What to expect when moving a long standing trailer?

ross-JAY

New Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Posts
3
An old, very old, 1983 old Jayco is mine for the taking. If it is dry I'll likely take it and take a crack at fixing it up.
This thing has been outdoors for at least three years, parked in grass and sunk in. I believe the wheels are still above ground but from pictures I can see at least part of the tires has sunk or gone flat.
Is it common for the brakes to be stuck? What sort of brakes are they? I'm well familiar with automotive brakes, Bendix type drums is what I assume these to be.
The trailer in question is 1983 "style 24" according to the title, perhaps a 2450BH from my Google search.
If brake parts are needed where do I buy and what automotive applications are same, if any?
Wheels and tires?
Can anyone familiar with these share where to look for water intrusion?
Thanks in advance.
Ross
 
I am not familiar with this trailer or what tire size you will need but I have found that etrailer.com has the best prices and you will find higher load range ratings than at Wal-Mart. They also offer free and very fast shipping! LW
 
When you get it home start a thread and take lots of pictures of progress you make.
 
Tires and pack the wheel bearings are must do projects. Most likely will need a new battery and don't forget to clean ALL the wire connections especially the ground.
 
Do not trust the electrical system or the propane system have the propane tested for leaks and the electrical evaluated if it sat in a field for a long time then it probably had some critters living in it and they love to chew nice soft wiring
 
Last edited:
A decade ago I bought a 1971 Sprite Musketeer from elderly neighbours. It had sat for ages and while the tires looked fine they went flat in the few blocks to my house. Totally rotten. Change the tires before you go anywhere.

The brakes grabbed at first but cleaned up quickly and worked fine. I repacked the wheel bearings and they were fine.

Had the propane system inspected and it was beyond repair. Didn't need the furnace or cook inside so I didn't replace it.

Electrical was very basic and easy to upgrade.

Your trailer sounds like a great find and a cool project. Good luck
 

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom