Sell Your Camper

MachineryBarn buys used truck campers and slide-in campers — hard-side and pop-up. Truck campers are valued on water intrusion first, exactly as towable RVs are, with one factor unique to the category: the fit. A camper is matched to a specific truck bed length and payload capacity, and a camper that suits the common truck configurations has a far wider buyer pool than one that does not. Dry weight matters more here than on any other RV type, because it has to sit inside a pickup's payload rating.

Campers we buy

Configuration changes who the next buyer is, so it changes the offer. These are the variants worth naming when you describe your machine.

Hard-side camper

Fixed walls, full standing height, better insulation. Heavier, taller for travel, and the most common configuration.

Pop-up camper

Collapsible roof for travel. Much lower profile and lighter, which suits off-road use and half-ton trucks. The lifting mechanism and the canvas are extra value factors.

Short-bed camper

Sized for a six-and-a-half foot bed. A wide market because short-bed crew cabs are the common pickup configuration.

Long-bed camper

Sized for an eight-foot bed. More interior space but fewer matching trucks on the road.

Flatbed camper

Designed for a flatbed truck rather than a pickup bed. A distinct market and worth stating explicitly.

What determines a used camper's value

Roughly in order of how much each one moves the number.

1. 1

   Water intrusion

   The defining value factor, as on any RV. Roof seams, the front cabover section, windows and the roof vents are where water gets in, and the cabover — hanging out over the truck cab — is the area most prone to it and most expensive to repair.

   How to check it: Press the cabover floor and the main floor for softness, check the ceiling and upper corners for staining, and look closely at every roof seam and penetration.

2. 2

   Truck fit

   Unique to this category and frequently decisive. Bed length, whether the truck is single or dual rear wheel, and the payload capacity required all determine who can actually use the camper. A camper that fits common trucks sells; one that needs an unusual configuration waits.

   How to check it: Note the bed length it is built for, and the dry weight so a buyer can check it against their truck's payload rating.

3. 3

   Jack condition

   The four corner jacks are how the camper loads and unloads, and they carry its full weight. Bent, seized or mismatched jacks make the camper effectively immovable, and electric jacks with failed motors are a real repair.

   How to check it: Extend and retract all four jacks fully and check for bending, seizing and even operation.

4. 4

   Roof condition

   The roof is the first defence and it takes sun and branches. Membrane condition, seam sealant and the state of every penetration decide whether water is getting in.

5. 5

   Pop-up mechanism and canvas, where applicable

   On a pop-up, the lift mechanism and the canvas are both significant. Torn, mouldy or brittle canvas is a substantial replacement, and a lift system that binds is a repair.

6. 6

   Appliance and system function

   Fridge, furnace, water heater, water systems and the battery and converter all matter, but they matter less than structure. A camper with a dead fridge and a sound cabover is a much better prospect than the reverse.

7. 7

   Weight and construction

   Lighter aluminium-framed and composite campers suit more trucks and are increasingly sought after. Heavy wood-framed hard-sides need bigger trucks and hold water damage worse.

8. 8

   Title and registration status

   Slide-in campers are handled differently from towable RVs in California registration terms and are frequently sold informally. Say what paperwork you have.

What gets inspected on a camper

Knowing what a buyer looks at lets you describe the machine accurately the first time, which avoids the offer changing later.

What we need to price your camper

You do not need all of it to start. The more of it you have, the closer the first number is to the final one.

• Year, make and model
• Hard-side or pop-up
• Bed length it fits — short bed, long bed, or flatbed
• Dry weight if known
• Whether there are any soft floors, especially in the cabover
• Roof condition and when it was last resealed
• Whether all four jacks work
• For pop-ups: canvas and lift mechanism condition
• Which appliances and systems work
• How and where it has been stored

Makes and model families we see most

We buy campers from manufacturers beyond this list. These are the ones that come up most often, with the series a seller is likely to recognise from the machine.