Old 22' Skyline Camper Trailer...

[clutchless]

Just inherited an old Skyline 22' Trailer. We think it's from 1993. It's been parked for at least 7 years on blocks ? being stored.

I'm making the drive up the central coast to inspect this beast prior to trying to move it.

It's a dual axle. Weighs around 5k.

What do i need to look for?

My initial instincts tell me to do the following:

1. new tires.

2. repack all bearings.

I'm worried about the condition of the axles/hubs? What do i need to look for.

This thing is 8 hours away, and i want to make the least amount of trips up to it before i tow it away.

My plan is to pull all the wheels off and hubs if possible and replace everything that rolls...

Of course i have no idea WTH i am doing... Jumping into this mission blind.

[Rip Wheeler]

You have it right, tires, sunlight rots these things. Grease and bearing pre load. Does it have electric brakes? Do you have a controller? Check condition or brakes when hubs off doing bearing pack. Make sure the linings are good and not coming loose. The bonding loosened with moisture/setting. Tandem axles usually good for up to 7500 lbs max (trailer plus payload/water/gear) but I suspect it weights closer to maybe 4000 lbs. You know some lights arent going to work from corrosion. Was it stored in the weather or under a awning? Weather is the biggest killer. Rain, leaks, dry rot.

[Chickenhauler]

A good cleaning and inspection for rust pits, galling, damage, etc is definitely in order for both the bearings and the races, followed by repacking with clean grease, new seals, proper adjustment and new cotter pins.

Hubs and axles are pretty hard to damage unless one really abuses stuff.

If you do have to replace bearings, you should also replace the races-they wear together, and should be replaced together.

Tires, definitely. After sitting 7 years, they're junk. Especially if it's been out in the sun.

Axles should be fine, not much to go haywire there.

While you're in there, inspect, adjust and replace the brakes/brake components as needed.

Probably needs a new battery for the breakaway/oh-shit-the-trailer-came-unhooked-brakes.

Need a brake controller on your tow vehicle too.

[clutchless]

Thanks!

I'm selling my truck, it's rated at 4k towing. Not even going to try to tow with it.

Buying a diesel 2500 or 250 with 100k miles on it. That is phase 1...

Hoping to find one with a brake controller on it already.

Noted on the trailer lights.

Also noted on the brakes etc. I'll be taking lots of photos once i get there. I'll post them up so we can ooohh and ahhh at this lovely relic...

It's been stored near the coast not covered. So I'm expecting the worst due to the Salt Air/Rain. But someone was living in it up until 2 years ago. A family member who commuted from So Cal to that area on weekdays.

[clutchless]

Alright...

Scrap or not?

[Hans Schmid]

Scrap it!

[clutchless]

based on the frame or the exterior? The exterior can be cleaned with ease. more worried about the leafs, shackles etc.

[Hans Schmid]

based on the frame or the exterior? The exterior can be cleaned with ease. more worried about the leafs, shackles etc.

Based on the whole thing:

Skylight is leaking, possible rotting in between interior and aluminum exterior sheeting. Also could be leaking other places.

Frame and almost anything steel looks to have major pitting from corrision, not just surface rust. Might not break today, but it will break.

Axel looks bent. (might be a optical illusion from the photo though)

Exterior doesnt look bad, you could possibly salvage the water heater, fridge, windows, shower, microwave and make a couple 1000. A fridge will run about 600 or so new so maybe 200-400 used, if you have the time and space!

[clutchless]

So not worth the 500 - 1000.00 to get it rolling vs the 3000.00 to get something equal already rolling?

It's free. 0.00 to own. just the 55.00 to register it again. then the sweat equity to get it going.

I think the axle is an illusion.

My main concern is that it will fall off the frame on a bumpy road.

I haven't seen this in person yet. MY plan is to poke every inch with a knife and bang on the frame with a hammer. use a grinding bit on the welds to see how deep the rust goes. etc.

[Hans Schmid]

So not worth the 500 - 1000.00 to get it rolling vs the 3000.00 to get something equal already rolling?

It's free. 0.00 to own. just the 55.00 to register it again. then the sweat equity to get it going.

I think the axle is an illusion.

My main concern is that it will fall off the frame on a bumpy road.

IMO, no! First its a $1000, then $500, then another $300, then another $1000, when does it end? Im not sure on the rules regarding towing but you might need a transportation endorsment (could be a canadian thing), which in turn, you might need a trailer inspection. I own a 27fter personally and I have 3 other ones for my employees. Trailers are cheap nowadays. 3k could get you a really nice unit that you can pull with a half ton. That was one of my biggest mistakes with my toyhauler, I cant tow the thing with a half-ton.

Like I said before, you could probably gut it, make a couple 1000 and buy a nice trailer (or build a cargo trailer up). Also. you have to think about water pumps, heaters, toilets. Those might not be the easiest to test. The water tanks could still be filled which could add a whole new problem. I know what a blackwater tank is like to drain after is sat for 8 months with shit still in it. It pretty much ruined the trailer.

Also, check the flooring, any sagging or soft spots and you could add another couple 100

[clutchless]

The counter argument is... spend 3k, then 500, then 300n then 1000.00... they are all money pits...

If the frame is sound, (don't know if it is) and the walls aren't rotten. (they may be) it could be worth the hassle of new wheels, tires, bearings, etc.

Or it could collapse and implode on the first dirt road it touches. then i have to pay 2k to have someone haul away a pile of aluminum, steel and particle board.

No inspections here. I've searched a bit, not much under 5k for anything.

This thing is a pile, no argument there. We do have someone who wants to pay 1800.00 to own it themselves. i just don't get that 1800.00.

Check this out... 4700.00 for that...

http://rvs.oodle.com/view/vintage-trailer-1953-cardinal-15-canned-ham/2827656144-escondido-ca/

[Chickenhauler]

The roof vent does look like it had some water intrusion, most likely due to failed caulking around where the base and roof seam together. Not a major undertaking to correct the water leak, but it is a pretty in depth job to tear out the ceiling and fix any damage that's in there.

The exterior...well, that's nothing that some love from a pressure washer and scrub brush won't cure, and then go from there. Might not be a bad idea to reseal things while you're at it.

Me, I'd take a day, go up there and give it a thorough once over, and if nothing is really terrible spend an afternoon cleaning, inspecting and regreasing the bearings, make sure the brakes work, and drag it home and go from there.

Good checklist to work with-this is intended for checking over a new RV at the dealer, but it's a great working list to go from one end to the other- https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4764693#post4764693

That would cost you at most $300 in parts, and a day's fiddling around.

That frame doesn't look bad at all, merely surface rust. If anything, I'd be worried about the condition of the rubbers in the shackles due to age and dry rot. They're not going to make the thing come apart on the road, but it may cause an alignment or tracking issue if they're really bad.

I mean, when you stop and think about it, it really all depends on what you want. Do you want luxury with every amenity, or are you looking for something simply to sleep in where the spiders and snakes don't climb into bed with you and the coyotes aren't snuffling around your tent pegs at night?

[clutchless]

I mean, when you stop and think about it, it really all depends on what you want. Do you want luxury with every amenity, or are you looking for something simply to sleep in where the spiders and snakes don't climb into bed with you and the coyotes aren't snuffling around your tent pegs at night?

This. It's free. it's a roof, and it's a crappy toilet vs a bush or shrub so the wife doesn't have to go outside in the middle of the night. and if we are lucky, a warm shower....

We go to the desert, it's hot, dry and never rains. Windy sometimes but thats about it.

Thank you CH. Great discussion.

[RoscoeJ]

If your planing on using the trailer to tow arround to riding spots!,you should think about selling it ,to someone whos going to park it in a campground. Look into an Ultralight trailer, there so much lighter to tow arround. My2cents

[clutchless]

If your planing on using the trailer to tow arround to riding spots!,you should think about selling it ,to someone whos going to park it in a campground. Look into an Ultralight trailer, there so much lighter to tow arround. My2cents

Ultralight at 22' is 3750 lbs dry weight. This hog was 3900 lbs dry... Maybe more now from all the moisture... but yeah i wish i had 20k to drop on a new one.

[SMarquez]

If you have the patience to deal with it, go for it. The only thing that bothers me is rot in the roof. You will have to change propane bottles to OPD so there is that expense. If you are handy enough you can do a lot of the fixes yourself. Most items like water heater and furnace are all slide in units. The bend in the axle is factory, kind of presprung. If you are going to swap the axle under the springs make sure to keep the bend up. I think that trailer is better built than new trailers. Superlight tpe trailers have a lot of flex in them. I had a 93 Prowler and had none of the issues in 10 years than I had with a Leakin' Warrior that I had in 4 years.

[Chickenhauler]

This. It's free. it's a roof, and it's a crappy toilet vs a bush or shrub so the wife doesn't have to go outside in the middle of the night. and if we are lucky, a warm shower....

We go to the desert, it's hot, dry and never rains. Windy sometimes but thats about it.

Thank you CH. Great discussion.

I'm in the same boat as you...bought a cheap, 'needs some TLC' trailer late this fall. The plan is, when the temps get a bit more moderate (April or early May), I'm going through it from one end to the other inspecting every last little thing.

I know there's a soft spot in the floor in front of the door (that's the necessary TLC). The rest of the stuff worked fine when I looked at it (but we all know how that can change over winter). I can't really complain, even if the furnace, roof air, heat, fridge, stove and plumbing all craps out, I'm only $2k into a sheltered, secure, out of the elements place to sleep.

Mine's a 22' Lite Hybrid (hard side trailer with tent trailer ends that fold out), and it tips the scales @ 4500 dry. And that's a real-world weight, not some make-believe number the manufacturer pulled out of thin air (aka "the number on the mfgr plate").

To be honest, this "light" stuff sure seems flimsy.

[Rip Wheeler]

based on the frame or the exterior? The exterior can be cleaned with ease. more worried about the leafs, shackles etc.

Its a keeper. The shackles etc, they all look like this, especially after setting. I would clean up the tongue, paint it white again, paint the rims white, and just some elbow grease on the rest, a pressure washing, it will look decent. And some hubcaps on the rims.

A good going thorough inspection/cleaning will reveal any other issues too There will be some other things you will find doenst work as you go along.

Just a good cleaning on the skin and touch up painting on the frame and wheels, it will be presentable. Once cleaned up, its going to look much nicer.

Edited December 28, 2011 by toyota_mdt_tech

[ncotton]

I have a 97 skyline 26' Looks a little like yours but cleaner it has been a decent trailer just toilet and water have needed replacing and other odds and ends fixed. One thing to be very carefully is that these trailers ride real low it doesn't take much to scrape the ass end going over bumps or into driveways and parking lots and you don't want to rip open or destroy your gray and black water tanks and pluming. One of these days I will flip my axle to the other side of the springs, but to be honest I would like to just buy a newer and smaller trailer.

[clutchless]

Update:

Leak in the shower caused this. Removed all the rot already. It was pretty isolated...

Summer project. New roof. YEHAW!

Drive home.