Opinions from horse haulers

[JHardwick]

Anyone use the reverse slant trailers? Thanks.

I assume you load from the side on a ramp in this type trailer? If so, make sure your horses will load on a ramp, freaks alot of 'em out.

 

[JHardwick]

Galvanization process makes the steel 18% stronger

I've never heard that before?

 

[MamthTorq]

I would have to agree with the others about the trails west, I have two 4 horse GNs and they are great, if you don't have to have aluminum. They tow great, not overly affected by crosswinds, and are balanced good so you don't need worry to much about loading heavy in the front. They are also very roomy, I have never had a problem loading a "hard to load" horse, I think because the back opens all the way(no rear tack, or center divider) and all they see is a huge open area. In the little time I spent searching I would have to say I did not care for Lane to much, overall style, design and size were lacking.

 

[LaxCummins]

I'll second the vote for Horse Trailer World - great way to do some surfing and comparison shop without having to put on the miles.



We went for a 4 horse for the long term - with the prospect of kids in the next 10 years who could be riding as well as the ability to take another couple along with us. For the most part we seem to haul 2 at a time, though!



Around here, all aluminum is the favored construction due to the salt on the roads. Given the desire to have the blend of economy and quality, the favored brands around here are Featherlite, Kiefer Built, Sundowner, Exiss and the like. 4Star seems to have some real quality built in the units I've looked at, but with a bit more price, of course. We don't see too many Bloomers up here.



Do some looking around, figure out what you like and don't like and try to find a dealer you can trust if you're going new or anticipate the need for post-sale support. Ask lots of questions, too.



We ended up with a Kiefer 4H LQ with an 8 foot short wall. Bed, couch, shower, toilet, sink, stove, micro, etc. - you know, the essentials. We spend a lot of time in ours going to shows and horse camping. Been very happy with it. With Kiefer, it was interesting looking at models over the years - they've made quite a few improvements in their design and they're still pretty affordable. We looked at quite a few Featherlites and I would've been happy with one. Budget was an important driver, so we didn't spend too much time with the higher end brands or models. Fun to dream, though!



Patrick

 

[JHardwick]

We ended up with a Kiefer 4H LQ with an 8 foot short wall. Bed, couch, shower, toilet, sink, stove, micro, etc. - you know, the essentials.

LOL, we used to sweep out the back of a stock trailer, throw a tarp over it and call it home for the week :-laf

 

[Slim]

Thanks alot, my wife just read that and up untill now we have been sleeping in the back of the stock trailer. I think my tarp days and no payments are over!!!



Next time I'll log off so the wife can't snoop

 

[JHardwick]

Thanks alot, my wife just read that and up untill now we have been sleeping in the back of the stock trailer. I think my tarp days and no payments are over!!!



Next time I'll log off so the wife can't snoop

:-laf :-laf



I honestly had just as much fun then, and sometimes think I'd be better off going back. I only have a weekender, but really, do you want a horse trailer that you can sleep in, or a camper that hauls horses?



Used to be a stock trailer and a nice slide in or a motor home was the elite ... ... ..... nowadays, it's a dually pulling a goose with 2 or 3 slide outs, couch, micro wave, flat screen with surround sound, 3 sided shower etc etc, oh and the dreaded generator!! Don't get me started on the guys who save $5 a night to go primitive, but fire up the generator to watch a DVD while I'm trying to have a peaceful night at the fire. I've been fist to cuff a few times over that, the generator is always positioned so THEY don't have to hear it!!



I personally spend too much time on the trail and either spending time around the fire, or cooking on it to watch a DVD at camp ... ... ..... riding horses and camp hopping! I'll spend the money on a trailer that will last, but shrug at the bells and whistles I won't use.

 

[LaxCummins]

Agree - we draw the line well before generators and dvd players. Ours does have a TV antenna, but we don't have a TV. I do use the radio once in a while, never crank it, though.



When we're out riding trails, we run off of battery power - period. We did a week in Custer State Park - that's about the limit of our two batteries. Most places we camp only allow generators during daylight hours. That's a good thing.



When we're at the horsey shows, the LQ trailer really comes into its own - hookups are usually available so we can run the AC if need be and we don't have to run generators.



A weekender is a great way to go. Better entry price and the essentials. I guess if you had to live in it for months out of the year, slide outs and all the bells and whistles would be interesting. For us, we sleep in it, cook in it, but otherwise we're out riding horses, fishing, or sitting around the campfire.



I still remember when we started looking at bigger LQ trailers - my wife's eyes got REALLY big when we stepped inside the $65,000 trailer with the slide out and everything but the gold plated toilet and said "honey, we NEED this!!!". Riiight. I think we ended up ok - all aluminum trailers tend to hold their value fairly well in these parts and we use the heck out of our trailer.

 

[horned Toad]

There is a brand called Hi Tech out of Canada and a spin off company called Heartland. My girlfriend has a Hi Tech 5h slant with a 3 foot short wall that weighs in at 3500 pounds. Not sure how many many miles are on the trailer but she is on her third truck that is at170k. Other than those two i reall like Sooner and Featherlights.

 

[kozowski]

This summer, I researched and shopped for six months for a weekender horse trailer. We bought a Silverlite. Great construction and superb factory support.

 

[BNeathery]

The first thing I would do is figure out what your needs are. How often are you going to haul your horses, the size of your horses, are you going to use the trailer for hauling hay or other cargo/animals. Do you need a dressing area, sleep area, all are things you need to consider. Also the weight of the trailer and the cargo need to be considered. There are a lot of good trailers out there. You can spend as little as 7K for for a good used one to 200k for a top of the line living quarters. My preference is a stock trailer as it gives me the most flexibility for use and it will accommodates any animal I choose to haul. My wife and I have animals that range from 400# donkeys all the way up to a 2000# draft. My trailer does not offer any accommodations for me but I didn't buy it for that reason. We don't camp so the stock trailer works out fine. FYI, we have Wilson stock trailer 16Kgvw, 8' wide 7'6 tall. I know my trailer will out last me as long as I don't wreck it and I take care of it. Good luck on your search, with careful research you will make the right choice.

 

[BMcGuffie]

We've been pulling 4Star trailers for years, they're very nicely built, i would not recommend Sundowner, and the Platinum Coach trailers as well as Bloomer are very nice, but the 4star is our favorite, we've been using them since '93, never had a problem... . but i would recommend going to a big stock show and looking at the trailers first hand in the trade shows, you can get a pretty good deal, because the dealers don't want to have to haul them back home, but if you need, i have a very good connection with several 4star dealers i can hook you up with.....

 

[Cattletrkr]

I've had my 8' x 32' Elite for about 4 1/2 mos. now. The hinges are junk. I've already broke two, they just aren't big enough the welds let go or the post they're attached to breaks off. The latch system is a joke. The hinges "broke-in" like you'd expect them to and now I can't hardly open the doors (interior) 'cause they've settled too much that the latches won't let go--with no adjustment. One of the couples on the hyd. brake line is leaking severely, giving me lousy brakes and I have to keep adding fluid. That's a minor fix, but still annoying. One of the wires for a side marker light already corroded off. It took over two years for that to happen on my last trailer and that was a non gel-filled 3m thingy. I never did like the slider, just flimsy, but 4-Star and everyone else makes them the same way. The interior door are laughable. perfectly fine for hauling horses or show cattle, but not for commercial use. They can't take the pushing, the door tweaks. That's part of why the hinges won't hold up.



I won't buy another one. I debated between Elite and Wilson. Next one, if I ever trade again will be a Wilson.



Before you jump on me for overloading or using the trailer for more than it was design for, it was marketed as a "commercial" trailer and the dealer knew exactly what I was going to be hauling with it.



To Elite's credit, they are very concerned with making me happy and fixing the problems. I'm just upset that there are problems this early. I fully expect to destroy anything that anybody builds, just not this fast.

 

[JHardwick]

Whew, I ended up with a 24' 4Star with 2 cut gates and sliders. I was looking hard at the Elite. I can haul up to 6 horses and as long as I don't get a bunch of screwballs, it should last at least a few years @ close to 100,000 miles a year. Another I was looking hard at was the Eby, they have a more cattle/hog background, and build a stout looking trailer.

 

[MarkCarter]

Bloomer, C&C, Elite, Four Star, Platinum. In that order for my 2 cents worth.

 

[JL penner]

Platinum

Bloomer







Stay away from Exiss (wood doors)





Reverse slants are real nice, supposedly they make a much easier ride for the horses. I don't use one at the moment, but I'm saving up for a custom 4 (or 5) horse platinum reverse load with a 12 ft lq... .



I'm gonna need a bigger truck.



good luck trailer shopping



edit: Oh, and ALWAYS get one more slot than you need. Good for storing stuff when you don't have that extra horse, and always allows you to help out a friend if you need.

 

[JWashburn]

I spend lots of time running cows in the mountains in southern Colorado. I'm always hauling horses. A few years back I bought a Hillsboro Endura. Its a double walled and double wall gates, and all aluminum stock trailer. I've had no broken hinges (the opening side is held securely unlike many) or any other problems. All the sliders slide like the day I bought it. There's still not a dent in the walls from bull, cow or horse. Its easy to clean, and you can get a dressing/tack room on the front.



As for which way horses prefer to stand? I think there's lots of gimmick in horse trailers. When given a choice my horses face directly forward occassionally, but most often directly backward.



Kiefer-Built was my second choice.



If I bought steel then I'd buy an Easley, and I'm seriously considering buying a small single axle one.

 

[Diesel Dually]

JL,

What Exiss models have wood doors? I have an '05 Event SS300E Limited G/N and the doors don't have any wood in them. Did they use wood in the doors on the older models?

 

[mlewis73]

I have a 2002 Silver Star horse trailer. LOTS of folks here in the Southeast run these trailers... lots of them on the endurance horseback racing circuit.



No complaints about mine, other than keeping a 30' gooseneck clean is TOUGH!!!

 

[CochranD]

We gota Featherlite, great trailer( 3 horse slant ) and the dealer service in this area is great.

Im new to the aluminium trailer , so Im interested to see how it will hold up , after 4 years now seems good, but what I notice is the floors have become clauky under the mats and require a good cleaning twice a year. Other than that seems OK !

I think that either the Sooner or the Ebey ( Lancaster Co , PA) would also be a good choice.