Anyone in the east interested in Adventure Trailers?

archtimb

Adventurer
I've been looking for, and at, trailers for the past few months. Originally I thought about outright building my own so I can get exactly what I want. I played with the notion of finding a M416 or M101 and fixing it up. Then I considered the work to fix rust, cut in a tailgate and frame, and then, fabbing up a top, while still having a leaf spring suspension and, probably, needing wheels and tires, made me want a newer construction. After forming ideas, making the big list, and then narrowing it down to the short list, I think it may be better to simply buy one from Adventure Trailers. AT trailers are superb products & incorporate the best suspension for any trailer in on or off-road conditions. The deal killer is the freight costs of a single trailer from CA. It seems as if it will cost 30-40% of the trailer base cost just to get it here!

So...anyone interested in sharing the ride on a truckload of AT products? If you are sitting on the fence about your purchase, stand up and be counted. We can make this a better deal for everyone that is getting ready to purchase. I'm always up for a little leg work if it will save some bucks. Post up here or PM me to let me know what you are interested in. PM would make it easier for me to follow-up with (hint, hint) however, I try to check into this board at least once a day. Be sure to give me a phone number or E-mail address so I can get in touch with you. If you want you can also try and phone me at 570-639-2353 to discuss your taking part in this buy. I am in NE PA and will be willing to "circulate" the goods around the area, perhaps meeting some of you at greater distances, at a halfway point. You might be surprised what I will do for a steak and beer! Beyond this loose, and undefined radius, we will need to work out delivery or you picking up here. I have a truck yard and forklift here, so the main delivery will be here and then dispersed.

If you are interested, please, do your homework on the AT products before you contact me to go over what you want:
http://www.adventuretrailers.com/

We should be able to use the pricing on their site as guidelines, plus FOB costs. When we show enough interest I will contact AT to finalize pricing, freight and timing. You can view trailer features and, by following the links from this page, a pricing spreadsheet:
http://www.adventuretrailers.com/comparison.html
Don't forget about all the other great products they carry...RTT's, can carriers and cans, M416 suspension retrofits, awnings, water systems, electric systems, fridges...lots of stuff to fill your new trailer or truck with! If we can get it on the truck, we can bring it in. Poke around their web site for more gear.

Please respond only if you are seriously interested in moving on this in the next few months. A deposit will be required to set your place in line and initiate the order. We need to put this together in short order, plus allowing for fabrication lead times. If you are not familiar, these trailers are custom built for each customer, so fabrication can take 6-8 weeks. One other urgency is that I am negotiating 2007 pricing if we move now.

I guess, if I do not see the interest, I will need to re-evaluate bringing in my own trailer from AT vs. scratch building again. As of this moment the AT option looks feasible if we can get enough interest. The high freight costs of a single unit tips the scales in favor of the scratch built...let's help each other get a trailer! Talk at me!

Mitch
:camping:
 

Bella PSD

Explorer
The deal killer is the freight costs of a single trailer from CA. It seems as if it will cost 30-40% of the trailer base cost just to get it here!

Try here...http://www.uship.com/
I had a great experience with this web site. All you do is sign up; post what you need shipped and put it out for bid. There are ALOT of hotshot drivers that come back East empty. They look for just about anything to help offset the fuel cost coming back without a load. I had a Flip Pac camper shipped back on a F 350. The driver was in California delivering a 30’ RV trailer and coming back East empty. The bids started coming in, $395 then $295, $275 and finally $225. I would thing a small trailer like the AT would be cheap to get back on Uship, just need to wait for the right driver coming back East empty.

Louie
 

Andrew Walcker

Mod Emeritus
Just a thought, but what about coming west to pick it up and making one heck of a trip going east? The cost of gas would be pretty high, but if coupled with an adventure and holiday it might be worth it. Just my .02 cents:)
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Bella PSD said:
Try here...http://www.uship.com/
I had a great experience with this web site. All you do is sign up; post what you need shipped and put it out for bid. There are ALOT of hotshot drivers that come back East empty. They look for just about anything to help offset the fuel cost coming back without a load. I had a Flip Pac camper shipped back on a F 350. The driver was in California delivering a 30’ RV trailer and coming back East empty. The bids started coming in, $395 then $295, $275 and finally $225. I would thing a small trailer like the AT would be cheap to get back on Uship, just need to wait for the right driver coming back East empty.

Louie

It all sounds very good, but when it comes down to actually doing it their rates are about the same as trucking the product. We have these independent contractors contacting us on a regular basis looking for a return consignment and they would prefer to return empty handed that at the rates quoted.

Believe me we have researched about every angle on this and transportation East of the Rockies is very expensive.

For the past 12 months it's been cheaper to ship a single trailer to Europe or Australia than it has the Mid-West.

The most cost effective way to ship product is to pay for a tractor / trailer completely fill it with product and go coast to coast to a single destination.
 

MichaelW

Observer
I don't know who you use but when I was was getting some large parts from the east to the west, Forward Air had the best prices I could find. The drawback is you had to pick up at their terminals which for me was Sacramento.

It would also seem that the new trend of companies doing u-pack, we haul type of moving that you could load up a container to be dropped at some relatively central location then everyone come and get their trailers. I know I considered driving as far as Texas when I was shopping for a trailer. But then again, I like driving. ;)

I would bet it would be easy to set up a deal with some off road shops to receive the containers and have new prospective customers come by and pick up their new trailers. It could be a good symbiotic relationship. You'd just need people to be willing to wait for a couple or more interested parties to get their orders together. Maybe even set up a schedule of sorts so everyone already knows in advance when a container is coming their way. ;)
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
I don't want to distract from Mitch's main post to see if there is a demand for AT on the East Coast. But shipping parts is different to shipping complete trailers. The last time we tried to save money on shipping it cost us $22,000.00 in damage, 14 months later the truckers insurance company is still refusing to pay up.
 

archtimb

Adventurer
Andrew Walcker said:
Just a thought, but what about coming west to pick it up and making one heck of a trip going east? The cost of gas would be pretty high, but if coupled with an adventure and holiday it might be worth it. Just my .02 cents:)

Thanks for the idea, but this would put us out a couple of years. We just did a 3+ week tour of western states and all points between in August. We're gonna be paying that one off for a while! I certainly considered it when I heard what the shipping might be!

Mitch
 

archtimb

Adventurer
My experience with shippers mirrors what Martyn replied with. If owning my own business for the last twenty seven years has shown me anything, there is always someone that says they can beat your price. When push comes to shove, the final costs are often higher with these "deals".

There are times to purchase outstanding service and products, and there are times to bargain shop. Considering the risks of shipping high end products the first option is the right choice. I gamble enough just getting out of bed some days! As to having someone else pull my "virgin" trailer 3k miles...mmmmmmmmnot! Sounds like a real gamble. I think I will have proper documents and an insured carrier, thank you.

Mitch
 

Bergger

Explorer
Martyn said:
Believe me we have researched about every angle on this and transportation East of the Rockies is very expensive.

For the past 12 months it's been cheaper to ship a single trailer to Europe or Australia than it has the Mid-West.

Martyn, my wife and I will hopefully be purchasing a chaser before the end of the year and you have already given me a shipping quote to the Denver area. Is is much cheaper to have it shipped to western Colorado or even Utah and then driving out to pick it up? I had thought about road tripping out to your factory but that'd probably be a wash or more expensive.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Bergger said:
Martyn, my wife and I will hopefully be purchasing a chaser before the end of the year and you have already given me a shipping quote to the Denver area. Is is much cheaper to have it shipped to western Colorado or even Utah and then driving out to pick it up? I had thought about road tripping out to your factory but that'd probably be a wash or more expensive.

It's about $100.00 more to go to Denver rather than Salt Lake, the upfront cost are high like insurance, pick up and drop off.

I just ran through some invoices and came up with these numbers. Costs and fuel surcharges change all the time so it's an overall picture not a quote sheet.

Upland California to

Houston TX is $900.00 +/-
Cedar City Utah $1100 +/-
Fort Collins CO $880.00 +/-
Chandler AZ $725.00 +/-
Rhode Island $1300.00
Montreal CA $1775.00 +/-

The Horizon weighs more so it's a little more expensive to ship so the costs are +/-. The price includes the skid we build. We don't mark up for shipping and handling.

If you compare these cost to shipping a Chaser trailer to the UK, from our factory to the Port of London at $720.00 including a skid made from certified export wood (yes it exists), you can see that shipping is a problem.

If you pick up in California we have to charge sales tax at 7.75%.
 
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archtimb

Adventurer
bump!

Over 200 views, but only a handful of responses?

I appreciate everyone that has suggested less expensive methods of shipping. By my own experience, as well as AT's, these low bids seem great to start out, only to get jacked at the end. AT palletizes and wraps their units for shipment (part of the cost). These are 10' long and over 5' wide, taking quite a lot of room inside a truck. The trucking firm also can not top load over the pallet. Once the shipper realizes he can not (well, SHOULD not) top load over these pallets, the price skyrockets. It will be most cost effective to bring in a truck load of trailers and accessories.

The most fun would be the road trip option. For myself, we burned our travel budget this past season with our western travels. To drive my Cruiser out to pick one up, at current fuel prices would be more than shipping, just a whole lot more fun! Afraid it's not going to happen in short order.

So...anyone else from the east considering purchasing a AT unit or accessories before Spring? We need more stuff to fill up the truck. I'm finding it hard to believe that no one else in the east is getting ready to buy a trailer, RTT, fridge or whatever. Then, maybe I'm just naive? Perhaps I would understand better if you would post up your objections. Bad timing? Too expensive? Not what you want in a trailer? Maybe I should put up a Poll, so you can remain anonymous but still contribute to my understanding why trailer interest seems to be lacking in the east?

Post up or contact me! If you call and do not get me, leave a message and number. I can not always get to or hear the phone while I am working. Looking for feedback, even if you do not want a trailer at this time. Looking for a RTT or fridge, let me know. I have some interest, but need more.

Mitch
 

MaddBaggins

Explorer
If you have any interest in coming to Tucson, I have a commercial address you could ship to with a loading dock and forklifts. We have enough room to store some AT's for a short time and you could pick up here. Just an option.
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
Out of curiousity mor ethan anything else, hsa anyone tried Unishippers for a quote?
My sister works in Logistics, but she's often told me that Forward Air is usually the best option for single shipments of heavy stuff. Not always, and not if there will be recurring shipping (i.e. business).
 

elcoyote

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0004
ntsqd said:
Out of curiousity mor ethan anything else, hsa anyone tried Unishippers for a quote?
My sister works in Logistics, but she's often told me that Forward Air is usually the best option for single shipments of heavy stuff. Not always, and not if there will be recurring shipping (i.e. business).
When we first started our business, we used Unishippers but have since found that we are better off dealing directly with the shipping companies rather than a broker.
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
I can certainly see that being the case for a business. Wondered, though, for a one-off shipment how they might compare - even with their cut of the fees.
 

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