Horse Trailers

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Buckeye_V
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Horse Trailers

Post by Buckeye_V » Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:23 am

If a guy were to go and look at a new horse trailer, what are the must haves and nice to haves?

Looking for a 3 horse slant or stock combo with an unfinished living quarters or dressing area. Preferably a bumper pull. I don't have a lot of dogs to keep at the moment. Looking for something to comfortably handle 6 and an area to sleep in and get out of the weather when it is nasty.

I have an OLD 2 horse straight load with a tack room.
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by birddog1968 » Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:58 am

Gonna be iffy to find a bumper pull with enough room to sleep comfortably.
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Buckeye_V
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by Buckeye_V » Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:12 am

I've seen them, but am thinking I will need to have one custom built. All I need is room for a twin mattress or cot.
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by markj » Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:03 am

Go aluminum too.
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by birddog1968 » Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:21 am

Im guessing you dont have a gooseneck hitch in your truck? or are you worried about loosing room in the bed of the truck?
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Buckeye_V
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by Buckeye_V » Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:40 am

I like having my cap on my truck. Being able to haul "crap" under my 8 foot cap is enjoyable to me. I use my truck for more than just trialing and I like the cap. I think it gives me more options down the road, but that is all subject to change I guess. I imagine taking the cap on and off all of the time is going to be a big pain the butt.

Also, my main grounds are only 13 miles away and I am not sure a gooseneck is worth it for a few weekends away from home a year. That's why I am leaning bumper pull. However, if I cannot get what I want for the price, then Gooseneck it may be.

I've been doing this a few years, so I am no rookie. I just want to know what y'all like about your trailers. What you HAVE to have and what is nice to have.

Makes, models, features, etc. Build quality. You know. The crap we would shoot if we were behind your rig and I asked how you liked it. :mrgreen:
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Karen
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by Karen » Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:13 am

Have you looked at the Lakota HUTs? They are finished LQ in a bumper pull (shower & bath included), and you could keep the dogs under the cap that way.
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Brittguy
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by Brittguy » Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:20 am

Ditto on the aluminum. No matter how hard you try the steel will rust. Whenever you are ready to sell you will easily make up the difference in price

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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by shags » Fri Mar 09, 2012 5:20 am

I have a 3H slant BP and it works great for the purpose you describe. Collapsible rear tack keeps the stinky horse stuff out of the dressing room. I put a rubbermaid cabinet in the dressing room to keep a ton of stuff organized, added a bunch of hooks and racks, and have cot set up in there. There's still room for a chair or for fixing lunch or whatever. We added a vent cover for ventilation even when it's pouring rain, and a outlet cover that allows a cord in from an electrical hookup or generator. I can run a space heater or fan and use a trouble light for illumination.I'll probably add insulation this summer and am thinking of a deep cell battery as well.
We haul two horses so the third stall is great for the water tank, hay, genny, etc. A tarp over the shavings makes the horse area decent for another cot. We had a stud wall added to keep stuff from rolling under the dividers in transit.
Dogs travel in the capped truck bed but throwing the crates into the trailer once on the grounds is easy if I want to do that.
My trailer's an aluminum KiefferBuilt and I haul with a 3/4 ton PU.

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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by SHNOOL » Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:03 am

Those HUT trailers are interesting and would fit the bill. Not sure on your price range (as Lakota makes a nice trailer, but not cheap). If you do research them, you'll find ONE person raised a helluva stink online about them being unstable. However, a more detailed research on it seems to prove they didn't have their truck setup right for hauling it, I still think it requires at least a 3/4 ton...
Here's the layout in a 3 horse:
Image
Link is http://www.lakotatrailers.com
There's talk of other gooseneck LQ trailer manufacturers attempting LQ bumber pulls as well.
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by daniel77 » Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:09 am

Things that I really like in a trailer are:
rear tack- much more accessible than climbing in and out, in and out, over and over
drop down windows with bars or screens- I am always amazed when I see people traveling down the interstate with a horse's head handing out in the traffic, one bug= blind horse
I don't like escape, or suicide doors as a usable stall door. In other words, don't open it at all if there's a horse in that section. They are nice for hay storage and easy access without having to unload everyone.
I don't like rear ramps. I will have a new colt loaded for the first time in half the time sans ramp. plus it's just more weight and one more thing to break
Be sure that the rear doors are normal. I have a customer with a nice 2 horse bumper pull except that the small door that must be opened first is on the left, rather than the right. small thing, but a PITA every time you use it.
In an aluminum trailer, I really like the upper vents for air flow during hot weather. In south LA this is a big deal. In Montana probably not. For a steel trailer, these will rust out the roof guaranteed.
Interior lights for loading and unloading at night, with a toggle switch in the rear. Very nice to have.
Upper hay racks can also be very nice, but you'll need good hay bags for weather/wind protection.
In a trailer that long and heavy, if you have a choice in axles, go bigger and heavier, every time. No surge brakes either.
Be darn sure that you get the hitch and ball height of you truck set up correctly, as this will have a HUGE impact on how well any trailer hauls and can be stopped.
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by Buckeye_V » Wed Apr 25, 2012 6:36 am

Excellant post Dan. Thank you!
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Re: Horse Trailers

Post by fourseasons » Sun May 06, 2012 6:55 pm

Adams Trailers (Dalton, of VA) has a very nice aluminum 2-horse BP with a nice-sized dressing room - the Ju-Lite model. We've dealt with a local Adams dealer in DE that ships worldwide - Delwood Trailer Sales. Ronnie, the owner, can get that trailer customized to fit your needs... and not expensive either! You can get the dressing room lengthened, horse box lengthened, height raised/lowered, trailer widened, etc. etc. We've had two of this model and they're really awesome for hauling and camping. Check out Delwood's website for photos http://www.delwoodtrailers.net/

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