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Enclosed Cargo Trailer Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

A guided, do-it-yourself pre-purchase inspection checklist for used bumper-pull enclosed cargo trailers with one or two axles, from Haulmark, Pace American, Carry-On, LOOK, Interstate, Wells Cargo and other builders. No mechanic needed: each check tells you what to look for and what counts as a fail, from the VIN and ratings to the frame, coupler, floor, roof leaks, ramp door, axles, bearings, brakes and tires, plus a short tow test. Not for gooseneck, refrigerated, food or living-quarters trailers.

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90 days of access. Inspect and compare up to 12 items of this type.

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What you get

  • No mechanic needed. Most checks need only your eyes, a flashlight and a tire gauge; a few optional deeper checks go further if you have the tools or bring in a mechanic.
  • A guided checklist written for this kind of purchase: every question says what to look for and what counts as a fail. Ready to use the moment you pay.
  • Inspect on your phone: answers save as you go, with photos and notes on any question.
  • Send it to a mechanic, supervisor, colleague, or employee by text or email. They need no account.
  • A report that puts the problems first, with photos, times and location.
  • Inspect and compare up to 12 vehicles, machines or trailers of the same type with one purchase, side by side, before you decide.

Known problems, checked

Comes with a guide to the known problems and red flags to watch for.

How it works

  1. Choose a checklistPick the one that matches what you are buying, and pay by card. No account to set up first.
  2. Add what you are inspectingEnter the item, the asking price and where it is. Add as many as you are considering.
  3. Inspect it, or send itWork through the checklist on your phone, or send it to a mechanic, supervisor, colleague, or employee to do for you.
  4. Read the report and compareSee the problems first, with photos. Put your options side by side and decide.

What it covers 57 questions

  • Records and Ratings7 questions
  • Frame, Tongue and Coupler7 questions
  • Floor, Walls and Roof7 questions
  • Doors and Ramp6 questions
  • Axles, Suspension and Hubs7 questions
  • Brakes and Breakaway6 questions
  • Wheels and Tires7 questions
  • Lights and Wiring5 questions
  • Tow Test4 questions
  • Final Review1 question

A sample of the questions

  • VIN plate and title
  • Frame rust and cracks
  • Floor soft spots
  • Ramp door lowering and raising
  • Axle labels and ratings
  • Brake type and requirement
  • Tire type and load range
  • Trailer plug

This is a sample. The full checklist is yours when you buy.

Before You Start

You don't need a mechanic or to be a mechanic yourself to complete this inspection. Every question needs only your eyes, a flashlight and a few low-cost tools, and each one tells you exactly what to do and what counts as a fail.

Allow about an hour and a half, including a short tow test.

For bumper-pull enclosed cargo trailers with one or two axles: Haulmark, Pace American, Carry-On, LOOK, Interstate, Continental Cargo, Wells Cargo and similar, with a ramp, barn or roll-up rear door. Not for gooseneck or fifth-wheel trailers, refrigerated trailers, food trailers or trailers with living quarters.

Before you go, ask the seller to:

  • Have the title or registration, the bill of sale and any repair records ready.
  • Empty the trailer, so you can see the floor, walls and roof from inside.
  • Park it on firm, level ground with room to walk all the way around and open every door.
  • Agree a short tow test with your own vehicle, if your vehicle can tow it.

Bring your tow vehicle if you can, with a hitch ball of the size stamped on the trailer's coupler and a working brake controller.

Go in daylight. Block the wheels before raising the trailer. Never get under it while it is held up only by a jack: use jack stands. Do not stand on the roof, and never stand behind a ramp door while it is being lowered.

Answer every question as indicated. Skip anything the trailer does not have (answer Not applicable).

Write readings in the note, and add a photo of anything that fails.

Bring (all available at an auto parts store for well under $100 in total):

  • A flashlight
  • A tape measure
  • A tread depth gauge and a tire pressure gauge
  • A basic multimeter, for the breakaway and interior batteries
  • A trailer plug tester (4-pin or 7-way)
  • A bottle jack or floor jack and a jack stand
  • An infrared thermometer, for the hub check after towing
  • A step ladder, to see the roof
  • A screwdriver, for tapping rusty frame areas
  • Gloves
Tools for a Deeper Inspection (Optional)

You don't need any of these to use this checklist. For the deeper brake check, or if you bring in a mechanic, these are the tools needed, as well as those in Before You Start:

  • The brake maker's magnet current or resistance chart (for example Dexter's)
  • Tools to remove the hubs and drums, and new grease seals to refit them
Sources and Standards
  • FieldDone pre-purchase inspection protocol for enclosed cargo trailers (October 2026)
  • Your trailer's own owner's manual and its axle and brake makers' manuals, matched to the VIN and axle labels
  • NHTSA recall lookup
  • Dexter brakes FAQ
  • Dexter electric-over-hydraulic actuation