Experiences with Burro trailers?

[James in NJ]

Hey all,

I've come across a listing for a 1982 Burro trailer. Anyone have any experiences with Burro trailers?

Any tips on what to inspect before deciding to purchase?

[thrifty bill]

Go to the top right of the page, click on manufacturers, then select Burro. There you will find every thread mentioning Burro and some detailed repair discussions. From those repairs, you will quickly learn what to look for and what to avoid. There is also a generic buyers checklist in the document center.

The more you read up front, the more prepared you will be and the more problems you will avoid.

I used this method when I was searching for a vintage Trillium. I avoided some disasters, which were promptly sold to others. Been waiting for those buyers to appear here. Sellers naturally did not disclose anything and failed to bring up any problems. Whether they were just ill informed or deceitful, I do not know. Certainly after I pointed out their trailer issues, they were no longer ill informed.

Its kind of like when we bought our falling down home. Sellers had inherited the property, so they checked the "I don't know" box on the sellers disclosure form. After our 17 page inspection report was handed to them, their realtor did a good job, handing them back the disclosure form and telling them they now had to update it. Sellers of RVs have no such requirements.

One seller told me their trailer had no leaks, and there was standing water in one of the benches, and the floor was rotten......

[Mikmay]

Originally Posted by James in NJ

Hey all,

I've come across a listing for a 1982 Burro trailer. Anyone have any experiences with Burro trailers?

Any tips on what to inspect before deciding to purchase?

Is it a wide body or a 13 ft , almost all burros have an inherent poor design where they covered the plywood floor with fg but did not cover the edge making them highly susceptible to wood rot from the outside edge in ,usually from leaky windows and are difficult to repair without removing the shell from the floor . Even though the Center portion may feel intact make sure to check the perimeter from underneath to see if it is structurally sound

[James in NJ]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Go to the top right of the page, click on manufacturers, then select Burro. There you will find every thread mentioning Burro and some detailed repair discussions. From those repairs, you will quickly learn what to look for and what to avoid. There is also a generic buyers checklist in the document center.

The more you read up front, the more prepared you will be and the more problems you will avoid.

I used this method when I was searching for a vintage Trillium. I avoided some disasters, which were promptly sold to others. Been waiting for those buyers to appear here. Sellers naturally did not disclose anything and failed to bring up any problems. Whether they were just ill informed or deceitful, I do not know. Certainly after I pointed out their trailer issues, they were no longer ill informed.

Its kind of like when we bought our falling down home. Sellers had inherited the property, so they checked the "I don't know" box on the sellers disclosure form. After our 17 page inspection report was handed to them, their realtor did a good job, handing them back the disclosure form and telling them they now had to update it. Sellers of RVs have no such requirements.

One seller told me their trailer had no leaks, and there was standing water in one of the benches, and the floor was rotten......

Thanks very much!

[James in NJ]

Originally Posted by Mikmay

Is it a wide body or a 13 ft , almost all burros have an inherent poor design where they covered the plywood floor with fg but did not cover the edge making them highly susceptible to wood rot from the outside edge in ,usually from leaky windows and are difficult to repair without removing the shell from the floor . Even though the Center portion may feel intact make sure to check the perimeter from underneath to see if it is structurally sound

Ah crap okay thanks for bringing that up, it's a 13 ft.

[Kevin A]

James, we had a 1978 13’ Burro as our first FG trailer in 2006 and loved it. We traveled to Yellowstone and numerous other locations with that little rig. We even added an AC unit but that’s another story. Be sure to check out the frame, too. Surface rust is OK, but you don’t want a lot of rust-through spots unless you are willing to do welding repairs.

Don’t be discouraged by what might be wrong with it. Go in with your eyes open knowing that most old FG trailers have leaky windows and things can be fixed!

[James in NJ]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

James, we had a 1978 13’ Burro as our first FG trailer in 2006 and loved it. We traveled to Yellowstone and numerous other locations with that little rig. We even added an AC unit but that’s another story. Be sure to check out the frame, too. Surface rust is OK, but you don’t want a lot of rust-through spots unless you are willing to do welding repairs.

Don’t be discouraged by what might be wrong with it. Go in with your eyes open knowing that most old FG trailers have leaky windows and things can be fixed!

Thanks Kevin!! My biggest concern is leaks leading to mold. Any tips on what to inspect to look for that?

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by James in NJ

Thanks Kevin!! My biggest concern is leaks leading to mold. Any tips on what to inspect to look for that?

Step 1: Trust your nose.

Step 2: How is it being stored when not in use? A trailer left outdoors when not in use is more prone to problems.

Step 3: inspect everything. Take a flashlight, crawl underneath it. Open every cabinet and look carefully. Soft spot = wet = rot.

Step 4: If you have serious allergies, buy new, keep it under roof when not in use, do all the routine maintenance. Sadly, many people use the "run to failure" maintenance approach. And even then, they will run past failure as they neglect to notice problems. I've walked away from some trailers that were in "pristine, excellent condition", at least according to the sellers.

Every brand has its weaknesses. Learn those weaknesses BEFORE you buy and then you will be a better inspector. Its surprising in this internet age that some people will blindly buy a major purchase, and only later "discover" the well publicized short comings.

[Mikmay]

Originally Posted by James in NJ

Thanks Kevin!! My biggest concern is leaks leading to mold. Any tips on what to inspect to look for that?

Almost all earlier brands of fg trailers can be susceptible to some problems with mold from either unchecked leaks or dampness occurring on wall coverings ,wood floors and cushion fabrics .the burro is one of the first fg trailers to use an almost complete double hull except for a thin strip running the center of the length of the trailer which prevented most but wood floors and fabrics can still have mold .some trailers are still built this way but with regular maintenance and care should pose no problem. There are a few manufacturers that use none of those build practices with no wall coverings, wood floors and even mold proof fabrics but might be out of your $25.000 price range unless you can find a used one.Almost all fg trailers will still have much less issues with water and mold then a standard frame built trailer

[James in NJ]

Originally Posted by Mikmay

Almost all earlier brands of fg trailers can be susceptible to some problems with mold from either unchecked leaks or dampness occurring on wall coverings ,wood floors and cushion fabrics .the burro is one of the first fg trailers to use an almost complete double hull except for a thin strip running the center of the length of the trailer which prevented most but wood floors and fabrics can still have mold .some trailers are still built this way but with regular maintenance and care should pose no problem. There are a few manufacturers that use none of those build practices with no wall coverings, wood floors and even mold proof fabrics but might be out of your $25.000 price range unless you can find a used one.Almost all fg trailers will still have much less issues with water and mold then a standard frame built trailer

Okay thank you, and that is very great to know about fg being better for mold

[James in NJ]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Step 1: Trust your nose.

Step 2: How is it being stored when not in use? A trailer left outdoors when not in use is more prone to problems.

Step 3: inspect everything. Take a flashlight, crawl underneath it. Open every cabinet and look carefully. Soft spot = wet = rot.

Step 4: If you have serious allergies, buy new, keep it under roof when not in use, do all the routine maintenance. Sadly, many people use the "run to failure" maintenance approach. And even then, they will run past failure as they neglect to notice problems. I've walked away from some trailers that were in "pristine, excellent condition", at least according to the sellers.

Every brand has its weaknesses. Learn those weaknesses BEFORE you buy and then you will be a better inspector. Its surprising in this internet age that some people will blindly buy a major purchase, and only later "discover" the well publicized short comings.

Thanks very much, I will be sure to inspect all of that

[Green Frog]

The floor’s integrity and leaky window frames are the first things to check for. Also check the vents behind the refrigerator for leaks... this is where my latest problems have occurred.

The door’s hinges and its lock mechanism are also potential trouble spots. The lock is long discontinued and the glassed-in hinges may be starting to sag after almost forty years. My hinge mountings had to be reinforced by a PO... he added aluminum screw plates inside the body molding.

Look for spider webbing in the gel coat. This isn’t fatal and shouldn’t be a deal breaker, but can push the price down a bit.

Basically, it was a pretty sound design, these features notwithstanding. I really enjoy mine.

Froggie