why are used trailers so expensive?

Herzlos

You'll find they go for either nearly new for decent ones, and peanuts for the pretty much scrap ones.

Partially because if you buy a nearly new one, you don't have to built it / get it built / get it delivered. Thankfully my first one fitted inside the car and took an afternoon to assemble, but most people would likely have to pay £50+ delivery + an assembly cost.

Now you have to get braked ones professionally assembled, which means they can't even be flat packed. My newer one took 8 weeks to build plus a 3 hour round trip for collection (because I didn't want to pay £100 for deliver).

So a used one is potentially worth more than a yet-to-be-ordered one.


Have you checked if there's anywhere near you that you can hire one?

Have you also looked at older ones? Mechanically they are pretty simple, so there's no reason you couldn't use that that is 30+ years old if it's been looked after. My oldest one was built from an Austin 1000 axle so circa 1960-1970.


Have you also checked what your license will let you use? You run the risk of being overweight for a Mk 4 golf pretty easily. The 5x4's your looking at will likely be 650-750kg MAM, which I'd bet is over the unbraked rating for a Golf (as it's higher than some Passats).

The trailer regulations are a complicated pain in the rear but it's worth at lleast trying to do it legally

Nebulous2

One of my best ever buys. A noval portaflot with height extensions for £300 secondhand about 8 years ago. It's been to France about 4 times, been to Orkney, been to Cornwall, all fully loaded with camping gear and sometimes 4 bikes on top.

It has never had new bearings, but did need a new hitch fitted for 120 euros in the Netherlands.

So basically my experience has been that they are pretty much bullet proof if you get a reasonably good one. A new one would have cost around £600 at the same time. So about 50% of new price.

Iceweasel

I bought mine new in Germany where trailers are approx half the price of here in the UK.



Other sizes are available, as they say. LOL

The Netherlands is a good place to source a used trailer - almost every car in NL has a tow-bar.

Much the same in Austria where the supermarket customers 'for sale' notice-boards are full of them.

Herzlos

I have to say I spent £400 on a 2007 4x3 trailer and it'd paid for itself within a couple of years (not needing to hire skips, not needing to get builders materials delivered, being able to buy loose material or scavenge left-over materials).

Norman_Castle

londonTiger wrote: »

Why do people think their second hand product should cost about 80-90% what their paid for it?

The warranty is usually invalid on sale (some manufactuers do allow warranty transfer). They've had it for a good 3/4 years at the every least so they've got a lot of use out of it. But they think they should get almost what their paid for it?

If you do buy one, unlike the s2000, Mitsubishi 4x4, Audi estate and large van you've day dreamed about, will you sell it cheaply when you have finished with it or for as much as you can?.

Rolandtheroadie

Herzlos wrote: »

I have to say I spent £400 on a 2007 4x3 trailer and it'd paid for itself within a couple of years (not needing to hire skips, not needing to get builders materials delivered, being able to buy loose material or scavenge left-over materials).

Paid £40 for one years ago, as you say, pay for themselves in no time.
Gave it to the OH's uncle a few months ago so no storage problems now either.

Rover_Driver

Herzlos wrote: »

Have you also checked what your license will let you use? You run the risk of being overweight for a Mk 4 golf pretty easily. The 5x4's your looking at will likely be 650-750kg MAM, which I'd bet is over the unbraked rating for a Golf (as it's higher than some Passats).

The trailer regulations are a complicated pain in the rear but it's worth at lleast trying to do it legally

Those sorts of trailers should be well within the regulations for towing with a 'B' Driving Licence, which are are:


A combination of any such vehicle and a trailer where the trailer has a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 750 kilogrammes,
and
A combination of any such vehicle and a trailer where the maximum authorised mass of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes.


For a 'B+E' licence, the MAM of the trailer must not exceed 3.5 tonnes.

stator

Mainly because they are useful items, rather than lifestyle/status symbols like cars. No-one really cares what their trailer looks like, lots of people are willing to buy second hand, so the price is high.

Herzlos

Rover_Driver wrote: »

Those sorts of trailers should be well within the regulations for towing with a 'B' Driving Licence, which are are:


A combination of any such vehicle and a trailer where the trailer has a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 750 kilogrammes,
and
A combination of any such vehicle and a trailer where the maximum authorised mass of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes.


For a 'B+E' licence, the MAM of the trailer must not exceed 3.5 tonnes.

Not quite, the trailer must also fit under the cars restrictions in terms of MAM. An unbraked trailer can be up to 750kg, but still has to be lower than the cars limit. I believe the unbraked limit is 50% of the cars empty weight.

The OP is talking about a 1.5m long trailer, which means Something like an Erde 142/Daxara 148, which have a MAM of 600-650kg. Longer ones are almost all 750kg. The OP said previously he drives a Mk IV golf, and I'm not sure they will be rated any higher than 600kg.

Rover_Driver

Herzlos wrote: »

Not quite, the trailer must also fit under the cars restrictions in terms of MAM. An unbraked trailer can be up to 750kg, but still has to be lower than the cars limit. I believe the unbraked limit is 50% of the cars empty weight.

They are the Driving Licence requirements.


The towing weight limits are
Up to half the car kerbside weight, to a maximum MAM of 750kg for an unbraked trailer.


For a braked trailer, it is the maximum towing weight stated by the manufacturer.