suggestions on gooseneck horse trailers

[cjohnson]

Wanted to see what brands of gooseneck horse trailers any of you preferred. I'm in the market for one right now. I think I'm leaning toward aluminum but not for sure. I am looking to get something with a large dressing room area up front near the gooseneck so I can have a semi living quarter set up.



Thanks,



Craig

 

[Bob Horrell]

Craig,

I have a FourStar 4 horse. I looked at just about every brand before I bought mine. I found a lot of differences, some small and some large. You can come by if you want and look at mine and I will go over what I found out on my search and why I picked what I did.

Bob

 

[Mike Ellis]

We use a Sundowner Horizon II, it is a large 4-horse slant with high ceiling. It is pretty heavy (not aluminum) but tows great with my stock truck. There is a living quarters area up front but we got the trailer without the wall so we can use the area for extra storage, good for hauling cows too (yeah, I know - hauling cattle in a horse trailer is sacrilege to the modern yuppy brand of horseman but hey... it sure gets the job done!



I am constantly amazed at how expensive horse gear has gotten, trailers have not inflated nearly as much as tack and such. Went to look at saddles the other day... $1200+ for a plain old basketweave, with somewhat sloppy leatherwork to boot. Now they have pajamas for horses (Sleazy sleepwear... ), you name it.

 

[Brandon]

horse trailers

always buy aluminum... ... ... ... ... ... ... we have a sooner with a large tack room... ... .



4 star is another top of the line horse trailer... ... ... .

exiss and barret are nice trailers too... ... ... ... .





B's wife,



danelle

 

[QRTRHRS]

Some more questions if you don't mind.

Originally posted by Brandon

always buy aluminum... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Aluminum? Frame and body or just body? As I understand metals, aluminum pound for pound must weigh the same as steel to be as strong. A steel frame can be repaired anywhere and will always be just as strong while aluminum will be weaker after repairs. Just an observation as I understand it.



Living Quarters? Does anyone actually use these to their potential? I think a tac room with a mattress on the gooseneck would be better.



Head to head VS slant. Anyone got any input on this?

 

[C. Harlan]

Go with a Bloomer Horse trailer.... Top of the line. Plainly stated.

-Chris-

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

aluminum is the only way to go. I have a Barret 5 horse stock with a dressing room/tack. I love it. The only trailer I would switch it for is a 4 star. Sooner makes a fancy trailer to if yer a dude.

 

[Mike Ellis]

QRTRHRS,



I'm with you on the steel trailers. I like the looks of the aluminum trailers and the people who own them say they are the best thing since cold Dr. Pepper, but I am always looking for the longest-life product possible. Given the amount of effort we put into making aircraft aluminum capable of surviving the elements, I wonder how long those shiny beasts will be structurally sound with only a thin clear coat (if anything) on most of them.



The living quarters seem to be most useful as an air conditioned place to change, rest between rounds in competition, etc. Have seen a few of them used by the dedicated trail riders very effectively for camping, but in general if you go to the rodeo grounds or race tracks here in Texas in the summer time you will see a lot of nice trailers with A/C on the roof sitting out in the sun... . with no genset running. Doh!



Drove by the Johnson County Sheriff's Posse arena last weekend, they had a big barrel racing event going and nice aluminum trailers outnumbered the steel variants about 3 to 1. Lots of Sooners, 4 Stars, and a brand called "Elite" I think. The Elites were nice looking trailers but I haven't heard much about them.



Trailer fads come and go every 15 years or so it seems. In the 70's down here those Miley inline horse trailers were THE THING, and when you saw somebody tooling up in a Chevy dually with a powder-blue Miley with dark pinstriping you knew he was a serious horseman .



One fad I enjoyed and wish would come back is the Urban Cowboy style, "tumbleweed" type hats. They were made out of a very coarse weave jute or something, lots of space for the wind to blow through. BOY those hats were great in the summer time. Sure would like to have one again but never see them for sale.

 

[RAPID RICK]

If you want THE best go Featherlite. I work in a trlr repair shop & we do less repair work on Featherlite trailers than any other brand.



Rick

 

[Oil Ape]

Aluminum trailers are great for their weight but expect a lot of repairs down the road and don't take them offroad. Even trailers being pulled strictly down the highway have a tendency to shake themselves apart over time. Aluminum has a real problem with metal fatigue. Especially the doors and gates are suseptable to damage. Any aluminum repairs will also cost you twice what they would be with steel. Most of the people that pull aluminum love them but replace them every 5 years or so pulling the rodeo circuits.



If you want a heavy trailer that will go offroad, haul various livestock, and flat out outlast your truck, buy steel. They are heavy but easy to repair, and you don't have to worry about the gate falling off between Nowhere, Wyoming and Wish I Wasn't Here, Wyoming. The fact of the matter is once you get the trailers up to speed on the level there really aren't many advantages over steel.

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

Originally posted by Oil Ape

Aluminum trailers are great for their weight but expect a lot of repairs down the road and don't take them offroad. Even trailers being pulled strictly down the highway have a tendency to shake themselves apart over time. .

The reason I bought a Barrett is because of the extra quality. Barrett, Wilson and very few others make livestock trailers for semi/tractor trailer rigs. My friend has a 550,000 acre cattle ranch and owns a Barrett. He bought it new 20 some years ago and it is still holding up. All of the miles on his trailer are

"off-road". I've seen 5 horses with saddles on inside that trailer.



My first stock trailer was a WW steel trailer. I really loved it too.

I just went with the Barrett because of the reputation. If you buy a quality name, you'll never go wrong. Just watch out for steel frame and aluminum skin. Can you say electrolosis?

 

[JJW_ND]

Smooth Skin no matter the flavor...

I pulled stock and horse trailers back from the factories in IA, and KS for seven years or so. With out a doudt, a smooth skin (ribs on the inside) makes a significant difference in how hard a trailer pulls. The most common load I pulled back was a 22' trailer in front and a 20' trailer behind. Both goosenecks, no dolly, just short of 80' total length with my 2500 ExCab Longbox. Lots of wind between KS and ND. I think a 24' smooth side with tapered nose would pull easier then an 18" ribs and fullheight nose. I pulled a few aluminum trailers and they pulled harder and road rougher then the steel counter parts. Most trailers were empty.



You see alot of Featherlite and Elite up here. I never pulled one but have heard lots of good things about Eby http://www.mheby.com/Horse_Trailers.htm



The steel trailers that I was impressed with were Titan http://www.titantrailer.com/



Good luck!



jjw

ND

 

[cjohnson]

Thanks for all the good info folks, seems there are a lot of different opinions about whether to go with aluminum or steel. The weight of the aluminum seems to be its advantage while durability goes to the steel. It would seem to me that the aluminum trailers may potentially stay nicer - longer as you don't have to contend with corrosion, worn paint and rust. The aluminum should definatately stay nicer in the horse area as you don't have to worry about about all the fluids eating away at the paint and steel. I'm beginning to think that I will go with whichever I find that has all of the other qualities I am looking for at the best price.



Hey Bob, I may take yo up on that, I'd like to see your trailer and hear what you have found. The 4Star trailers are pretty pricey aren't they? If I remember, they were some of the more expensive ones. Although I know its worth it if you get what you pay for.



Thanks,



Craig

 

[QRTRHRS]

Originally posted by RAPID RICK

If you want THE best go Featherlite. I work in a trlr repair shop & we do less repair work on Featherlite trailers than any other brand. Rick

Rick, I hear what your saying but I have a comment. To be fair, I last looked at Featherlite's a year ago. But I think the rear step up's are just a bit too high and I think the interior layout could use some changes.



Craig, do you get to any of the shows like Equine Affair? Sometimes, you can get a half dozen or so dealers with a good variety of trailers. I like to kick the tires and go back and forth looking at how they are put together. They usually offer "show specials" especially when it comes time to drag the trailers back home.

 

[Bob Horrell]

Craig,

There is a FourStar distributor just outside of Bakersfield. His prices match any other aluminum trailer and he beat all the other FourStar dealers I checked with. Let me know when you want to take a look at mine.

Bob

 

[RAPID RICK]

QRTRHRS,



I think every trailer I've ever looked at could use some improvement or modification in one area or another.



cjohnson,



Not that you would ever need it but,Featherlite has a 6 year warranty on the frame,gates & misc. other parts.



Rick

 

[QRTRHRS]

Bob,



I checked out the 4Star site. They are nice trailers. I got to looking at the site and saw that they offer air ride on some models. Do you have that? Then, I followed the lead to the air ride suspension provider. Their site is under construction so it's not perfect but I see they can retrofit.



Rick, I don't mean to pick. A lot depends on your needs. I happen to move brood mares. Some of them don't take kindly to being loaded and moved. Stress can and has cost me a lot of money with lost breedings.

 

[Bob Horrell]

QRTRHRS,

I have the rubber torsion axles. I don't know how they would compare to the air rides. It seems to me that you would need shocks with the air since it doesn't provide any dampening. My trailer rides real smooth and even does pretty well going down the bumpy dirt road from the ranch to the highway.

I picked the FourStar because of the floor construction, the good welds, the inside headroom (7ft. at the sides and about 7'5" in the center, removable panels between stalls, large dressing room,etc. Also, there was very little wheel well obstruction on the inside. I have the max legal width - 102 inches.

Bob

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

If you want a Four Star they build them custom too. I almost ordered one but I got my Barrett for 100 bucks over dealer cost.