As trailer owners, we know that one trailer isn’t usually a forever purchase. If you are hauling for work, maybe your business needs something bigger now. Or maybe you just need something different for your changing tasks and new tools. You could even be going in another direction. Looking to downsize to something smaller and simpler. Either way, sometimes you need to trade in a trailer to upgrade to something new.
You could easily sell your older trailer, but a trade-in at a dealership is often the easier route. You can trade most trailers in and use the value toward the purchase of a new one from a reputable dealership. This method is much easier than selling on your own. Save time and stress by working with professionals who will evaluate and give you the best price for your trailers.
Trailer trade-ins are the perfect solution to get an old trailer off your hands while getting cash toward that other trailer you’ve been eyeing. It’s a convenient swap, and it saves you plenty of trouble along the way.
How You Can Prepare to Trade in a Trailer
When you are ready to start your trade, you first need to make sure your trailer is ready. Plan out your trade, and make sure you take a look at your trailer’s overall quality and potential value.
Evaluate Your Trailer
To get the process started, do a full inspection of the trailer you intend to trade in. It is a good idea to have a checklist in hand to make sure you cover all of your bases.
As you look over your trailer, take everything into account to make sure you know what you may need to replace or repair before going for your trade-in. An example of a good checklist can be found here, but keep in mind that not every trailer will have every one of these features to look at.
- Roof: Check the roof for weathering, stains, discoloration or damage that may occur over years of use.
- Interior Ceiling: After checking the roof, move inside (if you have an enclosed trailer) and make sure there are no leaks! If you are checking it on a sunny day, simulate rain with a hose to REALLY check.
- Interior Walls: Check to make sure the walls aren’t stained, rusted or discolored. Double-check that there is no flaking, fading or warping.
- Interior Floor: Especially if you notice roof leaks, make sure you check the flooring to see if it is damaged or warped.
- Paint: Check to make sure the paint is not chipping or peeling anywhere.
- Wheels & Tires: Make sure the tires are not too old and need to be changed. Also, use this time to check out the wheels. To get the best trade-in value, make sure they are clean, shiny, and don’t have any chipped paint.
- Windows: Make sure all windows are well maintained and not damaged. Check for cracks carefully since tiny ones can be hard to see at first glance.
Once you have gone through your checklist and made notes on any issues that your trailer may have, you can move on to fixing those issues, and getting your trailer cleaned up.
Clean the Trailer
As we mentioned above, you will want to clean up your trailer before taking it to your local trailer dealer to trade in. You wouldn’t sell dirty clothes or try to sell your car without a good wash, so you don’t want to try to sell or trade in a dirty trailer either.
You will be much more likely to get top dollar for your trade when you bring in a fresh and clean unit for the dealership to work with. So, you will have to work to clean the inside, outside, wheels, tires and everything in between.
Fix What You Can
In an ideal world, you would be able to fix or replace everything that may need to be repaired prior to trading in your trailer, but we know this isn’t always an option. You will need to decide on what to fix and what to leave so you can get the best value for your trailer.
When you make up your mind, go back to your checklist and see what issues you have. Then go through and see what you can fix, what it will cost to fix, and what you should pass on. Ask yourself how much it would cost to fix these items versus how much they might affect the trade-in value of your trailer and decide if it’s worth it to you.
Next time you are in the market to trade in a trailer and upgrade to a new one, make sure you keep these tips in mind to make sure you get top dollar! If you’re located near Arthur, Illinois, you can submit a trade appraisal form to get an estimate of your trailer’s value. Before you stop in, browse our trailers for sale online to get an idea of what’s on our lot. And, if you have questions, our team is always happy to help!
