[NRAninja]

Hello everyone,
I could use some advice from the GT brain trust. I need to get rid of a 25 foot aluminum camper that's been sitting by the side of my widowed grandmothers house for 15+ years. I don't have the title for it.

The summary of the story is as follows:
Grandpa bought this a long time ago. He passed several years ago. For one reason or another, it just ended up sitting by the house. At one point he did some work on it and it was usable, but that was a long time ago. Now rainwater gets in it, the floor is messed up, etc. It's pretty much ready for the scrap yard. Someone could probably use the frame to make a trailer for landscaping equipment or similar. The aluminum could also be scrapped. I don't really have the time/tools/know how for doing something like that, so I'm trying to get rid of it.

I called the scrap yard and they said they needed a title. It has a god only knows how old Virginia license plate on it, but I don't know if it was ever registered in Maryland. I don't know if grandpa ever titled it in Maryland or even had a title to begin with. He was the kind of guy who would buy a camper without a title, so I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm really really really trying to avoid putting it on Craigslist for free because grandma's house needs a decent amount of work and any cash I can get out of the trailer can go to a washer/dryer or siding or various other little projects that the house needs done.

How am I supposed to sell it without a title though? It's less than 39 feet and is subject to maryland title laws as far as I know. I don't know the manufacturer/model/year either. I found a 7 digit number on the tongue... not sure if it's the serial number or even helpful at all.

I attached some pics.
Any ideas or advice? Thanks GNG

[gigab1te]

I don't know about the laws in your state, but here in AZ you can apply for an abandoned vehicle title. I imagine your state will have something similar.

[fireguy129]

Cut the aluminum off it for scrap, burn the wood or whatever isn't metal, scrap iron the frame.

[skinny99]

Originally Posted by fireguy129

Cut the aluminum off it for scrap, burn the wood or whatever isn't metal, scrap iron the frame.

We have a winner! Cut it up so it will fit in the bed of your truck. It will take few trips to get rid of it all. Circular saw with a metal cutting blade will make short work of it. Campers are "usually" very thin material.

Prob sell the ball mount,axle and wheels and tires really easy. People are always looking for stuff like that.

[TK-421]

Turn it into something that doesn't look like a camper and try to scrap it that way. It shouldn't be hard, destruction is always easier than careful disassembly, since you don't care about it and just want it gone. If you really want, and you have some male children, give your kids some safety glasses, some sledge hammers, and tell them to not hurt each other. Boys love being told to go wild and break stuff, at least my brothers and I, and every other boy I knew would love to break stuff and go crazy.

[Adjuster]

That thing is cool. The shell appears to be in very good shape. I would gut it, new floor, install the interior amenities and go camping. Couple grand would really hook it up. One grand would make it functional.

You would be surprised what someone might pay for something like that. Put it on CraigsList for sale. Ebay if you want the whole world to see it. You should find out positively in your state what is needed for registration/title.


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[Rabid Rabbit]

If you want to just sell it to a scrap yard and not get into the fun of destroying the camper yourself there is a process to get the title transfered. My BIL went through the process and even if he lived in PA it still would have taken a couple of months. He had to get the death cert for his GF and father, get his mother to sign the title, meet a cop at the barn where the car was stored to verify some id number on the trailer, send the paper work to the title folk get plates then the trailer was his. I highly recommend the cut and burn method.

[oldsoldier]

Do whatever is required to title it then put if up for sale. Put some work into it and it would be a good trailer on a lake, hunting camp, weekend getaway, etc. It looks like an older trailer. There are people that refurbish those and tow them with cars/trucks of the same age to weekend meetings. I wouldn't tear it apart until I tried to sell it as is.

[Lee-online]

Sell it as a camper for a hunting cabin. I know people who have done this to put on their hunting land.

[smokin762]

People lose titles. This is nothing new, but you will need the VIN number. If you don’t know where it is located, then call a Camper Dealer and asked to speak with somebody that can help you figure out where it could be located.

Then contact your local DMV and see if you can file for a lost title. I don’t think you can take that trailer on the road without some kind of license plate. A title will be needed. The trailer might also need to be weighed for the title.

[Eric]

Why in the world does it have four entry doors? Eric

[mac66]

Just go to your DMV or where ever you get license plates etc and tell them you have a trailer without a title. Take the make model and VIN (vehicle ID number) off the plate you mentioned. They will run it and if it doesn't come back stolen will give you a new title. I do it all the time with motorcycles, boats, trailers, cars etc.

[byf43]

Originally Posted by Eric

Why in the world does it have four entry doors? Eric

Looks like 2 doors. One photo shows the trailer to be very close to a wall.
Pics taken from front, then from the back.

At least that's how it looks to me.

ETA: Notice the 'crack' in the concrete in the photos.

[Jack_Pine]

Originally Posted by Lee-online

Sell it as a camper for a hunting cabin. I know people who have done this to put on their hunting land.

This....they buy them for that in Wisconsin all of the time. If it leaks they throw a tarp over it.

[Monte4283]

Originally Posted by oldsoldier

It looks like an older trailer. There are people that refurbish those and tow them with cars/trucks of the same age to weekend meetings. I wouldn't tear it apart until I tried to sell it as is.

Exactly, I would try selling or parting it out. You would be surprised at how much you can get for some old trailer parts. Those doors having round window could be worth a good bit to the right person.

[USMCgs3]

Originally Posted by Jack_Pine

This....they buy them for that in Wisconsin all of the time. If it leaks they throw a tarp over it.

Yes this is what I would do, if its really in the way give it away. Most "scrappers" dont care about a title since they cut it up anyway... it would make a good hunting cabin for sure.

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[di11igaf]

Cut up, scrap, use for Christmas money. I have a nice copper pile waiting to be stripped

[NRAninja]

Thanks for the responses. This looks like it: http://www.allmanufacturedhomes.com/...neral_8x27.htm
Grandpa never titled it. We found all the papers for his other vehicles, but not the camper. The license plate is from 1959
Junkyard said $0.54/lb for the metal, so I could get that (minus the diesel) if I cut it up.
I'm probably going to craigslist it first "as is" and see what happens. Considering all the other work that needs to be done on the house, the time spent trying to squeeze every penny out of the camper isn't worth it.

So who wants to buy a camper?

[NRAninja]

Originally Posted by Eric

Why in the world does it have four entry doors? Eric

Originally Posted by byf43

Looks like 2 doors. One photo shows the trailer to be very close to a wall.
Pics taken from front, then from the back.

At least that's how it looks to me.

ETA: Notice the 'crack' in the concrete in the photos.

Yep I took pics from the front end and back