Pitfalls of buying a used custom Teardrop?

[gbarr4000]

Hello everyone, this seems like a very helpful and friendly forum. I just joined, as I am learning about teardrops, in hopes of buying a used one very soon.

I am looking at one that's 3 years old, built from scratch (not a kit) by an experienced electrician. Purportedly in excellent condition, but being sold by the electrician's son, as his father no longer can use it. I drive a 2010 Outback and have done some research on hauling capacity. This one has 133 lbs tongue weight, but overall weight is not known. Exterior is 11' long, 5' wide, 5'8" height, and it has few accessories or extras that would weight it down. The son believes its weight is <1000 lbs., so it should be fine with the Outback. My question to the forum is, what are the likely pitfalls of buying a used custom teardrop?

I am not handy at all, so any future repairs would have to be contracted out. What kinds of businesses do repairs on this kind of camper? Any advice or suggestions on questions to ask would be appreciated. Thanks! Gracia

[Kharn]

1) Poor design/engineering choices leading to structural issues or the inability to use the trailer for your intended style of camping
2) Bad paint jobs

For the weight, you can go to a gravel yard or highway rest stop and ask them to weigh just the trailer's axle. Add the tongue weight, and there's the total weight.

[bc toys]

Well if built by a electrician it can't be to bad of a job j/k. I'm one and I know from working around other trades that we pick up on little things that would help build a nice trailer. Hope you don't find any shorts in it

[48Rob]

Gracia,

The 1000 pound estimate sounds low.

The seller should have it weighed, and present proof, such as a scale ticket.
It would be sad to buy a trailer based on an estimated weight only to find your car cannot pull it.

Look for quality of workmanship. A "homebuilt" is generally not going to be as nice as a factory built trailer (with some notable exceptions from craftsmen) but nothing should stand out or scream "amateur".

There should be no leaks, or signs of previous leaks/water damage.
Though dishonesty is rarely involved, the words "it used to leak, but it is fixed now" are all too common coming from people who built something that leaked, and now are sure (?)... that it is fixed... (Is there hidden damage "they" don't know about?)

Is it highly customized?
A trailer with gospel verses or skulls all over it may appeal to a few, but most will pass if you choose to sell it.

Is the design practical?
Some people don't want or like a sink, stove, and cooler, some do.
The most basic of trailers have a plain countertop. Easy to build, much harder to sell.

Does it have A/C, do you need it?

How much room do you need? Does the trailer offer what you need, or are you in a hurry and maybe willing to compromise just to own one "now" (bad idea)

It is almost always cheaper to buy a quality product (pay up front) and use it care free, than buy a bargain and spend forever more correcting problems.

I would speak to the father if possible, if not get what info you can from the son, take several pictures inside and out, and post them here.
There are a lot of people here who can look at (quality) pictures and pore over the info you get to help guide you in a safe general direction.

Rob

[Shadow Catcher]

What ever it is it needs brakes. Subaru brakes are fine with nothing attached but from experience you really really want them.

[Sparksalot]

The weight sounds very low for the size. My tear is a 5x10 woodie, and weighs in about 1,400#.

Additionally, I do not have trailer brakes, and can at times feel the tear attempting to push my 5,000# TV around when slowing.

[len19070]

One of the first things I would look at is if it has any water leaks. And ask if it was stored indoors. Why? Because it may have a leak but no damage is visible because 99% of its life it was inside.

There is NO such thing as "Just a little leak" Thats like being a "Little Pregnant"

And "an old leak" is just as bad.

Your car will have no problem towing it.

Happy Trails

Len

[wincrasher]

There are many thing to look for, as some above have indicated. Leaks are the biggest enemy, but structural issues may not surface until later.

What you didn't mention was price. If it's cheap enough, it may be worth the risk. If he's asking a pretty penny, then you might want to look at new trailers from a commercial manufacturer.

Also if cheap enough, this may be a good opportunity to "get handy" by learning to fix and repair things. That way, when you eventually comfortable with it, you can spring for a more expensive trailer and feel confident about it.

Good luck!

[jonnyo]

What ever it is it needs brakes. Subaru brakes are fine with nothing attached but from experience you really really want them.

been towing for 4 years with forester, crosstrek and wrx. none as needed additional brake. by law, it s allow 1000lbs with no brake and it easily do it s job safely with those guideline.


in the case of your trailer, i can imagine that tongue is pretty heavy with the wheels of the trailer so far back. That probably give you that less than optimal braking. you dont get enough weight on the car front wheels to take advantage of the brakes.

[wincrasher]

In my state, you can go up to 2000 lbs without trailer brakes. Whether that is wise or not is up for debate depending on what your tow vehicle is.

I'd argue with the logic that the rig in the picture above would have poor braking. Yes, the tongue weight is not evenly distributed between the front and rear axles. But if you slam on the brakes, the forces on the vehicle are changing tremendously.

Firstly, the weights are changing from downforce on mostly the rear axle to now a horizontal load thru the vehicle. The vehicle is also pitching up in the rear end, and weight of the vehicle, plus payload is shifting from rear to front. This is why brakes on the front wheels on cars are usually much larger than in the back.

So it's not such a simple dynamic as to what is going on in a hard stop, which is what you need to be most concerned with. Yes, trailer brakes are always a helpful, nice thing to have. You will always stop shorter if you have them and put less wear on your car. But unsafe or troublesome is another matter. I don't see what's in the picture as unsafe.