Posted 2006-03-27 9:53 AM (#39588) Subject: Test Drive - Trailer?
Veteran
Posts: 133 Location: Indianapolis, IN
Just out of couriousity for both Buyers and Sellers, what is the standard outlook of having the buyers test drive (pull) a trailer they are interested in?
Being a buyer, I can see how you would not want to purchase a trailer unless you made sure your truck can pull it, you like the way it handles.
What is the liability of the Private Seller (Trailer Owner) with this then?
Do dealers have insurance on this type of thing? If you are a personal seller, do you allow this?
What happens if they are inexperienced and hit something or damage the trailer?
Did anyone test pull their trailer??? Would you if you bought again?
Posted 2006-03-27 10:21 AM (#39590 - in reply to #39588) Subject: RE: Test Drive - Trailer?
Regular
Posts: 57 Location: Casa Grande Arizona
I personally wouldn't let someone "test drive" a trailer if I was selling it. Chances are you are going to have to modify your truck anyways to get a perfect fit between the trailer and truck.
I would be more worried about the weight of the trailer and the towing capacity of the truck. If you have more than enough towing capacity then most of the other things can be fixed without a ton of money.
The liability of the trailer should be covered by the towing vehicle.
Now here is one piece of advice that might actually be worth something. I would like to take the trailer to a scale (truck stop) and get an actual weight. I was told my trailer weighed 9700 and a buddy looked the weight up on a blue book and it said 11700. When it hit the scale it was 14,000. I was going be able to tow the trailer with my truck until I hit the 14K range. I would have liked to known that before I bought the trailer. Solution. Go buy a bigger truck.
Posted 2006-03-27 10:45 AM (#39592 - in reply to #39588) Subject: RE: Test Drive - Trailer?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 560 Location: Mena, AR
When I sold a trailer, we hooked it to my truck and we pulled it several miles with me driving. Then he drove my truck a few 100 yards down the road to make sure it was pulling correctly. Seem like a reasonable request to me.
Posted 2006-03-27 11:04 AM (#39597 - in reply to #39588) Subject: RE: Test Drive - Trailer?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534 Location: Zionsville, Indiana
We encourage our customers to hook on to a trailer that interests them, or to a similar unit, and see how their vehicle handles it before they buy it. The vehicle must of course be correctly set up to pull the trailer, and some of them aren't so that doesn't work in that case. As to insurance, the towing vehicle's insurance covers the liability, and the dealer should have insurance to cover damages or loss to the trailer. Also, to state the obvious, you want to have a good feel for the individual before you let him pull the trailer off your lot. We have never had a problem. I think it comes down to treating people the way you would like to be treated yourself. Not a new concept.
Test Drive - Trailer?
