Troop/Patrol equipment trailers?

[KoreaScouter]

I need some advice. Our Troop rents storage space for our equipment, to the tune of $140 a month. It's a pain in the neck(access, loading/unloading), in addition to being expensive.

 

I've seen other Troops that have equipment trailers, and it seems to work for them. Do you use a trailer? If so, what kind? Any advice?

 

thanks,

 

KS

[NJCubScouter]

My troop has a trailer, I don't know what kind it is, I can try to find out. I know it was bought used which probably is what most troops would have to do (assuming it was not just donated.) I know that they got various companies to donate the paint, lettering etc. etc. and all of their names and company logos are on the back of the trailer. (I think that's ok, I could be wrong.) One funny thing is that it was previously owned by a gutter repair business, and the lettering was almost completely removed, but if you stand right next to it, you can still read what was there. On a recent trip I parked right behind the trailer and for the first time saw that RIGHT BELOW the words "Sponsored by Presbyterian Church of (name of town) you can very faintly read the old owner's slogan, "Our mind is in your gutter." I almost had a laughing fit when I saw that.

 

Anyway, one issue is where you actually keep the trailer. The church doesn't really want the trailer hanging out in its small parking lot all the time, but we get to park it in the church's cemetary across the street. Somewhat ghoulish I guess, but the price can't be beat.

[eisely]

Troop ownership and use of trailers used to be more common before so many folks owned pickups and SUVs. Storage of the trailer is one issue. Legal ownership is another issue. This has been addressed in other threads. Presumably a trailer, as a vehicle, has to be registered, licensed, and insured. The troop per se is not a legal personality and cannot own such a piece of property. You do not want to make the trailer the personal property, and legal liability, of one of the leaders. The answer is that the chartered organization has to become the owner, even if the troop pays all the costs. Check it out.

[hops_scout]

Our troop has a trailer. I dont remember what kind it is, but I do know that we dont have any lettering or anything on it, as of now. It is two or three years old. I'll try to find a picture of a similar one.....

 

We have shelves added in there which we got from the WalMart when they relocated. We carry most of our stuff in there, but we also have some storage space thanks to our CO, the VFW.

 

I found a few things....

 

http://www.wellscargo.com/models/cargo_fr.html This has a few, one with a picture of a scout group packing it with gear. It is probably too small though. We have one similar to the Tote Wagon at that address above.(This message has been edited by hops_scout)

[packsaddle]

I concur with Eisely. Trailers are great for storage and for portability if you can get one. The only downside I see is that once you have it, there is a trend towards 'car camping' and away from backpacking. For some, I guess that's an upside.

[red feather]

We are on our third trailer in 10 yrs, keep outgrowing them. I do not know the name but will get it next time I go by the church. Makes a great storage area and allows a little more versatility when camping.

 

Having a trailer has not slowed down our backpacking treks or increased our car camping. Just another resource for us to use.

 

The interior has been modified to suit our needs with shelfs and storage areas for patrol boxes, tents, flys, and all the other 'stuff' a troop collects. We got logos painted on the sides and back at cost from a fellow scouter and it looks great.

 

yis

[KoreaScouter]

Thanks for the info; I hadn't considered actual "title", insurance, etc. Better make a beeline for our COR if we want to do this.

 

Would any of you consider approaching a U-haul or other rental outfit for an old trailer, or are those things completely blown out by the time they retire them?

 

KS

[Eagle Foot]

Trailers really help out:

...however--you need someone who will pull it for ever time you go out.

...you will need to store it somewhere, where it will be safe.

...you will need to do one of two things

1. tag it with the charter orginazation and be willing to share it.

2. tag it with an individual and you may loose it if they leave.

...try to to do #1 it's the best way to go and keep it at the CO., otherwise you may have limited acess.

 

Lowe's and Home Depoit have trailers...a good trailer will run around

$1,800.00 to $2,000.00

 

If you can find a good used 8x10 expect to pay around $500.00 to 1m. Bigger trailers run $2,400. + or -.

 

I found if the Charter Organization owns the trailer you stop personl influence from someone who has good intentions, but really never lets go. It should be the boys anyway!!! good luck

 

Eagle Foot

 

 

 

 

 

 

[packsaddle]

I am not sure what conditions are necessary for U-Haul to retire a trailer but I would be careful. Things to consider are primarily safety-related. For smaller trailers the hitch and axle (suspension) must be in good working order. The hitch should be perfect, axle aligned and not bent, bearings and hubs in good shape. Safety chains and lights can be repaired easily, tires and wheels replaced if necessary. Unusual tire wear will clue you in to problems. You should check to make sure it tracks correctly. Beyond that the structural integrity of the compartment can be determined by inspection.

For larger trailers, there are recent regulations requiring brakes. If the trailer has these, the brakes must be in good working order and this cannot be judged merely by taking a test drive. You will need a mechanic to check the whole mechanism stem to stern.

Prices vary but you can easily spend a couple $K on a good trailer. I think they're worth it.

 

NJ is correct on the parking issue. One outfit had theirs stolen and with it went the entire quartermaster inventory. They later found it (mostly intact) down a ravine. I suspect this is a common occurrence.

Final note, there are state to state differences in insurance and registration requirements. Do your homework.

[nldscout]

We have a 7X14 and its great. we keep most of our camping equipment in in all the time. Packsaddle is correct about registration, in NY they Allow it to be registered in the troops name using our troop PO box as the address. The CO name is no where on the papers, some state may not allow that.

[JPR1853]

We have two trailers, 6 x 10 & 7x16' that we use. You can see pictures of both of them on our website www.troop567.org The larger trailer has all of the troop equipment (patrol boxes, dining flies, tables, lanterns, ice chest, igloos etc.) The smaller trailer is used for personal gear and is also available when we have two different campouts on the same weekend. We have over 70 scouts so both trailers are needed. We store them at the church where we are sponsored.

[NWScouter]

nldscout,

I would get your CO name on it. If it was involved in accident the liability issue would be a muddle. The individual unit has no legal status. And I doubt that an insurance company would give you coverage. What you have stored in there might suffer loss due to fire, theft, leakage and other risks. It would be good to cover them. If it is owned by the CO the contents may be covered by their policy, with no additional cost to anyone.

 

[nldscout]

NWscouter, we purposely registered it this way along with everything else we have, all our canoes and trailer's, Bike trailers, and a camper. These belong to the troop not the CO. The boys earned the money to purchase them, not our sponsor. We have insurance and it cost hardly anything to insure them. And in all states the the trailer is covered under the towing vehicles coverage for liability. We chose this because a while back there was rocky relations with our CO, they wouldn't cover us, and we considered moving. Things are better now, but we choose to keep it the way it was.

 

Now I know someone is going to start with the whole mess again about how your CO own's everything, but so far all anyone can show us is muddled rules by national that are open to interpretaion. And a lot depends on the property laws of the state you are in. In NY the state recognizes us as an entity for taxes and ownership.

 

But everone needs to find out what your state's laws are and judge the best way you can.

[mk9750]

KS,

 

We have a trailer now but are considering selling it and finding a box truck. Here are the reasons:

 

1) 8' x 12' has become a tad too small

2) We only bought a single axle, and we now believe a tatem axle trailer would be better.

3) For a number of reasons, including above, we almost had a disaster going to summer camp last year. As we started down a pretty good size hill on the interstate not 10 minutes from home, the trailer started swerving terribly. At one point it was close to 45 degrees off center, until a tire blew and caused it to start tracking again. We had two adults and 6 Scouts in the Suburban pulling it. I was the next car behind it, and was certain they were going over the guard rail down a ravine. the SM who was driving the Suburban credits only his experience as a pilot with keeping him cool enough to keep enough control to keep everything upright.

4) If there are any troubles like above, only one or two adults are affected (not that this is good, but it's better than including 6 boys!)

5) pulling a trailer is limited to who has the vehicle / hitch to do so. We believe in our state, a CDL license won't be required in this circumstance.

 

I'd strongly urge you, from our experience, to look at spending the extra money and getting a tandem axle if you buy a trailer. We spent $3,200.00 on ours about 6 years ago, and if we had just had one more pancake breakfast, we could have upgraded to the tandem axle for about $850.00 more.

 

Our biggest problem after the above has been storage. Our CO church has a storage barn, with space reserved for our trailer, but it always seems to be filled when we get back from a campout, especially if we're gone for a week, like summer camp. If you have someone who has some property that can store it there, you'd save some headaches, although I'd guess maybe you'd encounter others.

 

Nice to see you back active in the forum. How's the new assignment?

 

Mark

[benny]

We use a 6 by 14 trailer that we purchased through Wells Cargo. Great trailer. It didn't lessen our backpacking trips and it does help us to carry the gear for backpacking. A couple of safety items, we purchased a dual axle. Handles much better and you don't have the issue of blow outs. We also got surge breaks. They really help if you need to hit the breaks hard. We also don't allow any scouts to ride with the person hauling the trailer. We figure the fewer the distractions the better.

 

To help buy the trailer we solicited donations from local business owners and listed them as supporters of our troop on the back of the trailer.