Purchase of a '91 T-1700 - things to look for?

dsieber · 06-11-2013, 01:42 PM

Hi all!

So, my wife and I are looking at buying our first trailer, and one of the contenders right now is a '91 T-1700 for sale locally. In hunting for information on it, I found this forum.

I'm hoping you might be able to assist...

Basically, I know pretty much nothing about trailers, and zero about Sunlines. I grew up camping in a tent-trailer, so I'm familiar with those, but that's about it.

What I'm wondering - any suggestions on specific things to check when I go to look at this one? Areas that are known to have issues, or are really $$$ to fix? Obviously, it's an older trailer, so I'm not expecting perfection, and I'm willing to put a bit of work into it - I just don't want any repairs to cost 3x what I'm paying for the trailer.

Also, if anyone has any thoughts on value - what are Sunlines of this era generally worth?

Thanks for any help you can provide - I appreciate it!
Dirk

jim44646 · 06-11-2013, 04:07 PM

Welcome
Top of page is a tab called files. Search in there. There is all kind of info. Here is a link to one. Look threw it and you will find specs on a T1700
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/do...%20Sunline.pdf

dsieber · 06-11-2013, 08:16 PM

Thank you - that's very helpful.

kenm09 · 06-12-2013, 12:47 PM

I have a 1700. It is a nice trailer, especially in good condition. As for price, I truly feel its up to you. I would rather have an older trailer in excellent condition than a newer that's not cared for. The 1700 is nice because its 7 ft wide and you can see around it nicely, it's very easy to tow (don't need a big pick up), and you can manuveur it around with ease. You also get the tandem axle and a full bath; these two things on a trailer this size are quite rare.

The only issues I've had with mine are the fittings on the water tank itself. They are part of the tank and cannot be replaced, and replacing the tank is nearly impossible. I ended up using ptex to seal them up and it seemed to do the trick. Not sure if this is a common problem or not, but its minor anyway.

Also, there are 3 brackets on each side that join the axles to the frame. The welds on mine were weak and ended up having them re welded with reinforcement. Just check for any cracking around the welds.

Don't let any of this scare you. These are minor things. I would still buy the trailer again knowing what I know now.

mainah · 06-12-2013, 03:49 PM

I have one also just check the floors and make sure they are not soft and look for signs of water leaks. The bottoms are sealed with thick plastic and if there is a leak the water just stays there and rots the floor. They do tow very well nice and stable. Mine is a '90' I did replace all he bushings in the suspension replaced the old converter/charger with a modern one and set it up to do long term dry camping but by and large there was not much wrong with it Oh yeah I did rebuild the floor inside if the rear compartment (water damage)

dsieber · 06-12-2013, 06:52 PM

Kenm09, mainah - thank you, these are exactly the kinds of things to look for I was hoping to get.

I took a quick look yesterday, and it seems to be in pretty decent condition - going back tonight with my brother-in-law, who has a lot more experience with trailers.

The combination of light weight & features is what really makes it appealing to us - we didn't really want to have to buy a full-size truck just to tow a trailer a few times a year.

jim44646 · 06-12-2013, 07:03 PM

you can pick up a cheap moisture meter. They have 2 needle like probes on them that you can probe the wood frame for excess moisture. that will tell if water is in the wood.

mainah · 06-13-2013, 05:33 AM

I tow mine with a Tacoma 6 cylinder no problems (except I can't do 60 up the Mt's) It does not sway even when I'm passed by a semi. My only complaint with it is the stupid sit down shower.

dsieber · 06-13-2013, 04:02 PM

Well, we went & looked at it last night. Not bad shape for its age, but there's definitely a leak into the storage compartment in the right rear. Just trying to decide what we want to do...it might just be the outside door seal, or it could be something more serious. Hard to tell. Definitely water in there though, and a bit of rot.
Decisions, decisions...

doctor17 · 06-13-2013, 04:38 PM

check the bottom of the water heater as well. I bought mine without checking and found most of the rot that has happened was from the split in the bottom of the water heater. My water heater was almost right next to the rear compartment door.

mainah · 06-13-2013, 05:33 PM

Same place mine had water damage I believe it was the stink pipe for the black tank leaking it was the only thing in that area and it did need a reseal. It's not a fun place to work on to repair the damage I ended up replacing a 2X4 section of floor and all the stringers under it.

dsieber · 06-14-2013, 04:04 PM

Well, the good news is that the leak was definitely just clean water.

No smell at all. We've put in an offer - we'll see what happens. If that doesn't work out, back to the search, I guess.

Oh, and water heater's been replaced, and appears okay - that's at least one good thing.

mainah · 06-14-2013, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsieber

Well, the good news is that the leak was definitely just clean water.

No smell at all. We've put in an offer - we'll see what happens. If that doesn't work out, back to the search, I guess.

Oh, and water heater's been replaced, and appears okay - that's at least one good thing.

Well the toilet is right behind the wall be a good place to start looking for a leak the pipe comes from inside the compartment. If you pull the big drawer out behind the toilet you can have a good look inside the compartment.

dsieber · 06-16-2013, 09:23 PM

Well, it doesn't look like it'll be this one - too high a price with too many unknowns. Thanks to everyone for their help - we're going to keep looking.