Bad idea? Or Best idea?

"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
11/24/2016 at 22:16 • Filed to: None

Found this in the back 40 at work. Coworker said I could probably have it for a make-it-go-away price.

Old home-built car hauler. Apparently it’s been sitting for a couple years. I was shifting some junk around back there with the skidsteer so I figured I’d drag it out of the weeds and have a look at it.

It’s not pretty, but it is solid. It’s got a tilt deck but also has ramps sitting on it, didn’t check to see if it still tilted or not. It only has brakes on the rear axle and I think they drag a little (or else both bearings are shot) from the sound they make but otherwise all the wheels spin freely. It definitely needs new rubber, new boards on the deck, and the lights and wiring completely replaced. Don’t know if the brakes work but the wires are cut off and there’s only a four-pin connector so I imagine they haven’t worked for a while.

I’ll have to wait a couple weeks until my boss gets back, but I’ve been kinda wanting a car hauler for a while, and if I can get this one for next to nothing...? Because I really only need to move a car once or twice a year, I’ve been mostly okay just renting or borrowing something, but it’s a bit of a pain sometimes being restricted to someone else’s schedule, and I think this one could fit my needs once it’s cleaned up a bit.

What thinks Oppo?

DISCUSSION (17)

schwartz > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/24/2016 at 22:27

Only thing I wonder about is getting it plated. Not sure how that works but I would make sure you can do that before spending money to get it fixed up.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > schwartz
11/24/2016 at 22:33

Walk into autopac outlet, hand them bill of sale, say I want plates, exchange money for plates, bolt them on, eventually receive registration in the mail. No one looks at trailers here.

Urambo Tauro > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/24/2016 at 22:34

Homemade, huh? Hm. Could be awesome, could be sketchy as hell.

When you say “solid”, you want to be doubly sure of that. See how the welds were done, and how they’ve held up to the elements. Also check for if any past loads have deformed any of the metal. You’ve got a pretty good list of to-do items, but you might want to consider re-packing the bearings anyway, even if they’re not shot.

shop-teacher > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/24/2016 at 22:35

Same here. We just apply for a home-built title.

shop-teacher > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/24/2016 at 22:36

You’d probably want to replace the axles outright.

Birddog > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/24/2016 at 22:40

It looks like it was built from 1990s futons.

There is no such thing as a cheap trailer unless it’s free to haul away.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > shop-teacher
11/24/2016 at 22:56

I was kinda thinking that might be the case. I figured that would be the best way to deal with the brakes, and then why not get the front one to match? But I won’t make the call on that until pulling it with something that isn’t a skidsteer.

tromoly > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/24/2016 at 22:56

Offer one pizza party for it. I know of a few places who have gotten rid of old equipment that way, the money amount isn’t high but the value to the people at the company is great. Plus who can turn down pizza?

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Urambo Tauro
11/24/2016 at 23:09

The welds look pretty good on it. Can’t say what kind of welder did it, but it looks like a professional job. My coworker said he though it came in trade for something from a who used to work there a long time ago who is a professional welder and did demolition derbies, so I imagine he did it himself. There’s no more corrosion on the welds than anywhere else. I didn’t see any deformed tubing, although the deck has expanded metal on it that was sagged a bit under the wood where the front right wheel of a car would sit. The wood was also cracked and really rotten right there so it might have something to do with it. I’ll definitely take a better look at it before exchanging money, possibly even park my truck on it to see how it does. I’m still the new guy (only worked there three weeks) so I didn’t want to spend too much time checking it out on company time.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Birddog
11/24/2016 at 23:19

I can see it. But the steel is all much thicker than furniture stuff. Looks like buffalo bars, as in bars for fences that are built to corral bison.

I’ll definitely be load testing it before exchanging money, and I’ll have a couple weeks at least until I can talk to anyone about taking it home. But from the sounds of it the price would be pretty close to free. But we’ll see. In the mean time I’ll be pricing out everything I know it’ll need to see where I’m at.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > tromoly
11/24/2016 at 23:36

Except I work at a place that has around 100 employees...

tromoly > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/25/2016 at 00:47

Hmm, I got nothing then.

Birddog > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/25/2016 at 02:45

Right on. Little stuff adds up quick. Wiring and lights, bearings and brakes (if equipped), Tires..

I’m the King of bad buys. An anti-tavarish of sorts. Sawzall blades are more expensive than scrap metal right now and I hate to see an Oppo make an avoidable mistake.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Birddog
11/25/2016 at 09:48

Fortunately I already have lots of sawzall blades. And also death wheels.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
11/25/2016 at 10:22

You can get a reliable trailer for under $2,000, maybe $1,500 if you shop around. That one looks like a lot of parts and labor are required to bring it up to reliable condition. I think you want a reliable trailer for hauling your valuable jalops.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > John Norris (AngryDrifter)
11/25/2016 at 10:44

Even if I have to replace everything, I think it could be done for under $1000, and most of that is in new axles. Most of the car haulers I’ve seen for sale in my area are asking $2-3000, and a lot of them look like the above anyway. If I don’t have to completely replace the axles, I could have it back on the road for under $500.

Although it is true that I don’t need another project right now...

Boosted2k - I Make Videos and Put Them on YouTube > tromoly
11/25/2016 at 10:55

Donuts. Lots of donuts!