two cheaper trailers and what to look for.
If parking is not a problem I would rather have two $6000 trailers. 53' air rides. The single most expensive thing on a trailer to replace is the floor, so as stated before a bad floor would be a deal breaker. With that being said a hole in the floor is an easy and inexpensive repair. If the rest of the floor looks strong, the hole may be just incidental and help to secure a good deal. Pay attention to the glue. When a floor starts to come apart it's usually because the glue is rotting. There might not be any holes but it won't be long. Stay away from it. Why two trailers? If you work the load boards and brokers running local, many times you get a load that delivers the next day. Mean while the last minute hot loads that pop up are usually load and go and pay well, you get to do both. This has worked well for me. If you run long, an inexpensive van and maybe a stepdeck could enable you to choose the best load available. I would not consider anything but air-ride. I would only buy a new dry van if I had a situation that demanded so and paid accordingly. One more thing, if you consistently run high miles you want a good under carriage, so as not to wear tires. Look at the slider holes to see if they're oblong, and the pins for excessive wear. It's hard to have a properly aligned trailer with these problems. These things can be fixed but it all adds up. This is just what works for me, hope it helps.
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