Finding Insurance...HELP!

[BagEnd]

Hey everyone, new to the website and the TD world. I'm about to take my homemade teardrop out on the road for the first time in a couple weeks and still need insurance on it. No one seems to want to insure a homemade trailer though. Does anyone have experience in dealing with issues like this? What companies have you all gone through to insure your camper? Help please!

[Mary C]

Try the search field above in the darker blue area the Google custom search, for insurance. This subject has been talked about several times. different people have found different companies during the past ten years. This depends on where you live and how you have your tow vehicle insured. What I have found is not everyone have the same driving record nor all the other things companies require. sorry I couldn't help more but my auto policy covers everything I tow, I live on a farm and tow lots of different trailers.

Mary C.

[48Rob]

What kind of insurance, liability or full coverage?

Most auto policies will cover whatever you tow if you damage somone elese property, but not the trailer itself.

Rob

[Oldragbaggers]

I had absolutely no problem getting my homebuilt teardrop insured through Good Sam. They issued me a stated value policy with no depreciation for the first 5 years. I sent them a couple of pictures and that was that. Couldn't have been easier. I think I may pay a few dollars more than some other people have quoted, but after almost 2 years of work there was no way I was hitting the road with my baby uninsured.

[nrody]

My trailer is insured under my Mercury policy. The did require me to get an appraisal before they would insure.

[coyote]

I have Travelers., no problem. They just asked how much I wanted, and wrote it up. He explained that it is an extension of the car when hooked up, therefore covered in case of trouble. But, now it's covered for theft ect... It cost about $16 a month for 5 grand. Coyote

[coyote]

After rereading my post....I'm just saying this is what i did. The same co. has my auto and house, and I felt comfortable with what I did. There are many other ways, some better I imagine, look around. Ok, I'll be quiet now. Coyote

[mustangcats]

This question does come up from time to time and I don't know why some people have trouble getting insurance. For starters, most insurance companies will insure a trailer on the auto policy. If your current auto insurance company won't insure it...then you need to find another auto insurance company that will. I think you will have better luck if you go and visit a local agent rather than just calling around. Explain what you have and also be willing to switch all your insurance to that agency...since insurance companies are easier to work with if they have (or will have) all your insurance. If you have a good track record such as good credit, a good driving record and no claims history...then I don't think getting insurance for your trailer should be all that difficult. I had no trouble insuring mine. Keep in mind that when you insure the trailer, it will be insured for actual cash value (unless you are able to get it insured for agreed value). Actual cash value takes into account depreciation...the same way your cars are insured. So in order to insure the trailer, you will most likely need to provide a stated amount value. It is not the amount that you have in the trailer...it is the amount the trailer is worth in the real world...such as the amount a buyer would be willing to pay for the trailer. The reason they want a stated amount is so they can calculate a premium. Even if the company allows you to give an inflated stated amount, that doesn't mean you will get that much if the trailer is destroyed or stolen. The standard auto policy reads that the most that will be paid is the stated amount or actual cash value...whichever is less. At the time of a loss, the adjuster will then figure out what the actual cash value is and settle the claim accordingly.

[wincrasher]

my experience, with 30 years of camping under my belt, is to not bother with insurance. You are protected from liability under your auto policy when you are towing. The camper is usually not worth all that much to make those premiums worth it, and the chance of something happening to it, like damage or theft, if extremely remote. I'll not be insuring my new teardrop either.

[48Rob]

The camper is usually not worth all that much to make those premiums worth it

Yes!

If...you have a camper that isn't worth much, then that is a great plan (works for cars too).
Everyone needs to do the math, with their own numbers entered, to make the choice.
For many, with a camper valued under 2-3 thousand, insurance may not be practical, over that...it might be?

A lot of people out there still have full coverage on cars that are only worth two or three thousand.
If you save what you are paying for insurance for a couple years you can usually afford to replace the car with the money you set back and just a little extra.
Chances are...? The insurance companies make huge profits gambling that you won't make a claim (and most don't).

Campers are pretty much the same.


Rob