Posted 2006-11-15 11:24 AM (#51521) Subject: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Looking at two used living Qtr trailers.First one is a Sundowner Sunlite 1996 with 8 foot living qtrs. The other is a 1998 Hart,also 8 foot short wall.Sunlite ad states all alum.Hart is composite over alum.frame.Hart has many more features and newer but price on both the same.Any opinion/experience with composite? Why would the prices be the same? Should I be nervous about composite? Thanks for feedback.
Posted 2006-11-15 1:07 PM (#51527 - in reply to #51521) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
I think they call it a composite because of the roof. Everybody will jump in here but, it's FRP that used to stand for Fiberglass Reinforced Plywood. I hear people now calling it Fiberglass Reinforced Panel. Most trailers have an Aluminum Roof. Some trailer manufacturers use this FRP for the walls, dividers and anything else they can. It is easy to work with, hard to repair.
Posted 2006-11-15 3:10 PM (#51539 - in reply to #51521) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534 Location: Zionsville, Indiana
Don't be afraid of the FRP roof or walls. Ask if it is plywood or foam cored. The FRP roof currently used has a honeycomb type inner structure. It (and the foam cored FRP) is impervious to moisture, very strong, and self insulating. You can get up and dance on a Hart roof. One piece, no seams to leak, etc. Cimmaron also uses this roof. My son has a 1996 Hart four horse with a 4' mid tack and a 10' living area. The entire trailer, walls and roof, are foam cored. It is extremely light in weight and so easy to take care of. He does wax it once a year with a wax made for fiberglass boats. We are dealers, and I can't talk him out of this trailer and into a new one, primarily because Hart no longer builds entire trailers with this material. It became too expensive to do so. Good luck in your purchase.
Posted 2006-11-17 6:25 PM (#51647 - in reply to #51645) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Its a clean 1998 three horse,8 foot short wall,awning,LP onan generator etc.It was several thousands below what folks wanted for less equipment and a few years older for like Sundowners,Featherlites etc.Pick it up tomorrow.
Posted 2006-11-17 8:03 PM (#51648 - in reply to #51527) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
Originally written by HWBar on 2006-11-15 1:07 PM
I think they call it a composite because of the roof. Everybody will jump in here but, it's FRP that used to stand for Fiberglass Reinforced Plywood. I hear people now calling it Fiberglass Reinforced Panel. Most trailers have an Aluminum Roof. Some trailer manufacturers use this FRP for the walls, dividers and anything else they can. It is easy to work with, hard to repair.
Someone explain to me what part of this is BLASTING?
Posted 2006-11-18 2:46 AM (#51652 - in reply to #51521) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
This has no plywood in it.Talked to the Hart factory about it.Says weighs about 300lbs more then a alumn.trailer of same size etc.Said matieral was tough,insulated better,wouldn't dent and very very hard to damage.Learned something from him about living Qtrs weight.Said the AVERAGE was 300lbs per foot of short wall.So a 8 foot shortwall L.Q. is 8 x 300 = 2400lbs add.weight to weight of trailer shell not counting liquids(water etc) He said trailer we bought was 5200 lbs before L.Q. Few hundered less then the 3 horse steel CM we have.So this trailer is about 8k or so.Will run it over scales and see how close it is.
Posted 2006-11-20 2:04 AM (#51703 - in reply to #51521) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Darn,trailer is adverstised on this site.Ad 96805 or search Florida,3 three horse with living qtrs in the 15k to 25k price range.Its the HART that says price reduced. Messed with it all day yesterday going over it,serviced the generator,some more cleaning,figured out awning etc.It has new Mich.radials trailer tires,generator had 40 hours on it (has a hour meter)New fridge and micro wave,new rv batterys(duel) twin monitors(camera) in in horse area.Lots of things not stated in ad. All booklets came with it and orignal invoice with a breakdown of trailer and then living qtrs cost etc.Sold new in 1999 for $39,800 and change.Owner pulled it to Macon and we meet him there.Running 65/68 mph we got 13mpg pulling it here to the Athens area.
Posted 2006-11-20 5:58 AM (#51708 - in reply to #51521) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Wasn't advertised with new fridge,tires,microwave,batterys.They said generator had been used a lot.Its got a hour meter and it works.Had only 40 hours.Heck oil changes aren't about every 150 I think I read in the manual.Oil looked clear in it but I changed it to a synthetic oil.Also those new type roof vent protecirs that are boxed to keep rain and depris out.Even in talking to them no mention of the new items.Everthings got a lock.Two many in a way.Doors,all windows,electric jack control,battery box,fresh water intake,rear doors, big ring of keys.Only thing it dosen't have is a furnace.Has a ac heat strip which was told by others was worthless,they were right.I've ordered a radiant propane heater to go in it.I want to be able to have heat that requies no power(no blower)Guess in Florida its not needed.
Posted 2006-11-22 2:45 PM (#51802 - in reply to #51521) Subject: RE: HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Sure do. Never realized how good a trailer could be made.We have looked at a lot of them over the last few years.By far this is the best made one we have ever seen.Wasn't sure about the walls,roof etc.Liking it more every day.Its appears to be tough stuff.Real quiet and just thumping on it with your fist you know its made of something strong.tried a $20.00 electric heater in it this morning.By time the colts has finished their grain I went and opened the door to the trailer and HEAT hit me in the face.
HELP! Used Living qtr.Trailer. Need Advise.
