Best and Worst Horse Trailers and Trucks

[ApolloGirl]

I am Truck and Trailer Shopping. I would like to get everyone's opinion on what there favorite trucks and trailers were and why?

Were there any that you hated?

[gldprimr]

Probably need to give a little more information on what your needs are (number of horses, hauling distances, dress/tack room, other uses for tow vehicle, etc.) before folks can give you good feedback.

If you haven't considered all of those factors at length, perhaps you'd want to give that some thought before narrowing in on what type of rig you're looking for.

My 2 cents, FWIW. Take your time on this as it is both a significant expense related to the hobby and can make a real difference for both you & your horses.

[hosspuller]

Is the rig broken down by the side of the road in 95 degree weather.:mad:

and the horses are in it! :mad: :mad:

[ChocoMare]

Worst new trailer we saw when we started shopping was the Lakota. Oy vey... tin box on wheels. I could have done better welding than that! Very wimpy padding on the sides and bars. Looked pretty on the outside but the paint job was the only quality item we saw.

[Cindyg]

Well, Apollo Girl, Brenderup has a model called Apollo. Might be a match made in heaven! :winkgrin:

I do love my Brenderup.

[GallopHer]

I love my Gore!!

[jvlfrenzy]

I love Hawk trailers and Ford trucks.

[cutemudhorse]

I'm VERY happy w/my Ford 350 and Dream Coach trailer.:):):)

But seriously, what are your individual needs/likes/wants? And budget!

I knew I wanted:

Ramp/ but could deal with step up. Horses don't seem to care.
Full escape doors
Extra high/wide
Well buillt
Not a slant load as I have longer bodied horses and not enough $ for WB size slant load, which I would prefer a rear facing slant anyway.
Did consider a stock/combo. Good air flow.
Dressing room
Overhead vents
Windows in rear storm doors (top)

Some trailer have two doors on the back that you shut before you put the ramp up. A nice option!

Then there's the steel frame/alum skin vs. all aluminum. Wood floor vs Rumber vs mats on aluminum.

Mine is all aluminum with the Rumber floor. I thought I wanted a wood floor on a steel framed trailer, but I love the Rumber. No mats to pick up and clean. We just had a discussion on sawdust in trailers for hauling and I learned more about trailer mats and floors in that thread too.

Do your home work and do lots of online shopping for information as well as what options you like. It's fun and confusing --- good luck!

[cgray0983]

When I had a rig I had a 1998 Chevy Silverado 3500 - Crew Cab, extended bed dually wheels (I don't know how the Chevies are now, but once the truck got over its transmission issues it was great >.<). The trailer was a EBY - Gooseneck, w/ tackroom. We had it custom made in the interior to haul as two box stalls or four traditional forward laoding stalls. Ramp on back and side ramp. Trailer sold for almost as much as we paid for it last year, was in great shape.

List of all the good things I would repeat in a trailer:
Tack Room
Air ride breaks, not electrical
Ceiling vents in tack room and stalls
Ability to change layout inside
Two ramps
Door from front stall into tack-room, oh so nice
Gooseneck - I will never again get a tag-along, I just like the extra storage space
Windows can open fully so horses could stick heads out when inside - parked
I am sure the list goes on, but these were my favorite features
All aluminum
Outside and inside lighting
No paint job - plain old shiny - was easy to clean that way and didn't have to worry about paint chippage :D


I highly suggest taking your time looking for the right fit. Worst, the rig that someone lets us borrow at the private barn where I am now (can't complain b/c a rig is better than no rig), Dodge Ram, not quite sure on the model, but its only a few years old. And a Sooner gooseneck, two horse w/ tack room, step-up. The truck is too high for the trailer and CANNOT be lowered like my Chevy was, hence causing some serious issues going up and down steep drives/roads *crunch*.

[spotmenow]

Not thrilled with our Chevy, but no major issues. We will buy a Ford next round unless Toyota puts something on the market that can haul my draft crosses!

Steer clear of Sundowner (see all the posts on here regarding them!). And, apparently Featherlite, Jamco and a few others have been bought by one parent company, called Universal, and Universal is known to skimp on quality.

Finally, Action trailer sales in CT is the "Walmart" of dealers-they will give you the best price but hope you don't have an issue-NO customer service. And, Congelosi in southern NY has had our Sundowner since the end of April because we were told they were the closest place to us that could do the warranty work. It's still not completed and its July.

[Daydream Believer]

I'm very happy with my GMC Duramax diesel 3/4 ton truck. I've got a lot of miles on it and it's never given me any trouble. It is economical (20 mpg) and plenty of power for my large 4H LQ trailer.

I also love my Double D Galvanized Steel trailer. I think, for the cost, it is a great value, the workmanship is very good and it's a great alternative to the much more pricey aluminum trailers.

I would not consider an Exiss or a newer Sundowner.

[dogdays]

Hate my bumper pull Gore. Had to replace the ramp the first time my 18 hd. TBx stepped on it to load. It bent like a piece of tin. This was after the dealer assured me it was sturdy enough for my big horse. Will never buy one again. Have a Sidekick, custom made 4 horse gooseneck, and love it!

[tabula rashah]

I have and LOFF
Truck:2005 Dodge 2500 Ram Turbo Diesel with in-line 6. Great mileage, hauls like there's nothing to it, low maintenance, comfy, lots of interior room- only thing I don't like is that its an automatic

Trailer: 2003 Exiss GN 3 Horse Sport (stock trailer in the back, full dressing room up front). I can configure it a number or different ways: 2 box stalls, 3 slant stalls, open, 1 slant and 1 box. Pretty much everyone loads/ unloads well from it. I pimped my dressing room with water and electric and bed in the GN

Had and for the most part disliked:
Truck: 1994 Ford F350 diesel v-8 , could pull a house but would only win the turtle race, broke down constantly even with regular maintenance, no back seat, no AC, not great mileage

Trailer: Hart 2 Horse BP steel with dressing room, heavy, heavy, heavy, had manger on the the passenger side which made loading difficult sometimes, had issues with doors and windows, horses didn't seem to love the way it rode

[JRG]

Happy with my dodge and my trail-et.

What I would really like, is the hands free in the steering wheel for the radio and what not. My truck is a 2000 model and they didn't have those back then. But it has been a solid truck.

What I like about my trailer, is all the smooth edges. Lots of hooks in the correct places. Nice and quiet on the inside. What I wish it had was racks in the front tack, like the rear tack has.

[wsmoak]

Dodge Ram 2500 with Cummins diesel. This is a... 2002 I think. Just before they changed the body style. I had a 1998 1/2 before that, but it had some transmission issues. Never buy the first model year of anything, let them get the bugs worked out first! Ford tends to be more expensive, but that would be my second choice.

I have a Logan gooseneck, which I like quite well. (I'd *love* a 4-Star!) Mine is a 3-horse slant frame, but has a huge dressing room and only fits two horses. I prefer to haul Patrick alone with the divider tied back as the stalls aren't really big enough for him, but I'll squash him in for short trips or if someone else desperately needs a ride.

What we've learned... trailer manufacturers are delusional when it comes to the GVWR. Or maybe they've just never met any eventers. ;) Make sure the combined weight rating of the axles/tires is enough to handle the load. And realize that the load won't be divided equally, so the rating needs to be *more* than 1/4 the total. I won't buy a trailer with 15" wheels again, they will be 16" with heavy duty axles.

--
Wendy
http://pbase.com/wendysmoak

[PletchersMom]

I have a Kingston 2 horse, no dressing room. Gets me from point A to B very well. I dont travel very far in it though.

My friend has a Featherlite, straight load, no dressing room, step up, v-nose and escape door on one side. When traveling, there is not alot of ventilation in it, so on hot days, it gets really hot in there.

[pines4equines]

I'm with Pletchersmom. I too have a 2 horse Kingston with no dressing room. Since I only trailer one horse, I made a sort of tack room on the empty side. have no problems with it. One thing I do like is it is very airy especially on hot days.

[dani0303]

Trailers- My boss has a 3,4, and 6 horse Exiss. I really like all 3 of them. The only problem is that the 3 horse is VERY heavy for a trailer that size. I personally have a Brederup Baron and LOFF it.

Trucks- All 4 trailers have been towed by strictly Ford trucks. F-150, 250, and 350 ranging in year from 2001-2007. I've had no problems with any of them. They offer a comfy ride plus plenty of power

[BasqueMom]

Ford F250 7.3L Powerstroke--would haul a house and lots of pep! Also have a 2006
Dodge Ram 1500 with 5.4 Hemi. Pulls same trailer just okay and slurps the gas to do it.
But then once you pull with a turbo-diesel, a gas engine leaves something to be desired.
JMHO!

Have a Circle J 2-horse slant with dressing room and drop down windows. No ramp--has
a low step up plus lived in Colorado where ramps get slick when snowing or if it is raining.
Plus with the slant, we can easily turn them around and walk out forward together--works well for our two guys.

It's a brand made in Idaho and don't think you will find many in your neck of the woods.
Some brands seem to be more regional. Logan is an another Idaho brand and looked at
both. Both seem to deliver a lot of bang for the buck--at least, they did 11 years ago.

[spotmenow]

Forgot to mention: Avoid the Brenderups. One of my boarders has one: she can't load the horse very easily (smart horse!) and it really looks like a take-out container on wheels. The fact that you have to use stabilizers to load the horse tells me that it isn't very sturdy on the road...

[flypony74]

Love: My 2001 Ford F250 7.3 diesel. This truck could pull the side of a barn off and has been a total workhorse....lots of flawless horse hauling miles on it. Bought it slightly used in Dec. 2001, and it's been a great truck.

Love: My 4-Star trailer. Built like a tank, pulls like it's not even back there (and it's a big trailer). Big, clean welds, massive hinges, quality quality quality in design and construction. Many user-friendly features and very well designed to be inviting and comfortable for the critters. I've put a lot of miles on this trailer and love it!

Hate: My old Merhow trailer. Things breaking that shouldn't have been breaking on a relatively new, extremely well-maintained trailer, and just had a flimsy feel to it. My stepdad and I spent a lot of time fixing and reinforcing things on it. It was better than factory when I sold it because we did so much work on it, but it was a headache. Never again.

[jvlfrenzy]

Ford F250 7.3L Powerstroke--would haul a house and lots of pep! Also have a 2006
Dodge Ram 1500 with 5.4 Hemi. Pulls same trailer just okay and slurps the gas to do it.
But then once you pull with a turbo-diesel, a gas engine leaves something to be desired.
JMHO!

I have a 1999 F250 Powerstroke. I LOVE THAT TRUCK!!!!!!!! Honestly, if you're looking to tow, a Ford is the only way to go. Lots of power and still comfy!!!