Trailer prices continue to rise, blown away

GON

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I move every two-three years, typically across country, and have a handful of trailers to help with the move. I am retiring in 2024, and last summer was supposed to be my last work move.

Last year at this time I had five trailers. After I moved last summer (summer 2021), I sold three of the trailers. I had nowhere to store the trailers, so paying a lot in Columbia to store the trailers is $80 per month, times four (I could fit two of the trailers in one spot), so annual cost to store the trailers was $3840. Over three years, storage cost of trailers $11,520. I just figured in three years trailers prices will return to prior historic average prices, and I will buy whatever trailer(s) I need. I have left a 20 foot enclosed gooseneck and a 18 foot open car hauler. I am able to store the gooseneck for free at work, so I only pay to store the car hauler, $80 per month.

Last Friday, HR called me and said be prepared to move this summer (2022), to Tacoma, WA. I did not see this coming. Spent the weekend looking at new and used trailers. I am in total disbelief of both new and used trailer prices. They are 40 percent higher than what I sold my used trailers at last summer. In my research, used trailers have gone up about 40 percent higher than last summer. And used trailer prices last summer were higher than what the trailers sold new for.

I am in my late 50s, and have never seen anything like this- price appreciation for a common depreciating item.
 
I am in my late 50s, and have never seen anything like this- price appreciation for a common depreciating item.
Our generation never saw anything like the current global situation. The domino effect on so many aspects of life is incomprehensible. It is so much more complicated than many seem to accept. Captain obvious here, but people need to wake up. And, we are way beyond due for a market correction, yet people have their heads in the sand.

My 2 cents anecdote for the day: I bought my annual greenhouse fanbelts this week - $6 each last year, $12+ this year, U.S. made Gates. Adjust and adapt.
 
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I agree prices are skyrocketing. So are salaries. But we need to keep in perspective the world wide issue we are now coming out of.
Things will settle down with the exception of massive printing of money which someday in the future will have to stop and then the GIANT reset will come and boy will it, on a scale no one ever imagined. (but we cant talk politics here)

Other than that, hey, we are a free people and if I have a product I will charge the highest price people are willing to pay, certainly nothing wrong with that. Everyday we as Americans pay huge corporations massive mark ups in everything we buy, cant fault the smaller companies for doing the same. I know I would. Whatever the market will bear.
 
I need a 10k lb equipment trailer and I've been unable to accept the current prices on them.. but I'm getting closer. $5100 for a 22ft
How close are you to Douglas/ Douglassville, GA?

Seems like a lot of trailer dealers in that area, and I speculate a trailer manufacturer or two. One of the things about the trailers being sold in Douglas/ Douglassville, GA, is they don't talk a lot about the build of the trailer. Not a lot of details on who the supplier of the axles is, do both axles have brakes, etc.
 
I need a 10k lb equipment trailer and I've been unable to accept the current prices on them.. but I'm getting closer. $5100 for a 22ft

Yep - I was looking at deck over's. I bought my last 16' enclosed trailer a couple years ago down in Penn for a great deal and combined the trip with a visit to Hershey Park. No way now. Trailer prices everywhere are insane. Even camper prices are nuts - and people are staying home!
 
If your work moves you around so much why do they not cover the cost of your moves, negating your need for such trailers?
Work pays for the moves, but has limits. I exceed the weight limit for household goods just in garage stuff. I am limited to two vehicles, I have currently have six. So I need to be a frugal as possible. A short move of 1,000 or less miles, no big deal. A coast to coast move, costs become a big deal. If this was just a 800 mile move, I would make it work with just two trailers and do two additional round trips. This move is just under 3,000 miles one way.
 
People aren't working as much the world over. In the mines, chip factories, tire factories. I bet they'd probably like to but cannot.

No monetary policy of a single country, the EU, nowhere, can solve the problem that stuff isn't being made as fast as it's being consumed.

So we get into bidding wars, and most people are cool with it.

Same as employers are in bidding wars over us.

It'll be weird seeing how this shakes out-- don't trust anyone that claims to have all the answers. There aren't accurate models of current and future consumer behavior-- if there were, companies would bring their lean manufacturing skills back into this and we'd have just exactly the right amount of cheap junk again.
 
Work pays for the moves, but has limits. I exceed the weight limit for household goods just in garage stuff. I am limited to two vehicles, I have currently have six. So I need to be a frugal as possible. A short move of 1,000 or less miles, no big deal. A coast to coast move, costs become a big deal. If this was just a 800 mile move, I would make it work with just two trailers and do two additional round trips. This move is just under 3,000 miles one way.
You must love your employer, so you are going to continue to relocate. I also see that you have a lot of stuff that you don't want to part with. I get it. I guess you'll have to eat some of the costs yourself. I guess you could buy a couple of used trailers and then sell them when you are done hoping to not lose any money by doing so.

Maybe another option is to post ads where you are moving to telling people you will bring a trailer from where you are moving from to their location with the condition you'll use it for your cross country move. That may be an option or a total pain in the neck.
 
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How close are you to Douglas/ Douglassville, GA?

Seems like a lot of trailer dealers in that area, and I speculate a trailer manufacturer or two. One of the things about the trailers being sold in Douglas/ Douglassville, GA, is they don't talk a lot about the build of the trailer. Not a lot of details on who the supplier of the axles is, do both axles have brakes, etc.
There are a good number of trailer dealers around here, but they are all pretty high. There is one place about an hour away that has a 20ft 14klb trailer for $4100, but I really would like to have a 22ft for my tractor. Which means I'm looking for a bit of an oddball. A friend of mine bought a 20ft 10k trailer a few years ago for $3500 from the same place the 22ft is $5100 now. A roughly 30% cost increase in that time.
 
People aren't working as much the world over. In the mines, chip factories, tire factories. I bet they'd probably like to but cannot.

No monetary policy of a single country, the EU, nowhere, can solve the problem that stuff isn't being made as fast as it's being consumed.

So we get into bidding wars, and most people are cool with it.

Same as employers are in bidding wars over us.

It'll be weird seeing how this shakes out-- don't trust anyone that claims to have all the answers. There aren't accurate models of current and future consumer behavior-- if there were, companies would bring their lean manufacturing skills back into this and we'd have just exactly the right amount of cheap junk again.
I have a feeling we are either in the middle of a roaring 20s (electrical transformation) or a dot com right before bust. Depends on which one we can either have another 10 years of hyper growth + inflation or 1-2 years of boom then bust.

10 or 2 years, hard to bet which one, exit the market or go all in. All I know is if my employer isn't going to increase my pay next year I'm leaving.
 
How close are you to Douglas/ Douglassville, GA?

Seems like a lot of trailer dealers in that area, and I speculate a trailer manufacturer or two. One of the things about the trailers being sold in Douglas/ Douglassville, GA, is they don't talk a lot about the build of the trailer. Not a lot of details on who the supplier of the axles is, do both axles have brakes, etc.


It's Douglas, GA. Douglasville is 3+ hours away from Douglas.

Be careful of Freedom Trailers, mostly enclosed trailers. They are the cheapest of the cheap. I didn't say not to buy one if the price is right, just know what you're buying and know how to negotiate.....or let someone else buy a problem.

If you are looking for a real open trailer for heavy use, there's a big dealer in south GA on I-75. Can't remember exactly where or what brand, but it's the big one from Texas.
 
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A Penske 26 foot enclosed diesel truck with a dual axle car hauler rental is at $1200 from Columbia, SC to Tacoma, WA if I can rent on 13 April. I reserved the truck at that price- I can cancel anytime. Renting the same truck in MAY or JUN is about double, but still a great rate. Last year when I moved, a Penske from Salt Loke City to Columbia SC was about 5k IIRC.

My truck is a gas V10. Gets about 6 mph hauling a trailer. With the distance about 3,000 miles, and fuel costs- the Penske might pay for itself with the savings on fuel.

Not sure I am moving, and if so if I can move as early as APR, but I sense planning in advance is needed. I bid on a trailer on Ebay, but the Seller and I are far apart.


This is the trailer I bid on. It is about 1,200 miles from me, so 2400 miles of fuel to pickup.... The Seller declined my bid.
 
I bought a new 6x12 enclosed trailer locally less than two years ago for 3k. After reading this post I went to the site from the place I purchased it from and the same exact trailer is 5200.00 now. wow!
 
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That trailer looks like it is sitting low from the pictures. Not much suspension travel. And that price is way too much !
 
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Your biggest worry will be where you will be living in Tacoma. Also check with your auto insurance. I’m sure your premiums will be going up. Vehicle and property theft is rampant.

Tacoma is a dread zone. On a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being the safest, Tacoma scores a 2.
 
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Your biggest worry will be where you will be living in Tacoma. Also check with your auto insurance. I’m sure your premiums will be going up. Vehicle and property theft is rampant.

Tacoma is a dread zone. On a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being the safest, Tacoma scores a 2.
Any information that you care to post about the Tacoma area is appreciated. We have never lived in Washington, and have little background of the area other than "its beautiful and it rains a lot".

Not happy to hear Tacoma area is unsafe. My Wife is in her late 50's and I travel for work. So, she has to navigate new areas often on her own.
 
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