Installing windows for cargo trailer?

[Joe Montana]

Hi all,

I may have a chance at a VERY cheap but very intact 5x8 cargo trailer in the Los Angeles area. Clean but barebones, back pull down ramp and side door. Top vent. But no windows.

Can anyone ballpark what it would cost to have someone local install two small windows on one side, and a larger double window on the other side? Also wondering the cost for someone cutting out a small space for a potential AC with a little door to go with? Does anyone know of anyone they could recommend and vouch for in this area who could do this? What's been your experience?  I'm trying to figure out costs on top of what the going price is.

Also, with an aluminum and barebones plywood 5x8 cargo trailer, what kind of vehicle can tow this? Would it have to be a van, truck, or SUV, or could a car tow something that small?

I really appreciate any input.


p.s. Has anyone installed big screen doors either on the side door of their cargo trailer, or where the back doors/ramp  are, and what are the costs and where would one get that done?

 

[JohnnyM]

Yes, a trailer that size could be pulled easily by a medium size car. I pulled a 6x10 cargo trailer, fully loaded with a motorcycle plus all my camping gear and miscellaneous other stuff, all over the country with a Ford Flex, which is a small SUV station wagon powered by a 3.5 liter V6. I did boost the rear suspension with a set of Timbren bump stops (fixed it!) but otherwise the Flex pulled the little trailer around like it was nothing.

You can buy custom-made RV windows, sized to your specs, complete with sliding glass and screen inserts, for about 200 - 250 each for the good ones. Here's a link: https://www.rvwindows.com/products/series-1600/

That sounds high, but this is the good stuff. I like to brag that my windows went through Hurricane Harvey and didn't leak a drop. (True story). Installing the windows is more of a carpentry job than a mechanical job, and anyone with a saber saw and a tape measure can do it.

For a screen door (for the side door), I just went to Home Depot and picked out a ready-made one for like $35 and I made a couple of brackets and slid it into place when I needed it.

Have fun with your project!

Johnny

 

[highdesertranger]

where are you at in So Cal. like Johnny said windows are easy. I am in So Cal a lot but all my tools are in Arizona and I no longer have a place to work on stuff.

Walt's in Pomona? has used everything, windows included.

highdesertranger

 

[rvwandering]

Bob made a video of a cargo trailer with a sliding screen door in the back -



The man in the video did the work himself so there isn't a breakdown of the cost but I think a competent handyman could install it.

 

[Joe Montana]

Thank you so much everyone for your responses. I so appreciate it, and I apologize for the delay in my gratitude. It's just that I've been getting over the disappointment that the cargo trailer I thought I had access to ended up being a total scam.

 

[[email protected]]

Joe Montana, that is too bad. Don't give up. There is a unit waiting for you.