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>it rains, their doors don't fall off, they don't start to rust as soon as
>they leave the showroom, their electrical systems don't fail regularly. Even
>cheap cars don't have these problems, and some trailers cost much more than
in
>inexpensive car What will it take to get some changes made?
>Government standards? -Amy
Actually, I believe its mostly our fault. Decently made trailers will last a
long time, if you take care of them. We don't often spread acid on the
floorboards of our cars - but that's what happens to a trailer frequently.
I've been trailer shopping recently and one dealer made a couple of very
worthwhile comments. He mentioned that new cars get washed every couple of
weeks and either treated with a clear finish at the dealer (for an extra
$250) or waxed every 3-4 months. Okay, hands up, when was the last time you
waxed your trailer? (Don't look at me. I'm gonna have to try hard to stay
out of the column marked "Guilty as charged" <grin>) Did you put shavings on
the floor to catch urine, then rinse it out after every trip? Did you rinse
UNDER the trailer to make sure that urine didn't drip thru the floorboards
and onto the frame? When you got your trailer, did you walk around it with a
caulking gun and seal up any holes or channels that rain can drip into and
rust?
The dealer said if I could find a used trailer that someone had waxed every
six months, caulked closed the holes and rinsed out every time they used
it(or rhino coated the floor) - he'd buy it if I didn't get there first.
Needless to say he was very frank about not having any trade-ins on his lot
in that kind of condition.
Sorry this seems to have gone a bit off-topic for ridecamp; OB ridecamp, if I
don't buy a trailer soon, we'll be walking to our first ride!
....I tried to send the above on Friday, but since I had trouble spelling
"ridecamp" correctly, it bounced (sheesh on my spelling), but it's still
germane to the conversation, so here goes again....
and I want to add regarding paint jobs and the rust that follows a bad one;
that I agree with what Teddy mentioned. $900 is a cheap paint job. My hubby
restores classic cars for a hobby, and over the years I have been treated to
chapter and verse on how to paint a car so that the paint will last forever.
Most of his buddies spend between $6000 and $10,000 on restoration paint
jobs. Now, with the understanding that the $6000 end is spent on a car that
doesn't need bodywork, so we're just talking quality of paint here, this
will get you a body stripped to bare metal where there is any hint of rust,
then primed with about three coats of primer, and sanded looking for nicks
and dings and places where rust could start again. (Sorry, I skipped the wash
down to remove any foreign matter steps) Those nicks are pounded out or
filled and then primed again. When all is ready, then it gets three coats of
color, wait a week, sand, and then three coats of clear. At this point, the
owner of said car will kill a) the first cat to jump on the car b) the first
person to lean over the fender with a metal belt buckle on his/her pants.
To make a short point even longer, these guys go out of their way to keep
their cars perfect, whereas we load horses in our trailers<grin>.
We get what we pay for, so watch for me' I'll be the one waxing the heck out
of all the trailer I can afford, 'cause there's not an extra $6K in my back
pocket!
Also, if you have a trailer that you bought in the mid-eighties (82-86 +/-)
the EPA was in the process of making paint manufacturers change some of the
components in their paints. Manufacturers experimented with substitutes for
the chemicals EPA banned during these years and will admit that the quality
of their paint was terrible until acceptable substitutes were concocted. Even
with quality care, ten years is the outer limit on paint jobs from this time
period.
Alison Farrin
and the Princes, Gydion and Caer Donn
(If we're Princes, why are we doing all the work?)
P.S. The electrical system in my Cadillac breaks faster than I can fix
it.......cars break too!
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