Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I've looked at a new jayco swift 14ft tt @ $8500.00 and a 7 x 14 ctc @ $6500 without adding any interior options. Any comments, need help cause wife likes the blackwater, graywater, fresshwater tanks in the jayco swift?

thanks,

Mike

6500 is pretty high for a 7 x 14 was that aluminum? If so I understand, but you should compare apples to apples. The Jaco is a steel frame not aluminum. You should be able to find one a couple of grand less and that goes a long way to adding stuff to your trailer.

And you really didn't give us enough information on what your looking for, needs, wants, time line...

I think most guys start with a cargo trailer either to save $$, build it they way they want, enjoy building things, or like to haul toys and don't need or want all the features a pre-made unit would offer.

The only reason I built mine was I needed a toyhauler for my golf cart and I didn't want to spend alot of money or want to pull a huge toyhauler.
After about a year of thinking and planning I decided if I was going to do it I would build it like I wanted so that meant haveing the factory add the extra height put in a window and rv doors and I caved in a got the mag wheels.
I kind of wished that went with the aluminum rock guard around the trailer and back but I didn't think it was worth the 600.00, when I picked it up mine was the only one on the lot that didn't have it.
It looked so plain I had to find some decals to make it look better.
I think if I did it again I would install a toilet and tanks,my shower stall is 2x3 it is ok for just me but not much room.
The portable toilets are a great Idea and they work great but not much fun to dump and wash out.
My trailer was 6000 with the extras mentioned above and I haven't had the heart to add up what I spent at lowes and on ebay,I am sure it's well over over 8000 with my honda 2000 and I still need to buy a roof top AC?
Building my trailer did take alot of time and money plus I did need some help so I paid a kid to help me with some things I couldn't do myself or wanted to get done quicker.

I'm doing the Cargo Trailer conversion for similar reason as Jwhite. I have a 1400 lb Yamaha Rhino that I take with me to alot of events. So I was towing a flat bed, and sleeping in a tent. 3 outings in a tent for my girlfriend, and she was done. I didn't want to give up my smooth-riding, 18mpg, 1/2 ton truck so a toy hauler was out. I've also always had an aversion to blackwater tanks... so much so that I don't use anyone elses' so they don't have the right to ask me for help when they're clogged.

So I'm going simple, but lighter weight. No storage tanks. Got a portable toilet in which we'll use those gel bags so clean-up is easy. It'll haul the Rhino, and won't weigh 10K lb's doing it.

I found an 8.5' x 20' x 8' high used trailer on Craigslist for $2900. With AC, E-track, and a bunch of other goodies, I'd guess it'll have around $6,000 in it, and a bunch of work. However, at the same time, I've seen lesser trailers finished go for $8K around here. So it might just pay for itself... but probably won't

It's all a trade off. Amenities of a Jaco are nice. The custom Toy Hauler will have just what I want it though. No extra weight for garbage I don't need. It's funny, I tell my girl all the time, "Just what we need, nothing more." Her response is, "That's right, nothing but the bare minimum for your honey!" hehe

I reckon I'm all about the do it myself .. it's not so much about quality as knowing it from scratch and being able to repair it when it gets old or damaged. All those Factory made campers with it's taxes and insurance, name brand items.... aren't going to make me have a nicer time at the campsite. I'm glad in SC a Cargo trailer doesn't have to have tags and insurance or taxes.
It's all a plus for me.

Like others said 6500 seems a little high for a plain 7x14. I paid that for my 7x24 and I added several things.. Everything from Aluminum rims with a spare to a 20' foot awning and RV door. I could have easily saved 1500+ bucks on a basic trailer. I built mine because I couldn't buy what I wanted for what I could build it for. I also needed a toy hauler that could be pulled with a 1/2 ton truck. I did install a bathroom, TV, fold down beds, microwave, roof top AC,, stereo with speakers inside and out, Gas furnace. I mean you name it. Mine pretty much has everything a off the shelf trailer has. My total cost was around 12k. A little more then I would have liked, but atleast 8-10k cheaper then buying one. Besides I couldn't even find one 7' wide.

If you just want a small camper and you found one you like for a couple grand more then a cargo trailer.. Id just get the camper. Various reasons why people build their own, but I'm sure one of the main ones is they couldn't find what they wanted for the price they wanted to pay.

Mike check ebay there's a 7X16 with lots of goodies already installed asking $3700 it's to high and to long for me.
wh, sink, grey and fresh water tanks, front cabinets lots of things
I forgot where it is but if I was looking it's not to far from us.

pete

pete,

do you remember where this was on e-bay? i'm not real familiar with e-bay.

thanks,

mike

Here is a link to a new one that has a buy it now price of 2795.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-7x16 ... 7294wt_887
Ron

You might find one in here. Just click on the sort by (right hand side) and hit distance.

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw ... m270.l1313

Sorry I didn't want it so I didn't keep it in my ebay folder
if you look it may still be there you will have to search through
a bunch it was used so mark used under $4000 and distance around 500 miles it was closer that that should get rid of a bunch.
hope this helps and I wish I had save it's location.
pete

Another great resource is Craigslist, you just have to be careful of what you buy. Same as eBay of course, but you have even less recourse should you choose Craigslist. I have about 95% luck with it.

use www.searchtempest.com and it lets you search a wide area. That's how I found my trailer.

DDR, I bought a Jayco Feather Sport ... and what a POS it is ... Falling apart faster than I can pay it off... Shoddy construction using the cheapest of materials ... Worse , their GVW is without any "options" , like the awning and spare tire... halving the actual cargo weight stated ...
But they are Pretty inside and appealing to the ladies who seem to make the purchase decisions, but it's the men who have to fix/ maintain them ... constantly ... Run away Run away !!!
A good cargo trailer can live outside just fine .... something the Jayco cannot ... although they said it would , they lied just to make the sale ....

GPW wrote:DDR, I bought a Jayco Feather Sport ... and what a POS it is ... Falling apart faster than I can pay it off... Shoddy construction using the cheapest of materials ... Worse , their GVW is without any "options" , like the awning and spare tire... halving the actual cargo weight stated ...
But they are Pretty inside and appealing to the ladies who seem to make the purchase decisions, but it's the men who have to fix/ maintain them ... constantly ... Run away Run away !!!
A good cargo trailer can live outside just fine .... something the Jayco cannot ... although they said it would , they lied just to make the sale ....

DDR,

Gotta agree with GPW on this one. We bought a 16.5 foot Jayco, and a nice small TT it is but as GPW points out, they really are not built that well. They require a lot of maintenance and that maintenance can be very expensive for repair of RV appliances, which simply do not last long, and roofs. Had I known now what I didn't know then I would not have bought the Jayco. I would have bought the 6x10 CT (or larger) that I subsequently bought and converted) rather than the Jayco I previously bought. I would have bought/built a better conversion of a CT. With a CT conversion you can fill it with Home Depot/Lowes appliances at 1/4 the cost of RV appliances. If they fail buy a replacement. Dorm room type refeers, can be had for about $100. Same with AC units, and dorm type stoves. Similar RV appliances are four times, or more, that cost.

Build it yourself and you'll know it's right. And as GPW has long pointed out in numerous threads here, CT's are made/built to live outdoors in nature's weather. Travel trailers, on the other hand, if you really look at how they are constructed, are not. They really don't do well/survive out in the open elements (rubber coated roofs deteriorate, seams leak, joint sealants leak, etc.).

Don

Don , very sad how the RV manufacturers have produced this (for lack of a better word ) CRAP for so long and gotten away with it ... For what we paid , I could have had TWO deluxe CT conversions , and much less headaches ... Even the wife is now saying not to put too much effort into repairing the Jayco , cause it's "just going to fall apart anyway " ...
Wish we had known about CTs then ... this was an expensive lesson to be learned ...
Another thing , the Jayco warranty was pretty useless... everything that went wrong (during the warranty period) was blamed on me (read the manual CAREFULLY) and once the warranty was up , Jayco wouldn't even talk to me ... just referred me to dealer for ridiculously expensive repairs ...
Quote the Raven , "Nevermore !!! "

The only good thing to come out of it was it encouraged me to build my own , where I discovered Foamies ... Simple , durable , LIGHT , well insulated , and Thrifty ... ... and can carry not only your gear , but 500lb of BEER as a matter of course...

The Tiny CT that I bought used has held up very well outside with nothing more than an occasional washing ... No leaks , no de-lamination , no problems at all ... Still looking around for a good deal on a larger CT to replace the POS Jayco ... Lesson learned ...