Camper converted to car hauler.

[CHKNFKR]

Has anyone on here converted a camper into a car hauler? Today i came across this for only $350

It needs wired, lowered, decked, and painted. A matched pair of electric brake axles would go under it before i tried to haul anything with it. Just wondering if anyone has done it? If so was it worth it? The gooseneck seems kinda light, in fact the whole trailer feels kinda light, it weighed in at 900lbs. Can it be done or should i keep looking?

 

[RangerSVT]

How thick and what size are the main beams?? That would be the only thing I would worry about...Might need to reinforce it a little as well as the decking to support the weight of the rig...
SVT

 

[CHKNFKR]

The rails are 2x4x1/8 box. The crossmembers are 2x4x1/8 c channel. The part that scares me is the neck, its no beefier than the rest of the trailer.

 

[86 slo-vo]

I wouldnt put anything heavy on it. That's not a very strong trailer.

But for $350 with some beefing up I think it would be fine.


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[CHKNFKR]

Yeah, i haven't bought it yet, just weighing my options. My first thought was it was too light, but for $350 i think i could beef it up and keep my total investment under $1000

 

[RangerSVT]

At the bare minimum I would plate the main beams with 1/8, the neck with 3/16 and the crossmembers I would leave alone but I would add in 2x4x3/16 in between the crossmembers as they look like they are spaced pretty far apart. I with that trailer setup, the crosses I would put em no more than 24 apart...
SVT

 

[CHKNFKR]

With the price of steel lately i'm starting to think that getting it up to spec under a grand may not be a possibility. Guess i'll have to keep looking. If this one had two decent axles i could just beef it up a little, but it needs two axles and the suspension to go with, on top of the beef...

 

[RangerSVT]

I would put a cheap deck on it and sell it...
SVT

 

[odley2001]

I've seen people try it before and it didn't work well at, just to light, with a 100o dollar budget a great used car trailer can be found, the parts and hassle would not be worth it

 

[racsan]

most campers arent built all that heavy, they need to keep the weight down and part of the strength is in the outer structure as well as the understructure. you would be better off getting a trailer designed for what you want to do with it. its one thing to make a utility trailer out of a old tent-trailer camper, but id not want to put a vehicle on a camper frame. i just dont think it would be safe. sure you can add more metal, but the existing frame isnt very stout material to begin with. if its old enough to have had the camper body scrapped off, the base frame might not be any good by itself anymore for even a camper body, much less a 3,000+ pound car strapped to it.

 

[97RangerXLT]

A friend of mine has a trailer that used to be a mobile home. Has a tandem axle and a wood deck except for the fenders which stick up about 4 inches from the main decking. They are a treadplate steelbut I am not sure of the thickness. The trailer itself had no problems hauling my 87 Mercury grand marquis 20 some miles. That is a story for another thread...

AJ

 

[doorgunner]

Spend the thousand on a used car trailer.....1/8" is too thin...it'll fold like an accordian with a vehicle on it....gonna take too much time & money to make a real carrier out of it...

 

[4.0B2]

for a grand budget, i'd find something that's a better base.. or something almost complete

idk if you'll find a 5th wheel car hauler for a grand... but... look around. be prepared to travel for a good deal

remember--
searchtempest.com and allofcraigslist.com

 

[RangerSVT]

A friend of mine has a trailer that used to be a mobile home. Has a tandem axle and a wood deck except for the fenders which stick up about 4 inches from the main decking. They are a treadplate steelbut I am not sure of the thickness. The trailer itself had no problems hauling my 87 Mercury grand marquis 20 some miles. That is a story for another thread...

AJ

A mobile home trailer frame uses a lot heavier material than a camper trailer, and I would love to get my hands on a mobile home trailer frame...I could make me a 48 ft double wheeler hauler with a big sleeper made onto it...
SVT