I bought a burro sight unseen and am having it towed to me: questions - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-10-2012, 04:32 PM   #1
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Name: jen
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I bought a burro sight unseen and am having it towed to me: questions

1) Is it okay therefore, to give the guy I'm paying to tow it, who had 40 positive reviews on uship and seems really nice, the title, the registration, the bill of sale and the keys???? Or should copies be made in case he's pulled over, and she fedex them to me where I am?

What's the safest option?

2) She says the hitch on the burro is sideways? Something sort of unusual looking. Or tongue, rather. You know what I mean. Does a regular hitch/receiver work well? This little burro is only 13 feet and does not have brakes.

Any cautions to tell my driver besides take your time, and take it easy...

Any advice appreciated.

I may not even open it when I get it. I'm so freaked out that I did this!!! LOL.
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Old 05-10-2012, 04:59 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by jenbooks View Post
1) Is it okay therefore, to give the guy I'm paying to tow it, who had 40 positive reviews on uship and seems really nice, the title, the registration, the bill of sale and the keys???? Or should copies be made in case he's pulled over, and she fedex them to me where I am?

What's the safest option?

2) She says the hitch on the burro is sideways? Something sort of unusual looking. Or tongue, rather. You know what I mean. Does a regular hitch/receiver work well? This little burro is only 13 feet and does not have brakes.

Any cautions to tell my driver besides take your time, and take it easy...

Any advice appreciated.

I may not even open it when I get it. I'm so freaked out that I did this!!! LOL.
Give her copies. (you keep originals)

Not sure what someone means about "hitch is sideways" unless its one of those super heavy-duty hitches that seems to be sideways when unhooked but is actually a clamshell design. A bit of "overkill" ??? on a 13 footer?
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Old 05-10-2012, 06:46 PM   #3
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Uship is a reputable co. I agree, u keep originals, fax them copies.
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Old 05-10-2012, 06:52 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by jenbooks View Post
1) Is it okay therefore, to give the guy I'm paying to tow it, who had 40 positive reviews on uship and seems really nice, the title, the registration, the bill of sale and the keys???? Or should copies be made in case he's pulled over, and she fedex them to me where I am?
I would only give the driver copies of what ever paper work he actually says he needs & not give them the originals if at all possible- not sure why he would want the keys or the bill of sale. I would have the person you purchased it from of fedex you all the original paper work in case the trailer goes missing in transit.... its happened.


Quote:
2) She says the hitch on the burro is sideways? Something sort of unusual looking. Or tongue, rather. You know what I mean. Does a regular hitch/receiver work well? This little burro is only 13 feet and does not have brakes.
Do you have a photo of the burro you purchased to post so as to better understand what type of hitch it has on it>

I would also buy insurance for it before I had it towed......
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Old 05-10-2012, 10:11 PM   #5
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I also bought my fg trailer wo seeing it- asked the right questions, and it was everything as described when i finally went to get it. The man held it for me for 5 mths w a cash down payment- but we hit it off we became friends and stayed in touch over the mths till winter passed for me to make the trip from PA to OR.
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Old 05-11-2012, 12:27 AM   #6
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I bought mine sight unseen as well and it turned out just fine.
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Old 05-11-2012, 09:43 AM   #7
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Thanks. She's sending me the originals UPS, and we're giving him a copy of the bill of sale, and a document saying he has approval to tow it for 3 days. I am not sure what you mean by insure it--when I called GEICO they said it would be insured by my liability and they wouldn't insure it otherwise as it wasn't worth enough. Of course, I am not towing it at the moment.

I think I got it wrong about the hitch--I don't know--she said The tongue is on the side, that's all. They made all burros this way. The hitch works the same as a regular trailer.

It's just that--she said she had two hitches, because it needs to be level? Can anyone tell me what needs to be done as it's being towed many miles and I want it to be towed level? I know NOTHING about this stuff at the moment and will have to learn it all. THANKS!
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Old 05-11-2012, 10:03 AM   #8
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It's just that--she said she had two hitches, because it needs to be level? Can anyone tell me what needs to be done as it's being towed many miles and I want it to be towed level?
She probably means she has 2 different height drawbars, the drawbar is the thing you screw a hitch ball to that goes into the hitch receiver. I would think that a professional hauler would have the right height drawbar or an adjustable one.
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Old 05-11-2012, 10:19 AM   #9
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I am not sure what you mean by insure it--when I called GEICO they said it would be insured by my liability and they wouldn't insure it otherwise as it wasn't worth enough. Of course, I am not towing it at the moment.]
What I meant when I asked about the insurance was if it gets lost or stolen or damaged while its being delivered to you, will your insurance cover you for the cost of what you paid for it? If you have not yet registered it in your name? As you bought it I am assuming you paid something for it. Or does the person who is towing it for you carry their own insurance which will cover it while its is in their possession.

I would not worry to much about the being towed level issue - if the person doing the towing for you has towing experience its a good bet they know what they need to do to make it a safe tow for them. To make yourself feel better about it though you could ask the person doing the towing how big a truck they will be towing with and if they have drop bars with them to level your little trailer out a bit if needed.

I am sure it is going to work out just fine!
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Old 05-11-2012, 03:20 PM   #10
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No advice to add, but....yay, another Jen with a Burro!
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Old 05-11-2012, 04:41 PM   #11
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I wonder if they mean the ball latch handle is sideways?
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Old 05-12-2012, 07:51 AM   #12
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Well, thanks y'all for the advice. She is UPS second day air to me, the title, registration, key, bill of sale etc. She's written up a document giving him permission to tow it to me through Tuesday (ie arriving Tuesday). He probably will arrive Monday, though. They will call me when he arrives.

No, I don't have special insurance, in case something happens. And she is letting us use her tag, which is really nice, and solves a zillion bureacratic issues. So basically he's towing it, period. I won't even yet have the key when it arrives (we decided that was best, so it's locked, and even though he seems a very nice guy and has no interest in going in it, for liability issues, I'd rather not have the temptation.)

I have chemical and mold sensitivities, that was an issue per my previous posts on here, which is one reason I'm still very anxious, and yet it's the reason i bought it. Utah is dry, it was stored under a carport, not cooked in, and she has chemical sensitivities too (she is the second owner), so, she didn't use fabric softener, pesticides, or crap that would poison my delicate system.

But there's no proof there might not be some rot somewhere, who knows. I've read the long thread here where someone is rehabbing a burro with a totally rotted floor and the plywood was only 3/4 inch or something like that. Because it's double walled, rain can get in thru leaky windows and into the floor. But since it was in a dry climate and stored under cover, and not used much at all in the last ten years, as the previous owner had a fifth wheel, well, I have fingers crossed, plus this gal had looked it over fairly closely before she bought it herself.

It seemed better than buying something sight unseen in the southeast where I live, simply because, it's very humid here at times and unless an owner is careful, lots more problems can arise. And the fact is, even when a trailer was four or five hours from me, I'd never get a chance to see it if it was well priced, as it would be sold in a couple of hours.

Well wish me luck! It might not work out, I'm prepared for that. I hope it does though. I suspect I"ll replace the carpet with nontoxic wool berber high quality carpet, or maybe some other nontoxic flooring, and the water tank needs to be replaced, and I'll probably put miniblinds up, maybe I will even put a really beautiful sink in or something. A few small touches. I want simplicity though.

Please all send me good wishes, prayers, and any good thoughts that it all works out!
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Old 05-12-2012, 07:56 AM   #13
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By the way, I am fairly certain I overpaid for it. I didn't dicker about price. The history of the trailer seemed such that it was worth taking the risk. And the towing adds to cost, and then, whatever updates nontoxic I will make IF I'm lucky enough for it to work out. I don't mind! Also it's 13 feet. I started small. Maybe if it works out I'll get two foot itis like others say. LOL.
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Old 05-12-2012, 08:00 AM   #14
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Congrats Jen, I know your condition required a special trailer and I'm betting this one is it! I don't know about you, but when I buy something I'm less concerned about price as much as I am about making the right choice for me! We know if you were willing to wait (and wait and wait and wait) you may have found a cheaper trailer right in your home town... or maybe not. NOW, it's yours and you'll start making memories right away.

You will post pictures won't you?
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Old 05-12-2012, 09:30 AM   #15
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Congrats on the buy! I'm sure you will have many good times in it. Sounds like just what you need (clean).
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Old 05-14-2012, 10:53 AM   #16
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we will need details on the sideways hitch thing when you get your hands on it...thats just odd. my guess is its an old style hitch that the locking lever is on the side.
yup he gets copies only. the drivers insurance should cover it.
and no way you overpaid. its always worth what ever to have fun now rather then not have fun later. cause we never know if we will be here later.
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Old 05-14-2012, 11:28 AM   #17
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Thanks, John. My tow guy seems vey nice and reliable. He will be here early tomorrow and then pick up a trailer a few hours away to deliver somewhere else.

The lady who sold it to me did break several promises after she got my money transfer. She kept the hitch (which I bought with the trailer). She had promised not to clean or vacuum but leave that to me but she hired a "green cleaner" to do so anyway which I definitely didn't want. I asked her to put the cushions in unscented garbage bags as she had them in storage. Maybe she had the cleaner guy do it as she noticed the whole trailer smelled from the bags when she opened it Sarurday. And she was supposed to mail me both keys separately so my tow guy wouldn't be tempted to sleep in it which he has promised not to but she just gave him the second key. I think I can fix it with a thorough clean but I was really not happy she was like that. Before the actual money transfer she was super nice. She claims she fractured a vertebra last week and almost cancelled the sale (which would have lost me my shipping costs as he was already on his way).

However the good news is the tow guy says it ties beautifully and seems clean.

Fingers and toes crossed. So excited and nervous!

I want a screen room. I saw a custom paha que on an rpod with roll up walls. I also see in the archives that Gina got something at Wally world that fit right over the burro. Any advice?
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Old 05-14-2012, 12:41 PM   #18
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Well in my experience even unscented plastic bags do have a plastic scent to them when fresh out of the box. As far as giving him a key goes if he is as reputable as you think he is then it should not be a problem - besides if he has moved enough trailers he knows all it takes is a screw driver and a couple of screws to get into most of them - no key needed. Its possible she just misunderstood and assumed you didnt want her to have to take up her own time cleaning it up or vacuuming and thought she was being *super nice* in hiring a "green cleaner" to to do it....... by hiring a "green Cleaner" it appears she did understand your concerns to some extent at least. I have no doubt that more than a few folks would have been VERY happy folks if their sellers had taken that much care in presenting the buyer with a clean camper.

If those were the biggest issues/problems I had as a result of taking the gamble and purchasing a trailer sight unseen I would be very happy.
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Old 05-14-2012, 12:51 PM   #19
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Hi Carol, she has mcs herself--I'm pretty sure she doesn't even use regular detergent, just baking soda etc, and she gets headaches from fragrances and so on. That, along with the dry climate in Utah, the fiberglass walls, and that it was stored under cover, was what prompted me to instantly say I'd buy it, and i sure hope I am happy.

You have to understand I have a condition that is extremely difficult to deal with in the modern world, and that fragranced bags (sometimes they say "odor control") will contaminate the cushions--and I won't be able to sleep on them, so I'll be lucky if I can take them off, and wash them by hand and put them out in the sun. Etc. So she and I had discussed all this.

It's a good point about he could get in the trailer with a screwdriver, however, I doubt he would do that as there are liability issues then. I'm just saying, with a key, it's likelier the tower will pull over and sleep in the comfy trailer--and once again--if someone who uses fabric softener sleeps on the cushions, it will get embedded and I can't use them.

I remember when a guy wearing clothes with fabric softener visited my apt in NY and sat on my hard wood chair and it took about an hour of washing, with soap, water, and rubbing alcohol, to get it off afterwards.

These chemicals these days have phtalates which cause them to stick. In fact, I complimented the RV park here where we are waiting for the trailer, for not using glade plugins in their bathroom. It's wonderful to go in a bathroom without those horrible things.

I really do like the driver though. He just inspires confidence. I just accept his text message updates twice a day and don't feel nervous. I am likely to give him a really good rec, like the 40 plus other folks on uship. He is smart about his business, too. He ships dogs, motorycles, ATVs, my trailer, other trailers, anything, and thus makes a business out of it, by essentially spreading the cost of gas among several shippers.

As an aside, really, I wish our American society were not fragrancing everything. It is not healthy for us anyway--and in Europe not widely used. All this glade, febreze, even scented garbage bags--sheesh, what's wrong with fresh air, flowers, or the smell of newly baked bread?
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Old 05-14-2012, 12:54 PM   #20
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BTW, I called Paha Que and though they've never customized a screen room for a burro (they do for T@B trailers) it would cost $800! Well, maybe someday, but I think I'm going to PM Gina and see what she got from Wally World a few years ago when she had a burro, I'm sure it was much much cheaper. The idea of keeping my door open in good weather and walking out into the screen room seems great. It seems to me I could put this nice comfy lounger I saw at REI, and a plastic table, and other stuff, to cook outside or extend my space. I guess though I need the kind of room that has screens and/or walls. I know they sell at walmart, but it seems like Gina had one when she had a burro that fit right onto it. I clicked on that old link and it was no longer active.

Well anyway...just thinking ahead. Plus I see someone installed a tall moen faucet in their casita, how beautiful. It is my opinion that in a small space, clean, simple, yet elegant touches change the whole feeling. Others agree?
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