and change the capacity. And I don't think you would be able to just put bigger tires on the 4020. And the tires on it are certainly not highway rated, but then again, maybe the tires on 4019 are not either.

I had a whole list of questions for you but in the end, they all boiled down to "pick 4019." It has a spare, sidewalls that would hold up camper walls, likely has suspension where 4020 doesn't, and has lights you might be able to save where 4020 seems to have nothing.

Whatever you might build on top of 4020 will have to be structurally sound in and of itself. It might not weight quite as much as the additional material on 4019, but it might be close anyway.

But then again, if you're trying to make the lightest camper possible, 4020 might be the one.

 

[Tony Latham]

sidewalls that would hold up camper walls,

You would need to cut off all of that, including the corrugated metal floor. A day's labor with the right tools.

Tony

 

[S. Heisley]

It's not so much the tire you're using, but rather the age of it. Tires weaken with age. You don't want to have a blow-out while towing as a tire blow-out can cause you to lose control of both your trailer and your tow vehicle. We had one member here who showed pictures of what happened when his trailer tire blew and the trailer and the tow vehicle both rolled down an embankment, flipping and jerking as they went. I imagine the driver got a bit beat up in the process, too.

Those tires look old and probably need to be replaced anyway. You may already know this, but in case you don't, here is some information to help you:

Although some tire manufacturers disagree, I have been told that tires older than 8 years should be replaced. However, knowing the age of the tires can be a bit of a trick.

Look at the side wall of your tire and find the word “DOT”.

To the right of the “DOT” word, there should be 4 numbers representing the manufacture date of your tire.

The manufacture date is NOT based on the month and year; but rather, by the WEEK and year. For instance, the numbers 1815 would mean that your tire was manufactured in the 18th week of the year 2015, or, roughly in April, 2015, which means you're running on 10 (almost 11) year old tires and should replace those tires as soon as you can!