nhg
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Post by nhg on May 9, 2018 16:41:42 GMT
My daughter sold her trailer on the weekend because she wants to get a brand new one and make payments on it. She sold her 1998 steel 3 horse bumper pull and wants to get the same but in aluminum. It was posted for a good price- most listed by people are way overpriced- and people were almost fighting over it. A few people offered to buy it sight unseen and several offered deposits to hold it sight unseen. It was so crazy that I'd be answering one person and get two more messages. It was posted both on Facebook and on Kijiji. Here in Canada Kijiji is much more popular than Craigslist. The Kijiji ad got 11 responses and the Facebook ad got over 40. Good to know if you ever want to sell a trailer!
Anyway, looking for a new trailer is fun but also confusing. I can't find any decent review sites for trailers like I can for vehicles. And there are so many variables. We don't like swing out saddle racks but that seems to be what's in right now. Aluminum trailers can have aluminum floors and roofs but there's drawbacks to both. Because aluminum isn't as strong as steel it has to be thicker so the trailers aren't as much lighter than a steel as they should be. Aluminum trailers still have steel somewhere and that has to be treated properly by the manufacturer. I don't even know whose a good trailer maker anymore. There are new companies now that I've never heard of. The last new trailer I bought was a Circle J and it wasn't built as well as it could have been. Previously I'd had an Exiss gooseneck that was a beautiful trailer but there doesn't seem to be many of them around anymore. We found a nice Logan Coach that seems like the best bet so far.
I read a really good article that talked about how aluminum roofs and floors are not preferable and how a steel frame is preferable. They talked about how the first aluminum trailers made are not a good buy now due to advances in technology for welds and things like that. And how aluminum tears and is more dangerous for a horse due to potential lacerations in an accident (God forbid). It was quite eye opening.
The prices are all over the place, too. Any suggestions on what to watch for or watch out for or anything like that? Keep in mind that we don't have the variety of trailer brands that you guys have in the states. Thanks!
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Post by horselady on May 10, 2018 23:59:30 GMT
Personally i like the steel with hardwood floors. perhaps go to a dealer and see some different models on one lot, to bad you are so far away within 15 miles of me there are 3 horse trailer dealers. king used to be very popular.. and i see some that are fiberglass with steel floors. they are light to tow but i would rather have a heavy trailer carrying my horses.. good luck shopping www.doubledtrailers.comthis place is 5 miles from me and sell all over,, custom orders and off the lot. www.harborequipment.com |
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Post by horselover4life on May 11, 2018 1:53:04 GMT
I would like to suggest you look around, do some reading and gathering of more information from these places...
I myself used them for fact gathering since they had a lot of resources gathered together in one place, then had a vast inventory that you could compare many brands and amenities in trailers you might want, might not and can dream of then reality sets in...new and used trailers available in many brands.
So, my husband fabricates all kinds of metal things, anything that have wheels on them on and some stuff that doesn't.
He also has done heavy recovery at accident scenes and has seen the carnage of many kinds of metals mixed together and what held up to punishing treatment and what failed miserably.
I can tell you I've seen more tears in and torn aluminum trailers, welds busted, twisted and racked undercarriage....and just falling apart from being towed but not abused either...
What you save in weight, which is negligible in amount, is a lot more money to purchase.
Then to maintain once the trailer is a few years old again I see a larger expense than is needed.
Specialized acid wash/baths and then sealant reapplied so the trailer looks nice not oxidized costs a lot more than expensive trailer wash and some elbow grease on a Saturday afternoon done by you.
Heaven forbid a tree branch tears that aluminum skin you can't just go to your daughters job and have a repair done but must find a aluminum specialist and possibly have a section cut, removed, replaced and a trailer side completely repainted to match with feathering of colors over aluminum, a true science to blend.
I have a truck {hubbys truck} that can tow anything I want.
It is a beast...bumper pull, gooseneck, 5th wheel hitch...can handle any of them easily. I bought a steel trailer.
For the safety of my horses inside and the abuse it will take before a car/truck hitting it will not easily crumple and invade my horses cavern of travel space.
The only thing I wish I had done differently when I bought my trailer was purchase a insulated roof on it.
It would make it quieter in our torrential rains and cooler riding in with the sun intensity down here year round.
I have wood floors with full matting over.
Aluminum floors again need to be acid washed and don't drain the easiest like wood with spacing can do...horse urine is extremely caustic and stinks if it has any residue left..
For a while so many wanted only aluminum, then reality set in when wear and tear became evident, the trailers needed vast repairs, & upkeep and they cost thousands more to buy new. Today I see the shift going back to steel frame and aluminum skin over a wood floor or back to a steel trailer. I see livestock trailers for cattle hauling every day on every road...aluminum over steel. The only brand aluminum trailers I see that seem to stand the punishment better than others is Featherlite trailers. Just my observation.
If it were me, knowing you live in a salt environment in winter it would be tough to do just steel. But I know the steel with a good undercoating applied, some routine maintenance and take care of it, will last a long time...including steel. I would not do all aluminum, no way no how. I would either do steel frame and aluminum skin or a all steel trailer.
So many manufacturers today, some names recognized and many "new" to the industry. Check reputations, warranties carefully and how solvent the company is for replacement parts to be available not disappear near overnight.
Things I can say I know are different is thickness of wall steel/aluminum used compared to yesteryear...helps with weight but at the cost of the horses safety if a hoof is kicked, someone hits the trailer, etc... My trailer is double-wall steel, a heavy beast...so it is going to take one heck of a wallop before it shows damage...that is my horses life and safety.
A lot of investigating to do to decide on which one.... Enjoy the search and journey.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on May 11, 2018 22:29:15 GMT
Thanks for the links HL, they're cheaper in the states than here but not by all that much, interesting. And thanks for the suggestions HL4L, we're going trailer shopping tomorrow and see what's out there. Of course the place with what looks like some good prices is an hour and a half away.
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Post by horselady on May 12, 2018 0:46:25 GMT
happy shopping,, now walk thru each trailer and make believe you are loading a horse alone,, clip and unclip all parts of the front and the butt bars with one hand. look at everything,, and crank that crank on the hitch to make sure it is not difficult for a lady to handle. and do not rush into anything.. oh and be coy,, not too excited ,,, and perhaps they can negotiate..
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Post by horselover4life on May 12, 2018 12:08:22 GMT
Remember to take your tape measure...
Seen to many claims of certain dimensions that when measured by "my" tape did not measure up... Make sure you have ample room to fit horses currently owned and the possibility of new and larger bodied animals added to the family herd. 
Happy shopping!
Make it a nice day out and do that longer drive...you just never know what you might find let alone enjoy the special time together.  |
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on May 13, 2018 3:19:16 GMT
Well, we spent 6 hours looking at trailers today. I'm wiped. We wrote down the stats on any we were interested in and now can hardly remember some of them anyway. Too much information. It was fun if the drives between dealers hadn't been so long. She has no idea which one she's most interested in.
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Post by horselady on May 13, 2018 11:18:28 GMT
Just like horse or house shopping.. it will come to you ,, i am sure you have printed information and photos? spread them out and make a list of likes and do not likes of each one.. oh and price and terms.. that will help you decide.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on May 14, 2018 3:47:03 GMT
She decided on one but we can't come together on price. It's a 2016 that's brand new and never been sold. It also has hail damage on the roof which can't be seen unless you're inside of it and look up. They don't want to knock off as much off the price as we think they should. Horse trailers hold their value more than a vehicle but if she needs to resell it in the future it's going to matter to a prospective buyer what year it is. He's only willing to knock off 10%. The 2019s are already out so it's basically almost 3 years old.
Too bad, it was pretty cool. She doesn't want a gooseneck because she has a topper on her truck. Plus if you've ever had to hook up a gooseneck in the bed of a truck in the winter you'll understand why it's not that attractive to us. So this one is a 3 horse bumper pull with a nice sized tack room, all aluminum, extra lights, higher end, sturdier windows, the back horse doors lock, and it even has a rear tack with a 4 piece saddle rack plus the saddle rack in the front tack.
Oh well, maybe he'll cave and call us back or she'll find another one. We have friends to borrow trailers from in the meantime.
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Post by horselady on May 14, 2018 11:35:54 GMT
hail damage.. on the roof.. you can have it sprayed with an insulation type spray to hide the dents from the inside.. BUT keep looking
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on May 26, 2018 14:53:58 GMT
She got the new trailer the other day. It hauls beautifully. It's all aluminum with a wood floor and has a rear tack. So bumper pull with a good sized front tack with a swing out saddle rack that's on the left of the door so it's out of the way. Plus a rear tack and both tack areas have saddle racks. There are 7 saddle holders in total. We think as boarders it's important to have lots of room because there are so many items that we can't keep at the barn. If we had our own place with a tack shed it wouldn't be as important. Our manure fork is in the rear tack along with saddles we have but never use. Two English and a barrel saddle.
She's really happy.
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Post by horselady on May 27, 2018 0:35:07 GMT
Sounds like you have a great trailer,, and keep those saddle areas locked with the keys,, and make sure you have a lock for the hitch so no one can steal it when you are not around ,,, and yes it does happen.. someone just backs up and hooks the trailer and off they go.. this lock keeps the hitch from opening up to put on the ball. of the truck..
happy trails.
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Post by horselover4life on May 27, 2018 14:24:30 GMT
Sounds like you have a great trailer,, and keep those saddle areas locked with the keys,, and make sure you have a lock for the hitch so no one can steal it when you are not around ,,, and yes it does happen.. someone just backs up and hooks the trailer and off they go.. this lock keeps the hitch from opening up to put on the ball. of the truck.. happy trails. To expand on this... A locked hitch is not enough.... Placing a smaller ball underneath a hitch so you can slip on an go till you get a mile down the road and make some noise is not something you want either. There is a lock device that slips in the ball space, has a hoop go over the top, lock on...it is large and no getting around it unless you have the key for removing the thing. It is made so it is very difficult to remove or alter and get a slip on and go move not often successful.
Then my husband welded a "cross" piece on the bottom that prevents most trucks from getting close and if they do...they can't go anyplace but straight when that cross piece hits the hitch wheel tube part. It's "ugly" for sure, but no one is easily taking my trailer away when we have to unhook and leave it anyplace either...
My trailer is nothing special to look at which is what makes it worth so much more...it blends in well to the livestock/horse/cattle trailers here.  For tack room doors, if it has padlock hasps, I prefer combination locks as no key need remembered to take.
No "extras" need made and only I and hubby knew the combination of the lock we did use when we wheel-locked our boat trailer and boat on it where we use to live...
Have your daughter look into the security etching they do on cars.. a large deterrent to theft. Several places, not things easily replaced, removed, repainted and a few well hidden but the notification sign well seen!!
Enjoy that new trailer...and hey, some pictures please!! |
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on May 27, 2018 16:44:05 GMT
Thanks you guys! We have a lock for the ball and the doors and windows all have keyed locks on them. When it sits with several other trailers and has the security stuff on it I'm sure a potential thief would go after a different trailer first. There's a nicer Exiss right next to it. The stalls are nice and wide. So many older slant loads have stalls that are not very wide. When Prince was his normal size he'd have his tummy pressing against both sides of the stall. This one should give him a few more inches of room. The horses have to back out because of the rear tack but the step down is minimal. Another thing many trailers have that's a pain in the rear. Too high of a step up. The lower step up is good for me, too, as I'm still weak from the cancer and blood clot and sepsis and all that crap. And I don't know if I'll ever fully get my strength back. I have a CT scan on Monday and the following week will see my oncologist and will find out if I go back on chemo or not until the fall. It will ruin my summer if I have to go back on it. It makes me so weak and very sun sensitive.
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