Do you insure your travel trailer?

lugoismad · 08-31-2016, 01:29 PM

I just bought a 2007 Surveyor 235RS. I paid cash.

My understanding is, if something happens WHILE its connected to my vehicle, my car insurance will take care of it. If something happens any other time, its on me.

Is it worth it to insure it, since I only paid $5k for it?

Martsing · 08-31-2016, 01:32 PM

Ours is added to my Geico Policy.

Marty

**ependydad** · 08-31-2016, 01:36 PM

It's your choice- do you have $5k to replace it if something DOES happen? On the flipside, if it is insured and something totals it, would you get your $5k back?

What about the contents of the rig?

Insurance is a waste of money if nothing happens, but usually well worth it if it does. It's a gamble either way.

GreenImp · 08-31-2016, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lugoismad

My understanding is, if something happens WHILE its connected to my vehicle, my car insurance will take care of it.

I would call and confirm this before counting on it. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that this is true for the liability side but not for Comp/Collision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lugoismad

Is it worth it to insure it, since I only paid $5k for it?

The answer to this is more about your personal situation. In the unlikely but possible event of a total loss, could you easily replace it? The harder it would be for you to absorb that loss, the higher the argument for insuring it is.

**wmtire** · 08-31-2016, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lugoismad

I just bought a 2007 Surveyor 235RS. I paid cash.

My understanding is, if something happens WHILE its connected to my vehicle, my car insurance will take care of it. If something happens any other time, its on me.

Is it worth it to insure it, since I only paid $5k for it?

I would also confirm this with your particular insurance company, as they all have their own exclusions....and what happens if it becomes detached from your tow vehicle.

http://www.carinsurance.com/insurance-for-trailer.aspx

fella10 · 08-31-2016, 01:57 PM

if the value is only $5,000. then the premium shouldn't be very much,.... plus another thing to think about is the liability of the trailer, suppose you forgot to close/lock an outside storage compartment, the door comes open and something falls out, bounces on the pavement and hits another vehicle,... that liability may not be covered by your auto policy if you didn't have a tt policy,... many questions that should be answered by your insurance company, they will know, we are all just guessing,..........

**Iwritecode** · 08-31-2016, 02:12 PM

Based on my experience, insurance premiums for TT are not very high. I believe ours is under $100 a year. So it would take quite a long time to get anywhere close to $5K. Plus you have to think about the value of all the "stuff" in your trailer that you may have to replace.

lugoismad · 08-31-2016, 05:36 PM

I called Geico, whom I have my homeowners and auto through.

They said it would be $12 a month. I told the lady I'd have to think about it, because the trailer only cost $5k, I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend $150 a year on it when I'd still have a $500 deductible.

She was very honest and said "well, when its hooked up to your truck, you have liability on it through your car insurance, and since you don't owe anything on it, the only thing extra insurance would cover is if it somehow damaged someone else's property while not connected to your vehicle."

Bluepill · 08-31-2016, 05:48 PM

The comprehensive coverage should cover a loss from fire, you or someone else hitting the trailer while on the road or stored, and damage caused by things like fallen trees.

I chose to insure because I travel a lot of miles each year and the insurance costs only 3 percent of the replacement value per year.

richp · 09-01-2016, 12:50 PM

Hi,

Not to worry.

Trees never fall in campgrounds. Propane systems never fail and catch fire. Flash floods never run through campgrounds while owners are away. And so on...

Or, maybe peace of mind is worth $144 a year.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips

jason_sos · 09-01-2016, 12:57 PM

The bank that has the loan on my travel trailer requires that I insure it. Mine costs me about $260 a year for comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible. All in all, it's short money to bring peace of mind.

**Iwritecode** · 09-01-2016, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lugoismad

I called Geico, whom I have my homeowners and auto through.

They said it would be $12 a month. I told the lady I'd have to think about it, because the trailer only cost $5k, I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend $150 a year on it when I'd still have a $500 deductible.

She was very honest and said "well, when its hooked up to your truck, you have liability on it through your car insurance, and since you don't owe anything on it, the only thing extra insurance would cover is if it somehow damaged someone else's property while not connected to your vehicle."

Just doing the math, if the trailer was ever destroyed (tree, fire, flood, etc...) or stolen you would have to spend $5K to replace it plus the cost of everything inside.

Or you could spend $144/year and it would take you 35 years to get to that $5K number.

The choice is certainly yours to make but for the price of a meal for 2 at Mickey D's once a month, it's nice to have the piece of mind.

clarinetone · 09-01-2016, 01:40 PM

Say you are driving up a hill, and your trailer breaks loose, rolls down the hill crashes into an oncoming car and you have no insurance on the trailer, guess who pays the cost? Also, you could be in for a civil lawsuit that could affect your home ownership, personal property, etc.. Best to pay the insurance premium and have peace of mind.

GreenImp · 09-01-2016, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lugoismad

I called Geico, whom I have my homeowners and auto through.

They said it would be $12 a month. I told the lady I'd have to think about it, because the trailer only cost $5k, I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend $150 a year on it when I'd still have a $500 deductible.

She was very honest and said "well, when its hooked up to your truck, you have liability on it through your car insurance, and since you don't owe anything on it, the only thing extra insurance would cover is if it somehow damaged someone else's property while not connected to your vehicle."

Based on the statement made by your agent, you were not being quoted for a policy that included Comp/Collision and therefore if the trailer were destroyed you would still have to replace the trailer "out of pocket"...even with the $144 a year coverage.

itat · 09-01-2016, 02:35 PM

I agree with GreenImp. You probably don't need liability insurance because the trailer sitting on its own is unlikely to cause damage to another party unless its in disrepair and someone might get injury while using it. You should consider comprehensive and collision though. Talk to your Geico agent about those coverages.

boaski · 09-01-2016, 02:45 PM

I too had a used trailer that I did not insure but a friend who rolled and destroyed his trailer told me the the towing company can pretty much charge what they want and his bill was over 2K to get his mess out of the right of way so now I have insuance

GreenImp · 09-01-2016, 02:59 PM

According to the OP's agent, this would be covered by his tow vehicles liability policy. Each and every one of us (including those who are also with Geico) should not assume the case is the same for us however.

Iwannacamp · 09-01-2016, 03:02 PM

Take it from me...see avatar(my pic)
Get insurance. Mine was about $20 mo. Storm took it out paid fairly.

Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

Threegaleh · 09-01-2016, 03:17 PM

I know someone here in Canada who thought that and took the roof off his brand new 5th wheel going under a bridge. It was NOT covered. Our insurance is under 200 yr well worth it.

kbradley · 09-01-2016, 03:42 PM

Many of the comments refer to loss by flood. With insurance the physical vehicle is covered but not the contents. You can get a rider to cover the contents in case of flood. You cannot buy flood insurance unless it is your primary residence. For me the contents were worth significantly more than the 2 year-old TT.

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