Part of my intent with this blog is to document my experience with the businesses I engage with and building materials that I employ as I raise my tiny house. Buying a trailer is a big first step for tiny house dreamers. I talked trailer details in a few of my earlier blog posts. Here I will give more details on the trailer manufacturer that I worked with: Eagle Trailer Manufacturing of SE Portland (not to be confused with Iron Eagle Trailer, also of Portland).
I cannot recommend Eagle Trailer Manufacturing to future tiny house builders, and here's why:
On the day I picked up my trailer and forked over the remainder of the amount I owed, I inspected it with a novice's eye the best I could. It was a dark and overcast day...with rain...and everything seemed to look okay.
The following day was bright, sunny, and dry. As I took measurements of my trailer, I stooped underneath to again examine the paint job. On a previous post, I explained that I made a special effort to emphasize that the trailer was painted with attention to detail and had paid an extra $50 for the addition of a catalyst paint hardener. What I saw on the underside of the framing members was bare, rusty metal. It was like the painter had not even stooped down to spray just a little paint on the underside.
So I took the trailer back with the humble request that the trailer manufacturer paint all four sides of the trailer, and especially the side that will see the most moisture, road salt, and grime (the bottom!). Today, I went to pick it up for the second time and still found areas of bare metal and paint so thin that you could see the rust right through it. Once again they said they would take care of it, and once again I will have to borrow my friend's truck to pick it up later today. My suggestion to you is to either find a trailer manufacturer that pledges to adequately paint the underside or has a method of flipping the trailer over or lifting it up so that the painter can access the bottom. Eagle Trailer does not have this ability.
A manufacturer such as Eagle who builds and sells trailers to Tumbleweed and other tiny house companies, as well as to trailer sales businesses throughout the region should have their process and quality control measures down. This is not rocket science. It's as simple as having a checklist that is reviewed once by the builder (or painter) and once by the supervisor before the trailer moves along to the buyer. The mistakes they made in painting and with the gussets leave me concerned about other aspects of the trailer they may have rushed or conducted poorly.
Furthermore their customer service is lacking. Often I felt like my time was not being respected and follow-up phone calls were promised but often not returned. I would be stuck wondering the status of the trailer and, upon calling, I would be told "Oh, it's ready." The manager I had been working with left on vacation without assuring me that the paint job was being done properly and giving me a time frame or a point contact for who would be managing the job in his absence. There were no apologies offered for the lack of follow-through. Another suggestion: examine your trailer in detail before making your final payment. You will retain more leverage if you notice the manufacturer didn't do something properly.
When I was first researching trailer manufacturers, I searched for reviews of Eagle Trailer's work and customer service. Oddly, for such a busy manufacturer, I found nothing about their reputation. I will be reviewing Eagle Trailer online and explaining my disappointing experience. If you're a tiny house builder starting your process, contact me if you would like some suggestions of other trailer manufacturers to explore. If I could do this all over again, I would work with one of the smaller manufacturers that seemed to be more customer service and detail-oriented (try MCI Welding in Oregon City or MS Trailer in Molalla).
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