Do trailers qualify as "equipment"?

[FrancaV]

I'm in the market for a well-built stock trailer or stock/combo to haul two Thoroughbred mares, both well over 16hh. BP or GN (though leaning towards GN), 2H or 3H, front tack room a plus. Decent latching mechanisms a must (current Trails West 2H BP slant has PITA telescoping divider that is difficult to manipulate, even when lubricated). And I'm thinking steel vs. aluminum.

What do you all haul in? Any particularly good brands? Brands to stay away from? I'm told axle placement is key for a good ride for the horses. ?

Current hauling vehicle is 2001 Ford F-250 turbo diesel.

All thoughts and suggestions invited and gratefully received!

[BuckarooMan]

If you can find them get the exiss stock combo with the enclosed tack room. Its pretty much a blank slate and you can do what you will with I am going to be buying one after i get some other stuff paid off. Here is the link to there trailer. I tend to like stock combos better than full blow horse trailers for the simple fact that there bright and open and don't look like a huge dark cave to the horse jumping in.

http://www.exiss.com/php/horse/products/product_detail.php?MODEL_ID=1780080

[RockinCircleC]

FYI:
http://www.hdcappaloosas.com/exiss.html

[Sue]

FYI:
http://www.hdcappaloosas.com/exiss.html

Thats very interesting. It seems that they are making every effort to make a shiny trailer, not a tough one. I know what Exiss trailers cost, to boot.

I pull a W-W Brightline Stockman aluminum GN with a slant nose. This is not in the same fancy league with Exiss, but its sure survived a few bumps to the roof by horses and cattle.

It doesn't have the bells and whisltle of the newer generation trailers BUT horses like it, it holds up over dirt roads and nothing has fallen off it except a little piece of plastic molding one of my horses was kind enough to chew off.

[RockinCircleC]

I personally know nothing of Exiss brands other than that link I posted. Most of my circle of friends have Logan, Charmac, Circle J, SilverLite, and primarily Classic brand trailers.

I currently have a '94 Logan.
http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a159/elizabethannclark/04_19_2007/th_P1000026.jpg
My next trailer will likely be a Classic.

[FrancaV]

Lots of Circle J, Trails West, and Logan around here. A friend of mine just bought an Exiss, though. I haven't seen it yet. It's her first trailer and she doesn't do a lot of hauling. She has young children so her personal horse time is limited. She felt she should have a trailer for emergencies since she owns a boarding facility. My friends who do the most hauling have so far all recommended that I get a steel trailer.

[BuckarooMan]

Steel trailers are for sure hell for stout with that said they are heavy and well built and the alums are touch light and still built well my buddys wife is on the road alot with her 99 silverado alum and it has held up awsome. I think were people get confused is that alum trailers dont really hold up well hauling cattle. I only get steel trailers for my cows and alums for the horses if i had to but i usally just haul all my horses in a canvas top bar trailer.

[Mares Tales]

4-Star is a very good trailer. Good frame and excellent welds. Mine`s 12 years old and is thick aluminum compared to many other brands. I have a weekend package (GN) and put an extra foot into the tackroom for overniters. I have large horses so I got a 7 footer which is about 7`4" in the center of the roof. I also got double vents in the roof for air. One thing thats great about 4-Star is that you can build your trailer to suit. I got drop down windows in the back for those hot days when I`d want maximum ventilation. I got everything I knew that I wanted, I wanted this trailer to last a long time. Its worked out very well and I store it inside eventhough it`s aluminum. If I was going to buy another trailer I`d buy another 4-Star. When we were looking for a new trailer we looked at just about every brand out there, compared construction and price.......4-Star had everyone beat if you are looking for quality AND you can have it built to your specifications.

I

[FrancaV]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies so far. Have any of you heard of Zephyr trailers? My friend has one she's thinking of selling. She and her husband are fanatics about axle placement and welds, etc., so I'm pretty sure it's a great trailer. But since none of my searches have turned up any info on Zephyr as a horse or stock trailer brand I thought I'd ask around a bit.

Hers is a 1990 4H GN stock/combo trailer with large DR in front and rear collapsible TR, and dropdown windows on both sides (nice feature). It's bigger (it's 20 ft. and I was hoping for 16 - 18 ft.),and older than I was looking for initially, but it's been well maintained. I'd probably want to get it painted but it's got new floors, tires, etc. She's going to get back to me with a price.

She's also selling a 1988 S&H 2H straight load BP with large tack room, new floors, etc. Also needs paint but otherwise in good shape, better than the stock trailer which has had more use. I'm not sure I want a BP ... but as BPs go I believe hers is a good one. What do you all think?

[BuckarooMan]

IMHO 2 horse straits are as worthless as you know what on a boar. First they have that sweet bar in the middle second horses usally are close to being too big for them these days. Third there usally dark like a cave and cramped for long hauls. Four its a bumper pull if you have pulled goose for awile you will hate the bumper pull. If you goin to take the center divid out make it a 1 horse slant sure but I would not like it.

[FrancaV]

Yeah, thanks for the guidance. I'm thinking the same thing.

[lmullen]

Slant loads are best.

Two things;
Horses end up not liking to load through small opening if trailer has
tack section at tail gate. They may put up with it if they are calm, submissive, but, they will end up not liking it. Young or unsure horses will let you know from the get-go!
I generally take the divider\s out and use them like stock trailers anyway.
More room for horses to shift as they like. Horses will stand skin to skin better than skin to metal. You can put dividers back in if you need to.
Generally load nose to tail. horses are kind of v shaped and you can get more room for them that way. Less face fighting too. Use to get 7 big horses or 9 small horses in a stock truck that way. Less loads to haul.

[BuckarooMan]

HA we have had to do the stacking method once when were going for a trail ride and the stock trailer was full. I agree though dividers are more things to go wrong I have seen my fair share of horses get down under them so thats what I wont own nothing but a stock trailer or a strait up horse trailer minus the dividers. Rear tacks are the worst idea in the world its archaic its just like the small entrances on a 2 horse strait.

[FrancaV]

4-Star is a very good trailer. Good frame and excellent welds. Mine`s 12 years old and is thick aluminum compared to many other brands. I have a weekend package (GN) and put an extra foot into the tackroom for overniters. I have large horses so I got a 7 footer which is about 7`4" in the center of the roof. I also got double vents in the roof for air. One thing thats great about 4-Star is that you can build your trailer to suit. I got drop down windows in the back for those hot days when I`d want maximum ventilation. I got everything I knew that I wanted, I wanted this trailer to last a long time. Its worked out very well and I store it inside even though it`s aluminum. If I was going to buy another trailer I`d buy another 4-Star. When we were looking for a new trailer we looked at just about every brand out there, compared construction and price.......4-Star had everyone beat if you are looking for quality AND you can have it built to your specifications.IOK, guess what I'm going to do? ;) After extensive research I've come to the same conclusion you did. The three trailer brands I never heard a single bad thing about ended up being 4 Star, Jamco, and Hart. Of these three, 4 Star seems to provide the best quality trailer for the money (couldn't possibly afford a new Jamco to my specifications and nobody seems to want to sell them once they've got them).

I looked into a bunch of used 4 Stars but the one that had everything I wanted on it sold before I could make my offer. Well, I discovered that I could order a brand new one just like it for not much more than they were asking for the used 2005 model. As I was quietly coming round to this idea my husband said, "Why don't you just order a new one and get exactly what you want?" Bless him!

I've got two different 4 Star dealers wanting me to send specs so they can price out a trailer for me. Now I've just got to figure out what I want. I'm quite clear on some things ... not so much on others.

Gooseneck. Box to be 20 ft. or less. Min. 7 ft. tall (standard on 4 Stars anyhow), probably 7'6" would be better. Must hold 3 horses. Must have decent sized locking tack room for semi-permanent storage of most-frequently-used tack. Dropdown bars and windows all around for maximum ventilation and versatility. Must be able to latch dividers back out of the way. Removable would be nice, multiple latch positions would be nice. No ramps!!! Have sadly come to the decision not to have any sort of living quarters. Got to keep the trailer on the small side and need the front tack room. Will still be able to sleep in the gooseneck if need be.

Can't decide between collapsible/removable rear tack and no rear tack at all. Factory-installed WERM, self-installed rubber mats, or aftermarket Rumber floors. Have heard great things about both WERM and Rumber ... maybe WERM just makes more sense for aluminum floors? I think it's a bunch cheaper but it's only got a 2-yr. warranty vs. 25 yrs. for Rumber.

As for the rest of the options ... I'm overwhelmed. Some of them I'm sure don't apply to my situation and needs. Some of them are probably unnecessary or undesirable. Some of them I just flat don't understand. Others are certainly desirable but perhaps frivolous, and finally there are the options that are likely to be "must-haves" in almost anyone's book.

Here's the list:

http://www.4startrailers.com/options.asp

Anybody want to help me sort out The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly? LOL! All advice and suggestions much appreciated.

[red]

no help, here, Franca, I like a stock trailer...but, if I were gonna go 3 horse slant, I would get a little living quarters..as for the 25 yr warranty rumber....go with that...you will hopefully have your trailer a lot of years..I know where you live, so I say lots and lots lots of air circulation.. back there in "coach" ...make sure you have ventilation galore...everything is icing on the cake...you seem to have started with a great cake...now what flavors, and how many sprinkles do ya want? What a happy chore!!

love,
red

[Scout]

I prefer a goose. I've got drop downs in front and stock trailer type slats in the back wall and I like that arrangement for circulation. I don't want a rear tack. I've pulled the divider out between the 1st and 2nd stall and haul loose if there's just one or if I'm hauling babies. I don't like a manger -- it just eats up floor space -- I want a big open box to the extent possible. I've got a side tack with swing out saddle rack and love it. 25 gallon water tank in tack compartment is terrific. I have a small living quarter and the feature I love the best is the toity -- have got a shower and heat as well, but the toilet is a wonderful thing to have along for longer trips!

Happy shopping!

[FrancaV]

I forget where it was I read this (it was a few years ago) but someone somewhere posted that she used a portable toilet and kitty litter! LOL!

[Scout]

Hey Franca, A portable toity is, in the words of Martha, "a good thing." lol!

I was hauling today, had some additional thoughts about things I like in a trailer and thought of you. I like a split back door rather than one big stock door. It's much easier for me to handle in wind when I'm alone. I don't have windows in the back doors and don't need them.

I've had trailers with ramps and without. My personal preference is without, but there are good arguments to be made for either set up. If you get a ramp, select footing with wet weather in mind -- one of mine got slick enough that a horse fell on it.

Even if you don't have plumbing or heat put in your tack room, insulation is pretty nice in that you don't have the condensation in winter if you're sleeping in the trailer as you do with the bare metal. Stays cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Steps are nice. I use rubbermaid steps and stack them when I'm hauling, but it would have been dandy to have them built in!

A thought about the size. I have a 3 horse slant -- overall the trailer is just under 23'. About the only thing I'd change with what I've got is to make it a 4 horse -- I believe that would add about 3 feet to the length. I can get more than 3 horses in for an emergency, but for a long haul, the larger size would be great. Maneuvering where you'll be parking is a consideration, but they're really not that hard to move around and a goose is easier than a bumper pull. My tallest horse is a towering nearly 15 hh so I don't need extra tall.

Knowing your towering stature as well, Franca, consider where you have hooks placed -- can you reach them for tying up, hanging things up!

I have liked pulling the gooseneck on mountain roads better than the handling of bumper pulls that I've owned. Having said that... there a a lot of very nice bumper pull trailers that would handle great and as with many things, technology has improved the performance over time.

[FrancaV]

Thanks for the additional thoughts! I am definitely getting a split back door, 60/40 I think. Insulation is a good idea.... And I'm going to get a slide-out step. I already know what a pain it is to get into the tack room carrying anything heavy without a step. My friend likes swing-out saddle racks ... I'm of two minds about those. Most of the time I feel like they're in my way. But maybe if the tack room door were wider.... Hmmmm. Anyway, I'm scribbling down lots of notes! Will probably call the dealer next week with the questions I've been collecting.