Buy a trailer (instead of a pickup truck)

[Piotrsko]

+40mpg AVERAGE. bet you aint getting that racing F150'S

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

+40mpg AVERAGE. bet you aint getting that racing F150'S

The worst tank I've seen towing was still upper 30's, was 70+ mph on the highway, towing nearly the entire tank.

[Piotrsko]

Notice that I said "racing F150's" not just dragging trailers everywhere. I dunno, that little extra request for HP tends to ruin mileage expectations IMHO.

[Xist]

Mostly unrelated, but I have recently seen two videos of guys buying garbage fifth-wheel trailers, and ripping off the camper portion.

Is there any way that makes sense financially?

I think each bought theirs for $100 and they were 15 - 20 feet long.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

Mostly unrelated, but I have recently seen two videos of guys buying garbage fifth-wheel trailers, and ripping off the camper portion.

Is there any way that makes sense financially?

I think each bought theirs for $100 and they were 15 - 20 feet long.

For sure. 5th wheel trailers are expensive, so $100 is a steal. Heck, the wheels and tires alone are probably worth it.

A stranger offered to trade his dual axle ~12ft x ~6ft trailer in good condition for the rusty 5th wheel trailer with completely rotten flooring my dad had. We both probably got a good deal as we didn't need a hay trailer, and apparently he didn't need a car-hauling sized trailer.

[freebeard]

Is there any way that makes sense financially?

I think each bought theirs for $100 and they were 15 - 20 feet long.

Strip it down to the frame and re-deck it with swing-door material (aluminum-skinned plywood), steel studs spot-welded to the top and bottom plates. The skin could be Polymetal or old barn boards.

Tiny house for less than a shipping container.

[hayden55]

Originally Posted by Xist

Mostly unrelated, but I have recently seen two videos of guys buying garbage fifth-wheel trailers, and ripping off the camper portion.

Is there any way that makes sense financially?

I think each bought theirs for $100 and they were 15 - 20 feet long.

Most of the time they will give them away.

If you're time is worth the amount of effort, you could just bring the scrap to the dump for like $60 bucks. Then you have a 60$ 5th wheel trailer for a F ton of labor hours stripping it down lol

[Xist]

At least one was bought from a dump...

I do not know if you guys are familiar with Homemade Home, but he buys houses for $5,000 - $15,000, spends at least six months renovating them, and then rents them out. He cut the walls and roof of this twenty-foot trailer in half and pulled them apart, ground off the rust, sprayed rust converter, and then Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer. He welded in reinforcements, put the aluminum bottom back, and then bolted in floor boards, and screwed in plywood:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWWt8jT8WuA

This guy (with 770 views) stripped a 24-foot-fifth wheel until it was just the frame and the roof. Then he attached a rope to it and pulled until the roof came down. He said he spent weeks separating metal from wood and received $200 for it "which wasn't worth it at all." He did not say how much the trailer was, but he said the entire project cost $5,000:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwVUVtSTZLQ

[redpoint5]

There's nothing magical about a house having wheels except that it's portable. You could build a tiny house for even less if you didn't have to put it on a trailer and confine the dimensions to it.

If I didn't intend to move, I'd build a stationary house. If I intended to move often, I'd get an RV. Somewhere between those extremes, I'd rent.

Renting is the solution for medium-term living of about 1-5 years in a single location. Spent more than about 5 years in a given location, and you're better off buying.

[Ecky]

Couple of cubic yards of old masonite, sheathing and tar paper off to the transfer station.