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  Discussion on Which trailer to buy?
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Member:
Erinport

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005 - 1:28 pm:

Hi All-

My husand and I are on a search for our first horse trailer. We're new to this, and there are so many different trailers out there, I thought I'd turn to you for some advice. We need a 2-horse bumper pull, as we have a Nissan Armada. Now, this truck's towing capacity is 9,100 lbs., so I don't care if it's steel, aliminum, etc. We're not sure what's better, slant load or straight load, and everyone seems to have their own strong opinion about it. I wish horses could talk, so I could get their opinion! But we're pretty open to either. Slant seems easier to load? Anyway, we're going to buy a used trailer, as we'll only use it to go to trail rides, vet trips, etc. We don't show, so it won't be every week, and no extremely long trips. I've seen advertisements in my area for several, and I'd like your thoughts on these brands:

1992 Sundowner 2H straight load. I know it's a Sundowner, but not sure which model. This has a tack compartment below the manger area, but not much else. No dressing room. 7'tall, which is a must for us (big Walking Horses!). Minimal surface rust, dent on top front corner. Pads, dividers, floor, and tires are in good condition. They're asking $2500, negotiable. Any opinoins?

1998 Bee Thoroughbred Classic 2H straight load. There is a head area that you can walk through, but no manger. I guess you'd need hay bags? There is also a small tack compartment/dressing room up front. Minimal surface rust from sitting outdoors uncovered, likely will need new tires also. Dividers, bars, pads, and floor are all in excellent condition. Used very seldom, as lady has show horses that are hauled in a large horse van most of the time. 7' tall and 6' wide. She's asking $4000 firm. Thoughts on this one?

1992 Champion 2H straight load. Picture shows it to be in pretty darn good shape. Exterior looks very clean, but no pics of interior. 7' tall and 5' wide, with new tires and bearings. Has a walk-in tack/dressing room in front. I don't know a whole lot about this one, still waiting for reply from seller. He's asking $2950 negotiable. Any takers?

I know this seems silly to present it this way, but if anyone has any experience with, or thoughts on, these three brands of trailer, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Also, if you think any of them is an excellent buy, or transversely, a rip-off, I'd like to know that, too. In addition, if anyone thinks we should consider (or avoid) any brands or types of trailer, based on your own experience, we'll welcome your advice! Thanks so much for helping a couple of new-comers to the world of horse trailers!

Erin

Member:
Brandi

Posted on Thursday, Feb 17, 2005 - 2:38 am:

Erin, I think your presentation was quite creative and I hope you get a good deal of helpful feedback. I don't feel qualified to speak to the brands or choices you've got to choose from here, as I've had my Charmac 3-horse slant for 13 years...so haven't done any comparison shopping for used trailers. But I wanted you to consider something that I didn't notice you mention...ramp or step up. While I now have the skills to be sure all of my horses load and unload easily into both types, I didn't have those skills during my first few years of horse ownership and it made for some pretty frustrating trailering attempts. If you are in a similiar situation, you might try to find out if your horses are more comfortable with (or as was my case), completely intolerant of, one choice or the other. I prefer step-ups, but ramps have their advantages, too.

I do have a stronger opinion about styles--I prefer slants over straight any day of the week. Partly because I definitely prefer no manger, which you usually get in a straight but not often in a smaller slant (horses can't put their head in a lowered position with a manger). And also because you have the choice in most slants, of unloading by backing out or by turning around and walking out, additionally, I think most horses find it less intimidating to load up into the open-ness of the slant, over the cave-like feeling some straights have. If your horses are seasoned travelers and will get into anything anytime, then you don't need to worry, but if they are finicky or inexperienced, then you might want to consider these things.

Someone correct me if my estimations are way off, but I wouldn't consider a steel trailer (+/- 4500lbs) loaded with tack and 2 warmbloods (+/- 3500lbs for a total in the 8000lbs range) if your tow capacity is 9100lbs. If you cut it that close to your capacity on an engine without much torque, you're putting a lot of strain on it, even if you are just doing weekender-type stuff. Never mind the fact that you'll have a lot of weight "pushing" a fairly light vehicle--be SURE you get a good quality trailer-brake system installed, and try to opt for a lighter style.

Sundowner is in my top two preferences for new trailers, but honestly I don't know if their reputation was the same in '92. Hopefully I've sparked something for you to think about so you end up with what works best for you. Good luck.

Brandi
Member:
Chohler

Posted on Thursday, Feb 17, 2005 - 2:18 pm:

Hi Erin, I agree with Brandi Given your vehicle, Not barring the size of your engine Im assuming 305hp V8, you will not want a steel trailer.

I would try to keep your overall weight around 6500 pounds- 7500. You can always take it to the max........Rember you're not pulling a small boat or rec vehicles, your pulling a trailer with animals that like to shift their weight. 305's are proven workhorse engines but, don't push it. If you can afford aluminum by it. Definitly get a good brake system installed.

logan horse trailers are pretty nice and affordable. www.logancoach.com
Member:
Juliem

Posted on Thursday, Feb 17, 2005 - 5:05 pm:

Brandi and Cheryl point out a really important aspect of trailering that somehow seems to escape many people. It's not the TOWING capacity you need to worry about--it's the control and stopping capacity. You could probably tow 10,000 pounds with a lot of vehicles. You would however run into trouble when you tried to stop that trailer or even to control it around a corner, in a wind, on a curve, etc. etc. Add the fact that your cargo can do all sorts of unpredictable things and you can see that CONTROL is what you must consider. It's not the towing, it's the stopping! Keep in mind not just the power, but the relative weights, wheel bases, and axles.
Member:
Gingin

Posted on Thursday, Feb 17, 2005 - 8:35 pm:

I bought a new 2 horse slant load, step up, stock-type, aluminum trailer with tack room last year that we initially towed with a GMC Safari Van until we bought a bigger truck (we now tow with a Suburban). We had the trailer and tow package on the van rigged up with weight distribution bars which helped tremendously with trailer stability and overall feel with a relatively "whimpy" vehicle. We also had very good electronic trailer brakes installed that after fine-tuneing really helped control the trailer when stopping quickly or going downhill.
I can personally recommend the trailers made by C&C trailers in Oklahoma...they are extremely well made, you can customize them and they tow like a "cadillac" (in my husband's words!!!). Their website is: https://www.candctrailers.com/
I think these trailers are comparable to Sooner and Sundowner....
Member:
Aacrs

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2005 - 9:01 am:

I won't try to recommend a trailer brand, but after doing some researach I can tell what I bought and that I am still happy with my choice:
fiberglass roof - cool, no leaks, no drips down the side, would come off in a roll over (i think it would anyway)
galvanized steel frame for strength - alum skin for less weight (but it dents/scratches easy - I never tie horses to side)
insulated walls with steel interior - obvious reasons!
treated wood floor with padding - comfy, drains well, doesn't transfer road heat like metal would and quieter, I think
didn't buy ramp, I had ramp previously and the horses had a big learning curve to learn to like the ramp load, but they did it
I bought slant load with escape door - easy to lead in first horse - I always make them back out no matter
second horse can't be lead in, but just need to teach to walk in
nice to have the escape door for access - & knowlege that you can get that inside horse out if you have to - also nice place to store things out of the rain, etc when parked!(like hay)
REar tack - much more accessible than under a manger
no mangers either - just don't seem to need them and they are obstacle for horse to lower head or a bad place to put their feet
padding in front of horse - needed it higher than we had - still got dents from impatient gal
goose neck - we previously had an old trailer with 5th wheel and really like connecting and backing that better - but they are out of fashion these day! GN is good though - backs sharp, etc. but more trouble for me to connect - can't reach into truck bed.... so that is hubbies job!
I do think our windows are a little small. HOrses drag hardware when putting head out - but not a major problem.
So, these may not be the things you want, but it has made me happy - good luck

Member:
Canyon28

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2005 - 1:47 pm:

I have a charmac three horse slant bumper pull with a large carpeted tack room in the front, and it weighs only 2500 lbs. It is a steel frame, alum skin, with wooden paneling inside to protect the walls, rubber mats. I can haul it with the dividers pinned back against the wall and the horse or mare and foal loose inside, itis 7foot 2" or 6" high inside , plenty tall for even a tb or draft, and the slants are adustable and held with a pin not a latch. I dont like the latch type closers, they are very noisy to close and also can pop open at the worst moment. the trailer is a step up with a heavy rubber bumper at the back to protect the horses feet and legs when entering or exiting. It has one large door in the back with the main latch closer on the side about in the middle and also a pin at the bottom on the outside, so it is held closed in two places for security. It also has a hole in the main latch where you can put another pin or a lock for additional security. If you got one with two doors that open in the back make sure you can remove the center post or that it doesnt have a center post, and will have two outside fasteners. I dont like escape doors, have had several horses try to follow me out, so in my opinion an escape door isnt nessesary and can be dangerous, as they are too low for the horse to get clear out of and they will get caught by the withers. I dont like built in mangers, have heard some real horror stories of horses getting their feet and legs up in them and really getting hurt. My trailer has three corner removable bags made of heavy canvas, denier nylon, etc, which will tear down if a colt happens to start pawing and stick their foot in it. have had this happen, no injury! If I am hauling young stock I usually take the bag/bags out. Dont ever use a hay net, especially ones made of a man made material. I haul my horses loose when ever possible never ever tie them in the trailer, they need to get their head down to keep their lungs clear and also if they fall or go down in the slants, if they are not tied you will have a much easier time getting them out. I would try to find a trailer with the largest windows you can, that isthe only thing wish was different on my trailer, the DrOp down windows could be larger. Also make sure there is an inside barred window so even if the glass or screened in window is down, that the barred window will keep the horse from sticking its head out of the trailer, which is dangerous and bad for their eyes. My trailer has in effect, 3 double windows. Cheap trailers rarely have these nicer things on them, so I was letting you know that these safety items should be found on newer or better quality trailers.
I would not buy a straight load, i dont care who the manufacturer is. I also dont like a rear tack, because you have to take the horse in past it, a narrow area, then come back out, its a good place to get squished if you have a problem with a horse not loading well. they are also not condusive at all to loading or unloading mares and foals, which I have quite a few that I take back and forth to the breeding farm during breeding season.
If I were you , you might even look for a stock type trailer, or a stock combo, they are called. I also dont like an all steel trailer, the ones some friends have are so noisy and heavy, everything on them rattles and bangs. In my slant load I have a 35 gal upright water tank in the back corner that I added, also it has room for three saddles and all kinds of bridles and blankets,the spare tire, and I can put several bales of hay in there too. When I go to horse shows or rodeos having the third horse place is helpful, because you can put your hay bales,bags of shavings, etc there after loading the two horses or put the hay clear up front, which ever your prefer. I also have hay bale bags which I got from catalog very reasonable, and can put a bale inside the bag into the tack room without making a mess.
Member:
Canyon28

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2005 - 1:52 pm:

The C and C trailers are really top of the line, comparable to hart or any top of the line trailer, I wish I could afford one!
Member:
Gailking

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2005 - 4:16 pm:

Hi Erin,
You have gotten a lot of good advice. In addition, you really need to look at the trailers in person to pull up the mats and check the floorboards, etc, and the wheels and brakes. I would have someone check out all the safety factors. Others are right about towing capacity. If your vehicle has a fairly short wheelbase, you will have safety issues with towing. A reputable trailer dealer won't even sell to someone with an SUV. The more weight the truck has, the better. I was towing my two horse slant load with a 3/4 ton older 5.7 liter gas Chevy truck, but it didn't have the power when it came to hill climbing, etc. I live in the foothills and am starting to take the horses on longer trips, so I bought a new 3/4 ton diesel heavy duty Dodge (about 6500 lbs). The difference is amazing; the new truck has much better torque and simply zooms up the hills with no power loss. I also got a Prodigy brake controller and the truck and trailer stops much better. For a bumper pull, they now have an aluminum hitch which is rated to 13,000 lbs and the ball is also 13,000 lbs. It costs the same as steel hitch, looks much nicer and is much lighter to remove.
Ventilation is really important for horses, especially in hot weather and more is better. I prefer a step up slant load because I have smaller horses. They can turn around to unload. Some large warmbloods fit better in a straightload. You can haul them loose in a slant load as someone suggested though. Straight loads usually have a shorter wheel base and are better for smaller trucks, but the ventilation on older models is usually poor. I got a stock trailer with tack room (Trails West) which is open all along each side with supporting bars. I had aluminum tracks mounted above and below the openings (from factory or about $75 as add on). I then had a window shop make three long narrow screens to slide into the tracks, two on one side and one on the short side. I also had plexiglass cut in three sections to fit the openings too. I use the screens almost all year around so the trailer is completely screened in with great ventilation. If it snows or rains hard and is cold, I can substitute part or all of the plexiglass to make it airtight (I don't haul horses airtight). It has worked out really well for me.
Good luck with your choice. Just make sure your vehicle is well above the minimum requirements for whatever trailer you choose and choose a trailer with great ventilation especially if you haul in warm weather. Gail
Member:
Erinport

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2005 - 7:42 pm:

Thanks for all the great comments and advice. We've decided against the 92 Sundowner, because when I got pics from the lady selling it, we saw that it's a rust bucket! I guess I shouldn't have expected too much from a 13 year old trailer, huh?

Gail, our truck is a new 2005 Nissan Armada, the huge new SUV that Nissan put out last year. Ours is equipped with the tow package and is rated to pull 9,100 pounds. Even though it's an SUV, it's built on the same frame, and has the same engine, as the full sized Nissan Titan pickup truck. It's a monster, and I don't anticipate having any problems pulling a smaller horse trailer with it. The only problem I see is getting the back hatch open with the trailer jack in the way...

My husband and I are thinking more and more that we're going to go with a step up, slant-load, stock combo type trailer. Step up, because we know that our horses know how to do that! Slant load, because it seems to suit us best at this point. Stock combo becuase it's open and versatile, and fairly easy to load for a couple of newbies!

Chris, thanks for the commments about the manger and hay bags. My trainer was saying something similar about the problems in having a manger. She had a horse freak in transit, and made an attempt to climb up into the manger. Not a good thing. Where can I get one of those corner hay things? The ones I've seen look like a sling or hammock for the hay. Is that what you're talking about? I'd be interested, if you know how or where I can get them.

Again, thanks for the great posts - keep them coming!

Erin
Member:
Eoeo

Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2005 - 10:55 pm:

You should be able to find them at a tack shop or one of the feed stores that have horse supplies. If you don't find them, ask them to order some for you. They run about $25.00 each I believe. EO
Member:
Canyon28

Posted on Saturday, Feb 19, 2005 - 11:37 am:

you dont want a hay net, the one like a net hammock,these are very dangerous to use, especially in a trailer.I also dont like hay nets because all the leaves fall on the ground, leaving just the stems in the net. You want a three corner solid hay bag, or a standard hanging hay bag both are made of canvas or denier nylon and will tear if a horse gets a foot in it somehow. I use the hay bags at shows and rodeos, hang them on the outside of the trailer with a rapeling clip. the standard hay bag is basically a large bag made of canvas or nylon with a hole in the side for the horse to puts its nose into to pull the hay out. If you get a three corner hay feeder out of nylon, it is made to be conected at each corner in a slant load trailer. It is connected to the wall in two places and to the divider in one place. It is basically a feeding tub made of nylon. I think your choice of a trailer is a good one, especially if you live someplace that gets really hot in the summer. When I decide to get a new trailer, I am buying an aluminum stock combo also. I would like it to have removable slants in it. It gets so hot here in the summer that I have to unload my horses as soon as I get someplace or they get all sweaty standing in the trailer. Another thing is to stick with a mostly white trailer. They are the coolest inside, I saw some sort of study on this and they said that dark colored trailers could be as much as 10 to 20 degrees hotter inside than a white trailer with a white roof.
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