Burro.... Really no info?

[johnwgorman1]

Put out a call the other day for opinions on Burro trailers. Not a single reply came through!!! Wonder if there is just very little knowledge about them out there (meaning very few sold) or that activity is low on the site now. I was told that because the seam runs through the top that the unit is constantly under gravitational pressure to pull apart.... hence prone to cracking? Saw one locally (1999 Escondido, CA build) and it looked very tight and had no history of leaks. There were virtually NO rivets passing through the body. I liked that.

Please speak up if you know about Burro trailers: Quality and durability. What is appropriate pricing on a 15 year old Burro in average condition?

[Cathy P.]

Did you do a "search" on this forum for "Burro"? I would start there while waiting for someone who owns one to chime in. If you go down to the bottom, you can search the Archives under Classifieds to see common asking prices as well as here: Molded Fiberglass Travel Trailers For Sale | Fiberglass RV's For Sale

[Mike Magee]

I really don't agree with whoever claimed the seam would likely crack or pull apart. Those seams are fiberglassed across and are more like a truss than a seam. It's one of the stronger parts of the body, not one of the weakest IMO.

Burro has been out of business since about '99 or thereabout. They started in a different part of the country, then moved to CA (new ownership? I forget) at some point, but didn't last very long out there. Interior build quality was not considered to be all that great, but acceptable. I had a early '90s Burro for a couple of years and had no real problems. The window weep holes needed to be cleaned out so the water didn't overflow into the interior, but that was about it.

If the price seems fair, don't hesitate to buy the Burro. It shouldn't grenade on you or anything like that, but expect it to need upkeep like any older trailer. My guess would be between $5000 and $8000 depending on condition.

[mary and bob]

Burro is very similar to the Uhaul campers. Rumor is that the Uhauls were made from modified Burro molds. There are some Burro owners on the Uhaul Facebook group. I had a couple water leaks through the seam on our Uhaul, but that was probably due to an assembly error. I've also heard that some Burros were sold in kit form, unfinished interiors.

[Cathy P.]

Some were sold in kit form as described in this article toward the bottom: Burro Travel Trailers

[MyronL]

I owned a 1981 13 foot Burro I bought used a number of years ago. That seam splitting tale is just silly. Back then the company was based in Minnesota and their build had a very good reputation. When the original owner of my Burro, who had in fact, bought it as a kit, died, the family lost interest and allowed the poor thing to suffer from years of horrid neglect in the back yard. Really wasn't much of a kit. Basically, the cabinet doors and the axle were inside and the cab shipped on skids. I restored it and had many happy trips with it, including over the Rockies. Never a problem.

Later in life someone bought Burro out and moved the factory to California. But their production values dropped, or so I am told, and probably a bad business plan caused the company to go belly up. When U-Haul decided to branch out in the travel trailer rental business they bought rights to the Burro molds. That's why the two look alike. U-Haul beefed up all the key structural, propane and water systems to protect from renter abuse.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Myron Leski

Later in life someone bought Burro out and moved the factory to California. But their production values dropped, or so I am told, and probably a bad business plan caused the company to go belly up. When U-Haul decided to branch out in the travel trailer rental business they bought rights to the Burro molds. That's why the two look alike. U-Haul beefed up all the key structural, propane and water systems to protect from renter abuse.

And, that's an old wives tale. Burro went out of business in early 2000. U-Haul started building in 1984: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/d...nDailyNews.pdf

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by johnwgorman1

Wonder if there is just very little knowledge about them out there (meaning very few sold) or that activity is low on the site now.

Well camping season has started so folks are out enjoying their trailers. There are actually a number of folks who have owned Burros or still do here. As was suggested use the search option at the top of the page and use the bottom Google option for best results.

Regarding pricing take a look at the site Fiberglass-rv-4sale.com for the current sales listings as well as past sales under the RV's Sold section. That site also has a search function top right that you can search for all Burro ads past and current to take a look at pictures etc for a price comparison.

A few old threads to get you started re the seam question:

Burro Questions

Burro Seams

Burro Center Seam

Seam Beading for Burro

[mary and bob]

I'll repost these old magazine ads for Burros to save doing a search

[fiberglass]

You can ask me any questions as we just recently purchased a 1985 13 ft. They are very well built with double wall construction.

[Azurko]

Hi I have a 13 footer. I love the burros for there cool details and lights. I have an 83' . The top seam is easy to reseal and get a new piece of trim for. It is pretty lightweight. The U hauls were made for 2 years and are a more burly version of the Burro. Sturdier frame and bumper, plastic cabinet doors.
there are 13' footer, 15' widebodies and 17' versions. all shiny fiberglass on the inside and out.

The problem areas are window seals or lil water leaks.
Otherwise these are some of the coolest looking little fiberglass trailers( in my opinion)
azur

[Gregg Harrison]

I've owned my 1982 13ft. for almost25 years and have not experienced any leakage or design flaws. FINDING PARTS,NOW THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT ANIMAL!!!!!!!!!!!!.

[Arnold]

We bought a 1982 Burro for $2000.00. There has no leaks that I can tell. For the condition it's in I would say for a 33 year old trailer it is very well built. Selling it bought a 2015 Casita.

[William M. Smith]

Interesting reading folks! My 1980 Burro 13' had it's first trip with me two weeks ago to Elkmont, GSMNP. It did great! I'm in the process of remodeling the interior now and will continue to work on it through the summer. The previous owner had a cool Hawaiian theme, but I'm going Southwest/Native American. I'll start posting pics in a week or so.
I'll be at Pisgah Campground in two weeks for another trial run before being camp host at Cataloochee, GSMNP for the month of August. I can't wait to spend a month in it. Got lots of great remod ideas from pics a lot of you posted. I never would have thought of some of them, so thanks to all for your great and imaginative designs.

[mikeyone]

got my 1983,3 years ago.no problems,my have to do a lot of research if you want burro parts.retrofit when possible.i can not even tease my wife about selling it.paid 2900 and went to pa. from Alabama to get it.have a water storage tank and water heater if anyone needs or wants it.have coated the exterior with bed liner,added an ac unit where the water heater was.loooooove our burro.

[William M. Smith]

Today 04:40 PMWilliam M. Smith
Mike, I'll be driving down to Orange Beach on Sunday the 14th, June. I'm very interested in your water heater if you think I can get it to fit into my 1980 13' Burro. I will have Monday to meet you somewhere as I will fly back to NC on Tuesday a.m. Hope to hear from you. Sent you a private message with my contact info.

[johnwgorman1]

Thanks everyone for your posts. I have been searching the archived posts about Burros and Burro sales.

One thing that intrigues me about Burro is the double wall construction. It seems like this would be strong (if not heavy). Is double wall common to other eggs like Scamp and Casita?

[johnwgorman1]

What about windows. If replacements are needed is sizing an issue. For example, a 1999 Burro seems to have original windows. Is replacement a shoe in? Or have folks had problems getting the same sizes. Seems like a dumb question but I was wondering how "proprietary" window sizing is?

[William M. Smith]

Don't worry too much about the weight of the double wall construction. The dry weight of the Burro 13' is between 800-900 lbs. I'll let you know for sure when I have mine weighed in the near future. The double wall is advantageous in at least two areas. It will be warmer in winter and allows for putting short screws into the inner walls, for hanging stuff, without fear of breaching the outside walls causing leakage problems. Enjoy!

[Donna D.]

According to http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html Burros listed on lines 6 and 8 show travel weights at 1300-1520 lbs. which is in line with several single hull brands of the same size.