We had one, a pinto for 10years, a wedding gift from Patti's father. I can not recall a single moment of comfort. How we prayed for it to die, but it would not!
The real problem seems to be that manufactures don't take upon themselves responsibility for the trailer as a whole, they don't even process complaints. They just tell you to get in touch with whatever company supplies You broken appliance. So if they install a bunch of crap items they don't really have a stake in getting you good service. You Paid and your out the door. "Most" new buyers are ass holes who drag 10,000 pounds all over mother Earth without a care. Fortuitously they are easy bored and almost all large trailers end up as somebodies permeate dwelling. Hell if it's over 12 feet after a few years it gets parked and lived in.... Often this is about simply surviving. I can't think of a cheaper way to go and still maintain a decent level of security and comfort. If you start out with a trailer in decent shape they are not hard to maintain or all that expensive to repair the type of things that break on a parked trailer. We expect our new trailer to last us until we no longer need it. Insurance runs under $200.00 a year...for a parked trailer. If Only I could talk new trailer buyers into taking the wheels off and learning to live with themselves in one place.
LOL! Sorta. You are Pinto veterans? Knew a woman who I wished to know more of that had one, but a few rides does never equal ten years of having to live with one. At least nobody hit you from behind!!
So they build it and supply NO warranty with their product? How the H do they get away with such blatant irresponsibility?Sounds like Capitalist heaven to me. Oh wait, I forgot where we live for a minute. The shame of forgetting, sorry! Then again, with insurance that inexpensive perhaps you enjoy the benefit of a "warranty" in a manner of speaking? Oh man, if only I had a full size diesel pickup truck that had a fifth wheel installed, then I could pretend I was an eighteen wheel driver! And I'd of course modify the engine so I'd have a huge squirt of black smoke available to show 'em all who's boss! Plus an Easy Rider Rifle Rack with two rifles and a shotgun on display!! Dunno, maybe only gasoline engines can be so modified? Whichever, it's a blatant crime against reasonable people. I guess the small cabin in the woods might be a "dream" retirement home for some non wealthy folks, but there's a mortgage and real estate tax due every year, ugh. Buy it outright? I said non rich people. Plus that pesky real estate tax. Which you pay as part of your rent--yet there's no escape from the tax man. If you breathe you must pay za Shtate for the privilege. It looks like you have found the secret to an inexpensive home.
It gets worse! How? Mind you this is for the long haulers, a one up-menship kinda thing. The Trailer Row is getting is a 54 footer. The floor is higher than a mans head. She intends let it grow roots under it's wheels. The next move it makes will be to avoid fire or flood. I got nothing against burning a barrel of oil to move house from harm. Much cheaper for the world to do so. But a fifty-four footer requires a full blown Diesel engine usually reserved for long hauling fright. But even at 36-42 foot we find self centered lunatics buying "Toy haulers" (Think of them as 30 foot trailers with a 10 -15 ft. garage.) or just full blown garages on wheels. Water goers, snow goers, Motor cycles, 4X4's, every thing you should have never bought in the first place can now be dragged into anywhere you feel needs to be desecrated. The word of Climate change has simply been rejected in favor of having "Fun". Until they are outlawed as recreational transport, we Live in's will always be just a little uncomfortable by way of association. But more than a few who buy them as weapons against our ecology end up living in them as a result of irresponsibly buying 100.000 dollar status symbles.(sp.)
Last nigh the bull came right up to the door. Patti was around 5 feet away. He was A BEAST! at least a 1/3 bigger than his cows. Unfortunately going all native woulds leave me all dead.":O}
George, a while back you asked about professional appraising. There is NADA and blue book for nearly all trailers and all newer ones. That's to get ball park on an average trailer. they also have some of the more popular add-ins at purchase in book. Now just trow all of that away. Condition is every thing. I have learned that the trailer market is always good for buyers and sellers. There is almost always many choices at a given size and quality. What your looking for are water stains, soft spongy corners on the floor. Trailers show neglect and abuse like nobodies business, In a space as small as a trailer offers your never very far away from any give away. Trust one whose learned the hard way. If you open your eyes a lemon is not hard to spot.
I really meant what may be called a house "surveyor?" A person that looks in all the nooks and crannies of a house someone wants to but to find every defect and all possible faults that may raise their ugly heads after the sale. Maybe "mobile" houses don't have nooks and hidden areas like stay in place houses do?
Bulls at your front door? More spicy a meatball than I'd really like. I surely hope that talking to them didn't turn into an any old time invitation.
The tractors they use to move the long trailers from park to park are miniaturized Class 8 trucks (parks are disappearing fast. The real estate is becoming too valuable for trailers, when overpriced condoms wave in front of developer's eyes.) "Developer" is a word that makes me ill. How about "leave it alone-ers?" Oh yes, our "right" to mechanized invasion of yet to be developed land. People are plum crazy. If there's no sound of an engine--what "recreation" can we have worth mentioning? And land in the dry west is very easy to wreck. The Madman's govt. shutdown caused great damage to the California desert. No rangers to enforce the law of the land? Ooh, I can feel my mighty little machine's wheels screwing up the face of God!!
Bear in mind your talking about a 8X 32 to 42 space. A trailer has specific systems. Heat, cooling, appliances, seals everywhere. Fresh water grey water and black water. The push out systems and general wear and tear. I leave out the running systems like brakes, shocks, hitch and tires as they are of very little import to the stationary trailer. You can scope out a trailer in under an hour, far less if it's a junker. There are probably are folks who can do this for hire. But if you live in a trailer park chances are someone of real knowledge, (We have folks here who have lived in trailers all there lives, (grew up in them.) Who you can ask to help you appraise. The price of any trailer is easy to come by. What is tricky is getting your moneys worth. As value goes back to condition. But if one is patient and careful and has a friend A good trailer at a fair price (or even a steal) isn't hard to find. Most people have trouble with financing. They wait to long as we did and are usually in bad shape when they decide this trailer thing is a way to go. They are inexperienced as we were and very short on cash.As we were. Moving into such a small space especially if you have kids is not an easy decision before it becomes the only choice for you. I feared ending up in a trailer all my life. (My grandmother was miserable back in the 60's in hers. She lived in San Diego without air conditioning.Seemed like every time I visited her someone was being pulled out by medics for heat stroke...it left an impression! the biggest hurdle most face, after money I think is the down sizing. Say good by to almost everything you own. I have by extraordinary cramming and a year to figure out an arrangement that would "Mostly" work have been able to hold on to my PS3, PS4, computer and receiver and speakers. My 60 inch monitor had to go. Patti lost everything she had acquired over our 45 or so years together and most of the family heirlooms. It can be daunting. But as I have said before we have never been happier with our living situations. A word to the wise. Where you park it becomes pretty much everything. We would be miserable in this trailer parked in a city park or the more standard square mile of RVs 10 feet apart in a very black top world. out doors is critical to happy trailer life. Find a spot you really like before you buy your trailer. A spot you really like can cost a ridiculous amount of money in the city. So can a spot you really detest. Me and Patti just got lucky at every turn. Once you fumble your way into a good trailer in a better spot and you have let go of your attachment to the things of your life you no loner need. There is the possibility of real happiness living in your spot in your trailer. "Look at me, I'm old but I'm happy.":O} Cat Stevens sang this when I was 22. I have worked hard all my life to be able to say this of myself.":O}
Thank you very much for all of your detailed elucidation about trailer living! I have so much junk, much of it probably close to real junk--I used to know where everything is but now the piles somewhat confound me. But the flimsiness of trailers bothers me, maybe it shouldn't. All I think is solid won't be when the 9.0 or more quake comes a knocking--as it does every five hundred years. It's been more than four hundred years since the last mofo quake. "They" say you'll be safe on the east side of I-5 but I don't think that four hundred feet will mean much. We are also on bedrock but so what? A forty year old 15 storey building has to fall short of modern building codes as well. And fall it will! It really bites that Patti had to lose her carefully curated collection of keepsakes and heirlooms. I'm very happy that you "fell" into a GOOD place to live! I lived with my brother and his SO in a double wide for a few months many years ago. All of that blacktop wasn't exactly homey. Somehow I think that a travel trailer must be just a wee bit tighter in living space. I really, really hope that your plans to get a bigger and better place to live come to fruition!!
This sure shows a smart way to have decent living space inside a small footprint. TBH, the dealer's name "Lerch" doesn't make me feel like I'd be secure on their lot. Whew, it's in Pennsylvania. Already lived there, no reason to return! If your new place to live looks this cool, by all means I wish you success in moving! With a fireplace? Really? I'd jump at the chance to move on up to a better place!
When you think about it...your better off in a trailer than in a high rise. Trailers aren't attached to the shaking ground they tend to float over the shaking, far from a smooth ride, but if the ground doesn't swallow you and nothing falls on you, you should be alright. the fireplace is a decoration, a gas burner. Real heat comes from a dozen central air and heat floor vents, very well distributive arrangement. But floor vents can be a pain, I prefer low wall vents, much cleaner. The Dark side of trailer parks and camps. They are socially segregated! Many are divided between over 50 and under 50. Many will not allow a trailer over ten years old to enter. In short many trailer parks are run by shit heads. Many cost more that simply renting a hotel or motel room. At Camp Clear Water your seen as a permeate member by the third day. Our trailers range from brand new (under ten years old) And up to 35 years old. We have kids running around and old folks to help keep an eye upon them. We are all poor, some need our help every day. Patti has around $1,500 in loans out to various worthy and needful neighbors.. We see it as worth it to keep them as neighbors. The only real shadow is the threat of missing rent and having to leave and lose your spot. There isn't another Clear water just down the road. People here have been EVERYWHERE! They choose Clear water and none of us ever want to leave. That's how lucky we were to find this place. We DID in fact rent our spot before we bought our trailer. Like all real estate, it's location, location, location. We haven't had an empty spot since August. But we do play a bit of musical trailers as people trade spots, As we did a year after we arrived. Moving is a pain in the ass as we all have things stuffed under and round our trailers. But we have differing desires when it come to our spots. So we move to improve our quality of life. Row has set aside a four trailer area. For the truly down and out. She provides old but still serviceable trailers within this area. They must haul their water and use tote boxes to drain their black and grey water. They have no power so run a Genny to charge their batteries and the camp as a whole works out their propane, Patti buys most of our groceries. But we have people who buy our tobacco on the muckatilo reservation at oh... say 1960 prices. I smoke a pack a day and give away about a 1/4 of that much for around $30.00 a month. (we roll our own.) Another member does a monthly run to Tacoma where we get $60.00 ounces... Pot was never in my lifetime so cheep and available in such verity. We give away bud to the bud-less nearly every day. We get almost every week gifts of food, pot, tarps, odd electric adapters are passed around like candy. We share propane as needed; company and good advice abound. Patti helps with our by-weekly trips to get propane. She can shovel snow as one would expect from an Oregon girl. We don't live in paradise, but we are creating one for us all. So Trailer good, a good spot even better and harder to find. We have settled our deal with Row she is going for a 54 ft trailer God love her! ":O} We are buying her trailer at a very fair price, no interest on our payments. When Row's trailer arrives things are going to be jumping around here for a few days or weeks. We CAN live here on just our Social security. Very tight but we can do it. This includes the payments on our new 5 year old trailer. So Patti is (AT very long last) quitting her cleaning job to look for work in Emuclaw. She wants to try working a a pie baker. Wish her luck.In it's start up days she ran Top Pot donuts, they the screwed her when she had things running smoothly. The bastards told her it wasn't personal.it's just better for them to have low wage workers., Now that she had them set up. Odds are against the Pie thing but it's a place to start. She does have skills. We are giving our old trailer to one now living in a wreak of a 22 foot coach. off to the junkers with it. His brother is buying a better trailer from someone who is just moving in to the Clear water apts. (An old landmark duplex of a cabin with lots of room.":O} So five of the 14 trailers dwellers are moving up into better circumstance. Still a few months off. Big doings on the White river! LOL
Sitting in my high perch in the nose of my 5th wheel. glanced out my window and saw a small horse, which was not a horse at all but an Elk...n broad daylight, 3 pm. There's much in out yard to eat and the winter may have pushed her to abandon shyness. She's come my way around 12 feet from my window now. By far my best look, first look in this location in daylight. You should get yourself an Elk if you can. Mine is tagged , we study them we don't shoot them in this area. I think this may be the cow I spoke with a few nights ago. She has worked her way to my window not 5 feet from the glass...3 feet.!! She has an attractive hide reddish brown made to look very odd by the shaggy long fur hanging only from her neck....Alice the Goon funny. She has passed me by to inspect our front door. Watching her feed...I can't understand how she can sustain herself, A nibble here on the ground and then reaching up for Pine needles, a tiny nibble there and she moves on. How can she possibly be as fat and sassy as she looks!?One of her sisters just joined her they seem to be on very good terms. Gonna go check out our other windows..This may be the first wave of an invasion!! I'm back. There is only two of them so we should be OK. The second one's neck fur is dry, a much better look for an Elk. I thank you Lord for saving the best part of my life for last.
It sounds like you found the very best situation for your trailer and exactly the best place for you to live. I'm happy for you! Don't know how long this strangely cold winter will make the snow stay frozen around you. Yet you're coping with it very well, we doff our caps in salute. I thought that wild animals were only found in zoos? I dislike the concept of a zoo. Sure, it's nice that little kids get to see some of the wild world but imprisoning the rapidly diminishing wild doesn't seem right. There's too little of the wild left and too many people are taking over former naturally wild places. Glad that your plan of moving into a bigger home is coming along nicely!
I once visited the Seattle Zoo I had been many times to the San Diego zoo which is everything people say it is, Vast humane and accessible. I loved going there. But my last visit to a Zoo was in Seattle. For some reason the minute I had the gate the gate hit me. I was no longer visiting a zoo. I was witnessing the imprisonment of all life on earth. The future was no longer mine. The bars, motes and glass that separated us, in separating they imprisoned us all. "If one of us is in chains..." Hasn't left me since. We do not have the right. We did not create this world and we do not hold the deed. We are but one of millions of species all of which can claim as much right to be here as we have. None of which are actively involved it the destruction of the ecology we use to share with what I would describe as a loving grace. Early man understood that he walked this world having in no way earned a place here. They felt the blood debt with every life they took. They sought forgiveness both from the slain animal and the one that created it. They wanted the heavens to know that they did so only out of need and in keeping with all the predators of the Earth. So I don't go to the zoo anymore. I can't stand the humiliation to be found by imprisoning the innocent to serve our desires. We have lost the right to walk among the animals when we decided they were here solely to serve us rather than the one who created them.
