Would you hesitate to purchase an older (late 90s early 00s) steel Titan or Trails West or other quality steel trailer if the price was right? I found a deal on a gooseneck I'm drooling over but the fact that it's 20 years old has me going I'm not so sure. Thoughts? 

I would take someone who is good at looking over trailers with you. Get under it to check the welds, floors, latches, axles, etc. If its good then go for it! 

I'm not opposed to replacing a wood floor for one of those rubber floors that supposedly last forever, for the right purchase price on the trailer. But yes, welds, axles and other misc structural things make me super nervous.

Alot of the brand names back 20 years ago are better built, they used better material back then and then the price of steel went up and things started to get built cheaply.

Take a good look at that trailer make sure no rust has taken over anywhere, check the support beams that the floor runs on if not rusting then I think you will do/did good.

I have a 95/6 FeatherLite Alum. trailer and that sucker is solid as a rock and never had a repair done on it and its still has the same floor. But I wash and clean it out offten so the pee dont sit.

I completely re-did a '99 Trails West.  I talked to a few people about it because I was disgusted at what I found under the trim, etc. and was told that about that year is when their quality really started to go downhill. It was eye-opening to say the least. Needless to say, when I stumbled on a good deal on a Platinum, I bought it even though I was in the middle of the TW re-build project. 

I would be worried about rust. I sold my 2006 TW because of that. Loved the trailer and layout but would hate to see what it  looked like in few more years. I kept it clean too! I owned a 1989 Titan 4 horse and it had very little rust to it. Really well made. Wish I had kept it. 

As long as it's just superficial rust and isn't on the bottom of the trailer, I wouldn't worry about it. I'd pay to have it sand blasted and painted anyway bc I'm a snob and I don't like the color the trailer currently is.

veintiocho - was is so rusted it was effecting the trailer structurally? I have rust on my 98 Chapparall and I haven't worried....yet. It's just superficial. We do need to sand blast and paint in the next few years and build a storage spot for it so it doesn't rust again, or I need to get another and have it sand blasted and painted. 

wishingforsun - was 99 the year that all steel trailers quality changed or just TW? This one I'm eyeballing is a Titan. 

The Trails West had some rust around the back door hinges, ladder, bumpers and low on the sides near the back doors. Most if not all was just cosmetic, but since it wasn’t a ‘lifer’ trailer for me I wanted to get rid of it ASAP before it brought the price down anymore. 

Now that I'm looking at this trailer, and the weight of it....thinking it may be too heavy for me. It's a 4 horse gooseneck with 4 foot short wall dressing room....GVWR 9760. I know that weight is peanuts to some of you...I've never had anything that heavy.

If that number is listed as the GVWR - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - that’s the max it rated to handle, not the actual weight.  It’s a combination of what each axle is rated for plus the “hitch” weight.  I would guess it’s probably got 3500 or 4000 lb axles on it and the balance is what the hitch will bear.

is it close by? You could also see if the seller knows the actual weight or would let you run it to a nearby truck stop or grain elevator with scales.  

What is your towing vehicle?

i had a 2006 Titan BP for a while around 2012-14.  Very handy and well made trailer.

I have a 6.0 F250. 

I knew GVWR wasn't just the trailer itself, it's the max the trailer can safely weigh including payload, right? (Not the trailer can safely handle hauling 9760lbs PLUS its own weight, right? Now I'm all confused...I have a serious case of the Fridays...lol!)

Yes, it's within about 2 hrs of me, I think. So not too far! I'm still trying to decide if I want to approach my husband about it. I'm the money planner of the two of us and I know he needs a tractor this spring/summer too and that takes precedence. I'm looking at savings trying to decide if I wanna go for it or if I should wait til our savings gets built back up after we buy the tractor. It'll probably end up being the latter, because I'm stingy with our savings and a bit obsessive about it not getting below a certain amount unless it is a dire emergency (which this obviously does not qualify...sigh...adulting!) and I DID just by a new Double J a few weeks ago and that was $ not cheap. 

You’ve got more than enough truck :) I was worried you were going to say you have a half ton.  GVWR is the max loaded weight of the trailer - physical trailer plus payload.  So if you scale the trailer and it weighs 5,000lbs you have 4600lbs for ponies and stuff.  

Totslly understand the money side - we just started a business last fall as my husband’s fill time occupation and I’m the accountant.  I have so many things I’d like to have...but we needed a new skid loader for the business.  #priorities #sucksometimes

Ok that's what I thought as far as GVWR goes. I figured it would be more than enough truck as we have 18k lb plates on the thing, I'm just so used to my little 16ft BP....lol. 

Yes. Adulting is the pits. Hubs really needs the tractor so he can so some work around the barnyard and make it more workable and nice for me, so first things first. We'd be just fine if I decide to take a look at this trailer too, but then as life would have it, one of my kids would have an ER visit or break a bone or something and I'd be kicking myself for letting our savings get a little lower than usual.