Are you looking for information about camper salvage yards? If you are searching for parts for a motor home or travel trailer, you may be able to save quite a bit of money if you can locate the items you need in this type of facility.
What Is a Camper Salvage Yard?
A camper salvage yard is similar to what is commonly referred to as a "junk yard" for automobiles, except the inventory consists of recreational vehicles rather than cars and trucks. These types of lots are places where RVs that are no longer in use are stored and made available to RV owners who want to purchase parts from them.
Recreational vehicles that are involved in accidents, are damaged by floods or other types of natural disasters, or become leaky due to exposure to the elements or poor maintenance often end up in salvage yards. Even when a particular unit has been damaged to the point that it can no longer be used as a camper, there are likely to be plenty of parts that are still useful for RV repairs.
Salvage Yard Expectations
You can expect to pay significantly less for parts found in a salvage yard than if you were to order new items from the manufacturer or a parts supply retailer. When you visit this type of facility, you will be able to look through the available inventory to determine if the particular items that you need to repair your RV are available. If you find what you are looking for, the proprietor can provide you with a price for exactly what you are interested in purchasing.
There's a better chance that you'll find parts for your RV at a salvage yard if you own a unit that is several years old rather than one that is fairly new. However, as with all types of salvage shopping, you just don't know what you might find until you look. Some camper models, like Airstreams and Scamps, change very little from year to year. A part from an older model may work perfectly for your new unit. Additionally, even newer models can become damaged to the point where they end up in a salvage yard.
Of course, no matter what kind of RV you own, there is no guarantee that you will find what you need when you visit a salvage yard. Inventory varies greatly from one place to another. Even if a yard has the same model of camper that you own, there is always a chance that someone else will have already bought the parts that you are looking for by the time you arrive at the facility.
Finding Camper Salvage Yards
If you're interested in finding secondhand parts for your recreational vehicle, you will first need to find out if there are any salvage yards that carry RVs within a reasonable distance of where you are located. You may first want to check local print and online telephone directory listings when looking for camper salvage yards. In addition to looking near your home, it's also a good idea to check for salvage lots located in and around areas where you travel frequently.
RVResources.com has a fairly comprehensive online recreational vehicle salvage directory that you can use to look for places that may have what you need. There is no cost for salvage yards to be included on the website, so there many of these types of business are listed in the directory. However, there is no guarantee that every salvage yard that exists is on the site or that all of the businesses included are still in operation.
When you find a listing for a salvage business that carries RV parts, it's best to call before taking a trip to the location. This will allow you to ensure that the facility is still open as well as provide you with more detailed information about what you can expect to find when you arrive.
