i'm new here...

[steven jones]

i just found this site... wow... this is what i've been looking for... i haven't looked around much, but it seems like i'll find everything i need here...
i just purchased my '82 burro 13'r this summer... i got it on ebay for $205 from a guy in michigan... i think i paid more to the indiana & illinois tollways on the trip...
here's a pic of it at a rest stop when i pulled it home...




my car maxed out at 70mph in 4th gear, & stopping was a little scary, but she pulled nice & steady...
i've been wanting compact FRV for a long time... i almost bought one 7 years ago when a guy i knew had one for sale for $800... before i could come up with the money, he sold it for $500... it's now an ice-fishing hut...
about me... i'm 35, & a student at tech school... i'm a compact-car racing/modifying enthusiast, specifically with toyota tercels... i'm a member & moderator on a tercel forum... i've owned 3, but i currently have 2 '92 red 2drs, but i will be junking one as soon as i pull the motor out... i'm building up the one i am keeping for rally & track racing, but keeping it street-legal... this consequently means doing all the things it will need to pull this trailer safely... upgrade brakes, stiffen the chassis, & increase the power...
the trailer is in rough shape... the previous-to-the-previous-owners had converted is (badly) into a food-vending trailer, changed the windows (again, badly) & generally put more holes in it than i can count... i'm estimating about 2-3 gallons of resin will be needed to repair holes & fix the floor... did i mention the floor...? it's kinda... softish... very flexible in the middle & near the door... the roof vent is gone, & it's been raining inside for a few years, at least... the frame is badly rusted, & slightly bent... i used to work a a trailer company, www.tritontrailers.com , & i'm pretty sure i can get a new aluminum frame made to fit... i know the guys in the welding & fabrication department...
other than that, i'm going to be looking for help on this forum... i understand the powah of the search button, but i'll probably be bothering y'all anyway with questions & pics of my progress...
looking forward to getting to know ya...
--- steven

[Larry&Carrie]

i just found this site... wow... this is what i've been looking for... i haven't looked around much, but it seems like i'll find everything i need here...
i just purchased my '82 burro 13'r this summer... i got it on ebay for $205 from a guy in michigan... i think i paid more to the indiana & illinois tollways on the trip...
here's a pic of it at a rest stop when i pulled it home...

Steve---- welcome- -- gee whiz, you sure paid a lot for it... And now the fun begins. Larry

[steven jones]

actually, the price is fair... i found a mouse nest under where the fridge/icebox would've been, & it took 1/2 a day just to clean the inside... so much splatter on the walls, faulty wiring, etc... luckily, there doesn't seem to be and mold...i have more pics to post, but after browsing a bit, i realized the picture i posted is too huge... i'll have to figure out how to convert to thumbnails...
after seeing some of the custom interiors/exteriors some of you have, i'm inspired to go further than i expected in restoring this trailer...
i have a question, though... when i bought the trailer, the seller did not have a title for it... since i will be "buying" a new trailer frame & axle, can i use that title or will i need to apply for a special title...? i'm not even sure if wisconsin trailers have titles, or how they are registered... i'll have to check state laws regarding this... any wisconsinites can give me some insights...?
--- steven

[Donna D.]

i have more pics to post, but after browsing a bit, i realized the picture i posted is too huge... i'll have to figure out how to convert to thumbnails...

PM sent Steven

[Patrick M.]

Welcome to a great forum!

Wow, that's the longest tongue I've ever seen! Great price BTW, and good luck with your restore!

[Gina D.]

Wow, that's the longest tongue I've ever seen!

Don't let Gene Simmons hear that!

Welcome Steven. As a former owner of a 13 foot Burro with a STOCK aluminum frame, I would advise against going that route. Burro didn't make the aluminum frame for but a few months, and I suspect I know why.

13s of any ilk seem to like to break at the "A" bend anyway, and I repaired mine TWICE in that spot. The weight savings seemed hardly worth the stranding. The second repair beefed up that point to being the strongest point on the trailer, but it took a few days and an FAA certified welder to do it. I am positive no more breaks will happen there now, but if considering doing aluminum, design some extra precautions in that area.

[peterh]

Don't let Gene Simmons hear that!

Hmmm. Now I'm thinking paint-scheme . . .

--Peter

[Brian B-P]

Welcome, Steven!

When I was driving my Tercel, and using it in autoslalom and navex rally competition, I met other people using them for ice racing and performance rallying. Essentially everybody else thought that they were crazy, and I could see their point... this is the lowest-performance vehicle Toyota (or just about anybody else) made at the time! Mine was a 1984 (second generation), and I realize they changed in later years. Oh well, they were reliable and everybody was having fun, which are the important parts.

A Tercel is also a pretty marginal tow vehicle, especially for something as large (in relative terms) as a Burro. Keep that in mind...

Now for the questions: fire away!

[steven jones]

Don't let Gene Simmons hear that!

Welcome Steven. As a former owner of a 13 foot Burro with a STOCK aluminum frame, I would advise against going that route. Burro didn't make the aluminum frame for but a few months, and I suspect I know why.

13s of any ilk seem to like to break at the "A" bend anyway, and I repaired mine TWICE in that spot. The weight savings seemed hardly worth the stranding. The second repair beefed up that point to being the strongest point on the trailer, but it took a few days and an FAA certified welder to do it. I am positive no more breaks will happen there now, but if considering doing aluminum, design some extra precautions in that area.

i'll make a note of it... my rusted out frame is bent at the "A" bend... it was "reinforced", but does not look reliable... the reason i thought of using an aluminum frame exactly is for the weight savings... but my concern with aluminum is the road fatigue & weak points where it is bent... so i might look into steel framing, instead... i'll be pulling it with a 2100lb tercel, & although it's not rated to pull a trailer, i know i can properly equip it to do so... the previous owner installed the trailer hitch, & used it regularly to pull a small utility trailer w/firewood... but i understand there will need to be some clever engineering done to both car & trailer to achieve proper balance/stability...
the long tongue on my trailer makes me suspect that it was not original... but it seems to help it pull steady... so i might incorporate it into the design... i was planning to add a small utility box in the front, to hold tools, parts, & the propane tank...
i'll post some more pics soon of the interior & exterior restoration problems i'm facing...
custom paint-scheme is definitely in the plans, but it'll be red/black to match the car...
--- steven

[Frederick L. Simson]

The reason i thought of using an aluminum frame exactly is for the weight savings... but my concern with aluminum is the road fatigue & weak points where it is bent...

The Oliver Legacy is a new trailer design that is using an aluminum frame.

My Fiber Stream uses a steel frame that is 1/2 the dimension of other manufacturers.

Both of these strategies are for overall weight savings. However, my Fiber Stream does NOT use the traditional Bent Rail approach to form the tongue triangle. My frame and tongue are separate box assemblies (frame = rectangle, tongue = triangle) that are fully gusseted where they join for greater strength. I'll have to add photos later...

[steven jones]

The Oliver Legacy is a new trailer design that is using an aluminum frame.

My Fiber Stream uses a steel frame that is 1/2 the dimension of other manufacturers.

Both of these strategies are for overall weight savings. However, my Fiber Stream does NOT use the traditional Bent Rail approach to form the tongue triangle. My frame and tongue are separate box assemblies (frame = rectangle, tongue = triangle) that are fully gusseted where they join for greater strength. I'll have to add photos later...

thanks... i know i could design an aluminum frame without bends... & reinforce it with strategic gusseting... so i guess i'm still undecided between steel & aluminum... steel has the advantage of being easier to do field repair if needed... but if either is built right, field repair shouldn't be needed... i'm a long ways from deciding on the frame, though... right now i'm trying to figure out how to get the shell off the frame & up on some pallets in the backyard so i can start the F/G repair & floor replacement... i'm unemployed & poor, but busy with school right now, so although i have time, i haven't the $$ to buy materials... so the project might not begin in earnest until next spring... all i can really do now is tear-down, cleaning and prep for repairs... & of course research for info/ideas here...
--- steven

[Pete Dumbleton]

IMHO, you are towing a bit too fast (trailer tires are typically rated for 65 max and some states limit trailers to 55); if something happens, it will happen harder and faster at higher speeds.

Your long tongue is a definite advantage because it increases the leverage the tow vehicle has on the trailer and will keep sway effects down. Plus it is a good place for bikes, etc.

You really want to ask some hypothetical questions of the vehicle registration folks and perhaps do a search on the VIN number -- Could be a pre-owned trailer with the owner still looking for it.

One disadvantage to aluminum, and perhaps a reason more trailer manfs don't use it, is that aluminum isn't as good as steel when it comes to metal fatigue, so the frame design may be critical.

[CindyL]

Steven:

Are you sure that is a Burro? We had a Burro last year and the tongue was not that long. We always had to make sure that the Eurovan rear door did not hit the Burro when we opened it. We have a UHaul this year. It has a long tongue and we have no problem whatsoever with the back door of the Eurovan, because of the length of the tongue. I do not know if the 13' UHaul has a tongue that long but perhaps.

CindyL

[Brian B-P]

The U-Haul tongue is straight (and removable), while Steven's trailer has an A-frame plus straight section, which I agree is likely a non-factory extension. I'm not a U-Haul or Burro expert by any means, but just based on the tongue I'm guessing Burro.

[CindyL]

Oh, yes, I see that V part now. Our UHaul does not have that, just a long, straight hitch.

CindyL

[steven jones]

i still don't think i'm getting this picture posting right...
anyway, i think the frame is different, because i have been unable to find a VIN on this trailer... does anyone know where it ought to be...?

i knew i was going kinda fast, but that was only testing it... i stayed at 60 most of the way...

it has the burro logo & head on the door side, but it has been painted over... the side window have been changed, & the rear window is only a piece of lexan screwed & glued on...
--- steven

edit: i deleted the pic of the frame until i can figure out how to use this internets thing right...

[Gina D.]

no, thats not the original frame.

The vin should be on the street side from "Bend" angle towards the tongue. With that frame, who knows where it might be, if it has one at all.

[james kent]

Looks like the body has been placed on a boat trailer.

[steven jones]

ok, i'mna try & post some pictures here, tonight, with help from my roommate & his new digi-cam...
i think i may go fully custom on my little burro, since it's going to need to be re-floored, & get a new frame... all the interior features have been removed, & the previous owner cut it up quite a bit...
reading about some of the ideas/mods/custom work many of you have done is inspiring... ideally, i want my camper to accommodate two people comfortably, but i want to add a bathroom/shower, & reconfigure the layout accordingly, with easy access to storage & extra features...
so my first questions are about getting this thing taken apart...
my plan is to get it into an area of my backyard, throw down a couple of old mattresses, remove one of the wheels & carefully roll the whole damn thing onto it's side... then i'll detach the old steel frame from the wood, & set it aside... with the steel frame off, i'll roll it back upright, with some wood pallets & cinder blocks to support it...
then i plan to cut out the old floor, removing all the old rotted wood from the fiberglass... after that, i'm going to remove the door & all the windows, & determine if i can salvage any of them... only the front window is original, the others are from another trailer or possibly an old truck cap...
the burro design was assembled with a seam that runs down the middle, from the front to the back... i'm contemplating cutting the shell in half, where it was assembled, so that i can separate the inner shells from the outer shells for better repair, customization, and insulation before they are reassembled... any suggestions...? will the inner/outer shells separate, or are they glued together with epoxy resin...?
does it seem like a good plan...? or should i leave it on the frame, remove the windows, & cut it in half with the floor still attached...?
suggestions/ideas are welcome... like a said before, i'll be posting some pics of the interior/exterior so y'all can get a better idea of where i'm starting this restoration, & what needs to be done...
--- steven

[Gina D.]

Steven, you will find that the inner and out shell seams are not in the same place, so it's not quite that easy. The two inner shells end about 6 inches BACK from the center seam of the outer shell. (On my 17, this divide is only a couple inches, but it's the same principle)

They are glassed to the outer shell at that point. So, you actually only have single shell coverage at the centerline of the unit.

I believe this makes the structure more sound, but who knows why it is actually designed that way. Could have been easy of manufacturing.