Purchasing the Trailer | Local vs. Savings?

For months I stewed over which trailer to purchase: should I get a used trailer and deal with repairing rust spots and replacing axels? It would be cheaper…ooo! Then I could save money for luxuries like skylights and a washer/dryer unit!

Brian and I went back and forth (and back and forth) about the length and the GVWR we were looking for. Being someone who drives trucks loaded to the max of 103,000 lbs every day, he of course wanted no less than a dual-axel and wasn’t convinced that a ball hitch was going to be good enough to keep our dream house secure.

So it began to look like we were going to go big or go home (in such a way that a tiny house can).

Any trailer in NH meeting our requirements were $13,000+ and my tiny house budget didn’t like those numbers. We knew we needed something with a decent GVWR to hold the weight of just the timber frame alone but simply could NOT begin our journey with that big of a dent in our savings.

As much as we are looking forward to living simply and enjoying a small space with a greater appreciation for the outdoors, we also knew we’d be living in this house for longer than what would constitute a “fad.” We weren’t about to build an 18-foot long home like you see on TV. They are brilliant, well-designed, and I applaud anyone who lives in that small of a space – but Brian and I have a lot of hobbies and we enjoy our separate activities. This will be our home for who knows how many more years!

Several local sources explained to us that if we traveled to the southern states we would find the cheapest prices because most of the manufacturers were located south. I’m not sure how true that is, but with the help of eBay, we found a manufacturer located in Oklahoma.

At a VERY reasonable price, E-W Trailers was able to custom make our trailer to order: a 32′-foot long gooseneck trailer with tandem axels. They were wonderful people to work with and I couldn’t be happier. Sending that certified check in the mail was an exciting yet anxious moment for me! This is really happening!! But how do we get it to New Hampshire?

After playing with the idea of renting or borrowing a truck with a fifth-wheel connection, we decided we couldn’t take the time off from work and began to look into how much it would cost to have the trailer shipped to us.

Not without trouble, I connected with someone from Texas through uShip.com and he delivered the trailer to me for a VERY nice price (if you’re interested, keep your eye out for a cost run-down at the end of this project!).

Voila! My brand new, high-quality, cheaply priced trailer made it to the build site in Gilmanton, NH on February 29, 2016.