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Are all PJ trailers shit or just mine?

Soule88

Active member
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Member Number
3163
Messages
26
Loc
Central Illinois
As the title says, are all PJ trailers shit or is it just mine?
Ive got a 2020 PJ quick tilt 22' I bought as a left over in last year. Ive had it just over a year now and man, this thing is rough already.
-Fender brackets are cracked and falling off.
-Removable fenders require removing the marker light wiring.
-Tail light box end caps were "welded" on poorly. I say "welded" because that would require both pieces to actually be fused together.
-Battery box and Hydraulic box lids are razor sharp. Actually any sheared edge is razor sharp
-Battery box and hydraulic lid hinges are welded on in a bind. Battery box hinges have already cracked off.
-Hydraulic ram clevis binds before the trailer is tilted far enough to get the lip on the ground.
I thought PJ being one of the bigger brands it would be a little bit nicer but I guess not. Really a weekend of poking around will resolve most of the issues with this thing, but most of it requires welding. Luckily this thing is Desert Tan powder coat. Who orders a flesh toned trailer? lol
 
Now that you own it, you may as well just fix/change the stuff that's bothering you. Unless you spend 2-3x's on a super high end trailer, they all are not built that great.

It sucks to cut up something you just spent ~$10k on, but that's just how they are.

My father in law has a 1 year old buggy hauler, one of the boards curled up like a foot and the shitty little door for the ramps already snapped off. My PJ hydraulic tilt has some serious ghetto fab spacers to change it from a wood deck to a steel deck (from the factory)

My maxxd dump trailer was better, but still had some db shit, like missed welds and d rings welded the the ~12g wall :homer:
 
Meh, I love my cam superline, I have seen some nice load trail recently. But also seem some really bad big tex, pj, and appalachian too as of recent.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
You been living under a rock? :flipoff2:

They used to be decent, I think, but quality fell off for some reason.
Click to expand...

This is what I've seen and heard.

Most of the national big name trailer brands seem to have gone to shit in recent years. I'm not sure why. In my area, the best trailers come from a couple local manufacturers who don't really sell beyond the PNW.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Now that you own it, you may as well just fix/change the stuff that's bothering you. Unless you spend 2-3x's on a super high end trailer, they all are not built that great.

It sucks to cut up something you just spent ~$10k on, but that's just how they are.

My father in law has a 1 year old buggy hauler, one of the boards curled up like a foot and the shitty little door for the ramps already snapped off. My PJ hydraulic tilt has some serious ghetto fab spacers to change it from a wood deck to a steel deck (from the factory)
Click to expand...
my brand new PJ has some of the similar issues, hinges not welded, horrible paint coverage in spots, crank handle hits the rub rail, etc

i chose to fix what i could and bitch about the rest :flipoff2:
 
Honestly, I wouldnt feel so bad about burning on a new trailer if it were just black paint. Some nutsack special ordered this thing in desert tan powdercoat, I was not that nutsack. Who the hell orders a flesh tone trailer? Dealer said someone ordered it then backed out, It was also the only hydraulic tilt I could find on a lot within 250 miles of my house at the time. Especally one that had 10K worth of axles under it.
 
Soule88 said:
Honestly, I wouldnt feel so bad about burning on a new trailer if it were just black paint. Some nutsack special ordered this thing in desert tan powdercoat, I was not that nutsack. Who the hell orders a flesh tone trailer? Dealer said someone ordered it then backed out, It was also the only hydraulic tilt I could find on a lot within 250 miles of my house at the time. Especally one that had 10K worth of axles under it.
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I’ve been pleased with my PJ Buggy Hauler. Ordered it almost 6 years ago. The gray is annoying with touch up, looking a little patchy now.
 
Soule88 said:
Honestly, I wouldnt feel so bad about burning on a new trailer if it were just black paint. Some nutsack special ordered this thing in desert tan powdercoat, I was not that nutsack. Who the hell orders a flesh tone trailer? Dealer said someone ordered it then backed out, It was also the only hydraulic tilt I could find on a lot within 250 miles of my house at the time. Especally one that had 10K worth of axles under it.
Click to expand...
so weld on it then when you're done find some mismix exterior house paint in an inoffensive color to slap onto it
they'll usually re-mix the tint for you if you ask, I generally go with something simple like "dump in as much black as you can fit in there"
 
funny timing on the thread. almost home yesterday going down the road next to the interstate there's a newer chevy dually pulled over with a gooseneck PJ. still connected in the bed, sitting at a funny angle and the front of the trailer on is on the ground. I think "wtf?" and notice it broke somewhere in the gooseneck part and was completely fucked. Immediately thought of this thread but had nowhere to safely pull over to take a pic

someone on here had something similar happen but cant remember who
 
TRINDU said:
Was that before or after the second raid where 150+ were arrested?

Buy a Diamond C, then Delco, then it's a crapshoot with quality with everything else
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Probably after, it's a 2021 I bought in 2020. They must have been very eager to please Guatemalans with at least 3 hours (maybe even 4) of Utube welding enEspañol, it's pretty passable. I paid 4300 for a 22' 14k bumper pull in Texas, a shitty big tex was 6500 in Tucson and a Diamond C was probably 8500 at that time.

Diamond C makes a very nice trailer with nice looking welds underneath even.

It is what it is
 
I paid way to much for my Lamar trailer....but only one I could find in steel deck and 5k axles....pretty happy so far and it's made decent....better than the pj I looked at
 
My old PJ (circa 2006?) was "ok" at best. Replaced it with a custom build. Paid for the quality (25% more than a new PJ), but I don't worry at all about the welds...
 
I have a 2019 PJ 12'x6' and it way better quality than the other options.
about same build quality as a 2004 16' DT I had.
 
Cornpro makes some of the best trailers that I have ever looked at. They are built in Indiana.
 
I have an 01 PJ 77x12' utility with removable sides and fenders. The welds look pretty good but then again it's 20+ years old now. It's nice and heavy and tows nice since the sides are removable it's got 5" C channel frame under it.

When I was looking at dump trailers last spring I initially went to a dealer to look at a PJ 82*14' 14k gooseneck. the overall weld and fit and finish wasn't that great. Would it have worked? Most likely but the Iron Bull BP right beside it had much better welds and was $1500 cheaper so I bought it instead. I do wish I had gone with the gooseneck sometimes but a bumper pull is easier to hook/unhook to quickly.
 
Shit, here I am doing some research on PJ's cause they make a B5 in 18'. I don't think I've found anyone saying they are good since at least 5-6 years back.
 
I have a 2018 PJ 16k Tilt-Bed. It was $10k back in 2017. I have some of the same issues you mentioned, particularly the fenders/mounting, but overall it has been a good trailer. I haven't done anything to it besides grease it and change the battery. Even the Goodride tires have held up better than I expected.
 
94toytruck said:
Shit, here I am doing some research on PJ's cause they make a B5 in 18'. I don't think I've found anyone saying they are good since at least 5-6 years back.
Click to expand...

I know 2 people with fairly new 10k PJ buggy haulers. They say "made in Mexico" right in them, and not proven to be that nice.

I borrowed one and cracked 2 wheels driving over a 2" curb at 1 mph. :homer:

I'd look at other brands for sure.
 
Actually just spec'ed a Diamond C full deck car hauler on their builder page within $500 of the PJ B5 I had spec'ed and the DC has a built in locking box in the front. Gonna call and see about it tomorrow. They are one of the few builders I see getting good reviews by people and not complaints.

The PJ B5 with 12 OC cross members, primer plus powder coat and a spare tire only no mount was $8900
 
94toytruck said:
Actually just spec'ed a Diamond C full deck car hauler on their builder page within $500 of the PJ B5 I had spec'ed and the DC has a built in locking box in the front. Gonna call and see about it tomorrow. They are one of the few builders I see getting good reviews by people and not complaints.

The PJ B5 with 12 OC cross members, primer plus powder coat and a spare tire only no mount was $8900
Click to expand...

$8900?:eek: is that a typo?

My father in law paid $5200 otd for a 10k 20' in 2019 and I thought that was way too much.
 
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