Wells Cargo Autowagon AW2824 (need feedback)

[debit.servus]

I would like Feedback on this. I got prices for the wells cargo Autowagon 28' and 32' model & available options:  

(Prices are from October 3rd, 2017) 
AW2824 MSRP 
W/O FREIGHT $14,000
WITH FREIGHT 15,500 
Freight is $1,500 
AW3224 MSRP
W/O FREIGHT $15,000 
WITH FREIGHT $16,800 
Freight is $1,800 
Freight is cost to ship trailer to 101 trailer sales from WC Plant in Ogden UT. 
Rear corner jacks come standard in AW2824 & AW3224.

I also got pricing for these available options I'm interested in: 

-Radius tinted windows 
-Electric jack without battery is $340, can wait or go aftermarket. 
-Access doors 3x3' swing up: $280 - this is a Maybe. 
-1. Recessed Step $122 
-4. Vice Lock Style Door Hasp $41 
(Side or Rear Door) 
-6. Stainless steel Backup Light $211
-10. Roof Top Observation Platform with Safety Railing (can't wait to kick back trackside on this during a nice summer day). 
8' platform $655 fold down guardrail add $1280 
12' platform $1,190 fold down guardrail add $1,920. 
Guardrail is $160 per foot, calculated by the length of the platform (12' is 12x160, 8' is 8x160) 
-Upgrade to .040 inch thick skin $22 a foot. 

-Wall thickness with hat channel, skin and 3/8" plywood is close to 2" 
-Upgrade to 3/4 inch DRY-MAX plywood $3 (looks like OSB plywood)
AR5 wall insulation (1" fits into the standard wall) is $21 a foot. 
-R11 wall insulation is $31 a foot, requires upgrading walls with upright c-channel for $25 a foot. 
-R5 roof insulation is $29 a foot, requires lining with 1/4 inch LUAN included in the price. 
-"Foil ray" insulation for the floor is $10 a foot. 

Per foot in regards to the trailer (insulation, walls, plywood upgrade) is calculated to the trailer length (28' Would be 28 times x) 
per foot in regards to the roof top observation platform is the length of the platform. 

----
Options I asked about but not interested in - sharing for those curious. 
Removable ladder is $290, has to be stowed in the trailer. 
13. Roll-Out Style Awning 9-18' 18' $1050 and 9' $850.
----

Wow I was thinking the trailer itself would be around $10k, at these prices I'll look at eBay and craigslist as well. 

Now I don't have a problem dropping close to $20 grand on a pre-insulated, pre-optioned cargo trailer. I don't have a problem with full timing in a spartan interior for the first year or two as this rig is for the decades. I do have the option to get the options installed one year down the road, by wells cargo. 

$20 grand is however more than six month wages as a trucker and I want to get into this trailer conversion ASAP. I'm going to finance this as soon as I qualify with the biggest down payment I can make and pay it off on an accelerated timeframe. 

If anybody knows of other cargo trailer manufacturers with same quality level but MSRP of thousands less let me know. Build Quality is my primary deciding factor, not price or branding.

 

[user 423]

What have you budgeted for a tow vehicle?

Gee, I thought that a lot of OTR truck drivers just lived in their trucks for the one day of the week they had off.

If you did that, you wouldn't need a trailer...

 

[Almost There]

If anybody knows of other cargo trailer manufacturers with same quality level but MSRP of thousands less let me know. Build Quality is my primary deciding factor, not price or branding.

In 30 years of owning cargo trailers, I have yet to find any other manufacturer that comes close to the quality of a Wells Cargo trailer.

My current trailer is 20 years old and except for having to put new tires on it every 5 years and doing routine maintenance on the bearings it has been totally trouble free. Aside from needing to shine it up, repaint the steel tongue and replace the chains cause they're rusty, I could sell it today for 75% of what I paid for it new.

I can load it any way I want it and it tows like it a dream unlike other trailers where you have to calculate tongue load and side to side weighting, this one doesn't seem to care a bit.

You get what you pay for!

 

[debit.servus]

What have you budgeted for a tow vehicle?  

Gee, I thought that a lot of OTR truck drivers just lived in their trucks for the one day of the week they had off.

If you did that, you wouldn't need a trailer...

Depending on how much I like trucking and the cost/benefit of becoming an O/O, I might get my own truck with an upgraded sleeper box for the freedom to go where I want when I'm not working.

In 30 years of owning cargo trailers, I have yet to find any other manufacturer that comes close to the quality of a Wells Cargo trailer.

My current trailer is 20 years old and except for having to put new tires on it every 5 years and doing routine maintenance on the bearings it has been totally trouble free. Aside from needing to shine it up, repaint the steel tongue and replace the chains cause they're rusty, I could sell it today for 75% of what I paid for it new.

I can load it any way I want it and it tows like it a dream unlike other trailers where you have to calculate tongue load and side to side weighting, this one doesn't seem to care a bit.

You get what you pay for!

Thanks, Wells Cargo it is.

 

[debit.servus]

What have you budgeted for a tow vehicle? 
...

I've budgeted 3-6K for an 80s 1ton work truck in good to great condition. So under 3 months salary as a trucker.

Lets tally up the approximate price when I order:

-$14,000 AW2824 MSRP, add $1,500 for freight from Wells Cargo plant in Ogden, UT to 101 Trailer Sales in Aromas, CA.

-$3110 12' Roof Top Observation Platform with 12' of Safety Railing
-$340   Electric jack without battery, can wait or go aftermarket. 
-$122   Recessed Step  
-$41     Vice Lock Style Door Hasp (Side or Rear Door) 
-$211   Stainless steel Backup Light
-$616   Upgrade to .040 inch thick skin ($22 a foot). 
-$84     Upgrade to 3/4 inch DRY-MAX plywood ($3 a foot, looks like OSB plywood)
-$588   R5 wall insulation (1" fits into the standard wall) is $21 a foot.
-$812   R5 roof insulation is $29 a foot, requires lining with 1/4 inch LUAN included in the price. 
-$280   "Foil ray" insulation for the floor is $10 a foot.

$20,204 with Approx. 10% fees, taxes and licensing. (Approx. $2021, so have $2100 ready)
+ $5,000-10,000 to build the interior out how I like.

Expected Life of Trailer: 30+ years, barring severe collission.
22225 / 30 = Approx. $741 a year (price is secondary for me at this point).

So the choice is clear, one rig versus 5-10 replacements due to structural disintegretation. This Build it ONCE, Enjoy for LIFE mobile dwelling.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I've budgeted 3-6K for an 80s 1ton work truck in good to great condition. So under 3 months salary as a trucker.

I think your truck budget is pretty light,  80's trucks are fast becoming a collectors item for all the 80's kids who are now adults and any in good to great condition can fetch a premium.

*Edit, I stand corrected, a quick search does yield some K30's in your estimated price range.

 

[John61CT]

Depending on how much I like trucking and the cost/benefit of becoming an O/O, I might get my own truck with an upgraded sleeper box for the freedom to go where I want when I'm not working.

But you'll be working all the time.

I thought truckers made more than average income ($66K here).

 

[debit.servus]

Every Road Leads Home
I think your truck budget is pretty light,  80's trucks are fast becoming a collectors item for all the 80's kids who are now adults and any in good to great condition can fetch a premium.

*Edit, I stand corrected, a quick search does yield some K30's in your estimated price range.

I thought so, seeing prices rise. I've also been looking at 90s work trucks and considering early 2000s. Enough talk about trucks in this thread.

What does everybody think about the R5 wall and roof insulation options for WC trailers? What kind of insulation do you think WC is using? Would I be better off having insulation done elsewhere (in terms of getting better/higher R-value insulation - not because it's slightly cheaper). Does anybody know what kind of "foil ray" insulation they're using in the floor?

 

[tx2sturgis]

Not attempting to derail the thread, but here are some approximate earnings that you can expect:

Company drivers working for common carriers, generally speaking, make about $40k to $60k per year. In the first year or two of that career, its not very lucrative at all...some drivers are lucky to gross $25k.

Company drivers working for large OTR private fleets tend to make MUCH more..often exceeding $100,000 per year.

Owner operator's net income varies widely depending on a lot of factors, primarily the truck payments and the type of cargo being hauled.

 

[debit.servus]

Every Road Leads Home
I think your truck budget is pretty light, 80's trucks are fast becoming a collectors item for all the 80's kids who are now adults and any in good to great condition can fetch a premium.

*Edit, I stand corrected, a quick search does yield some K30's in your estimated price range.

I thought so, seeing prices rise. I've also been looking at 90s work trucks and considering early 2000s. Enough talk about trucks in this thread.

What does everybody think about the R5 wall and roof insulation options for WC trailers? What kind of insulation do you think WC is using? Would I be better off having insulation done elsewhere (in terms of getting better/higher R-value insulation - not because it's slightly cheaper). Does anybody know what kind of "foil ray" insulation they're using in the floor?

 

[debit.servus]

Does anybody have feedback about the insulation options?

 

[rm.w/aview]

What does everybody think about the R5 wall and roof insulation options for WC trailers? What kind of insulation do you think WC is using? Would I be better off having insulation done elsewhere (in terms of getting better/higher R-value insulation - not because it's slightly cheaper). Does anybody know what kind of "foil ray" insulation they're using in the floor?