cargo trailers

[northernmi]

Does anyone haul with cargo trailers that have been converted? Would love to see pictures if you have them.

 

[ruffian]

I have, but can't get them to load. If someone wants to take them I can e-mail.

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

Dana,

Send them to me, I'll post them.

Edited to add that I also use a cargo trailer to haul my minis in but I don't have any pictures. Sorry.

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

Here are the pictures from Dana.

 

[Charlotte]

We bought a little 5x8 cargo trailer when we got our first mini....we'd already solf the big horse trailers.

I don't have pictures, but we had a lot done to it and it was great.

2 pop up vents on roof.

Butterfly vent on the front

Bus window on each side

plywood lined

3 swinging dividers....each space could hold 2 average size minis but we only ever hauled 3 or 3 mares with foals.

tie rings just above wither height

rubber mats

Drop down rear loading ramp

interior light

extra running lights

brakes

It was a great little trailer. we pulled it with our minivan.

Charlotte

 

[Horse-Cow-Gal]

Please keep coming with your photos, I am also very interested in this topic. Details and more details......and of course photos.

 

[Becky]

I don't have any pictures but back in the early 90's, I had a little cargo trailer custom built for my minis. Like Charlotte's, it was 5 X 8. Mine had butterfly vents in the front, a roof vent, sliding bus windows on the sides and another sliding window in the back. Mine had a back door, no ramp. I also didn't put dividers in it, but I sure would now. It had tie rings all the way around. Lined with plywood for a kick plate. It also had a lifetime rubber floor. It was a good little trailer and easy to pull.

 

[Diana]

I don't believe I have any pictures but I can take some tonight and send them. I have a small one that has 3 stalls and space up front for tack. I wish I had gotten one with a build in ramp but my husband build me one and it works pretty good. It hauls nice and all stalls can come out for other uses like deer hunting.

 

[Jean_B]

From the previous posts, you can see that everyone made lots of modifications in order to haul their minis.

Since cargo trailers are not designed to haul living creatures - it is critical to add plenty of air vents...otherwise the horses will suffocate.

Also - you need to add plywood or heavy rubber kick boards around the walls. Cargo trailer walls are typically pretty thin and a horse could easily put a foot thru -- and I'll let your imagination tell you would would happen when it pulls it's foot back in.

Also -- STURDY dividers.

I had someone show up to pick up 2 adult minis in a single-axle cargo trailer that had 2 tiny vents. If it had been summer I would never allowed them to get in that thing, but it was cold enough that heat build-up would not be a problem. The divider was a 2 foot tall sheet of 1/4 inch plywood. Needless to say, the stallion made short work of it, and they had to improvise. I'll never sell them another horse.

 

[chandab]

From the previous posts, you can see that everyone made lots of modifications in order to haul their minis.

Since cargo trailers are not designed to haul living creatures - it is critical to add plenty of air vents...otherwise the horses will suffocate.

Also - you need to add plywood or heavy rubber kick boards around the walls. Cargo trailer walls are typically pretty thin and a horse could easily put a foot thru -- and I'll let your imagination tell you would would happen when it pulls it's foot back in.

Also -- STURDY dividers.

I had someone show up to pick up 2 adult minis in a single-axle cargo trailer that had 2 tiny vents. If it had been summer I would never allowed them to get in that thing, but it was cold enough that heat build-up would not be a problem. The divider was a 2 foot tall sheet of 1/4 inch plywood. Needless to say, the stallion made short work of it, and they had to improvise. I'll never sell them another horse.

Jean, all very good points. Thank you for bringing them up.

My husband and I have been discussing using a cargo trailer for a mini hauler. Big thing for him is a double axle for stability (and I agree). [And, of course we'd be adding vents and such, if we try a cargo trailer.] I'm married to a cattle rancher, he builds everything bull-tough and bull-size; so I do have to remind him now and then that these are miniature horses, so on somethings we can go a little lighter and smaller. Like I really don't need 5'x12' heavy gauge panels to contain the minis, the lightweight 4x8' panels will work fine for temporary corrals (we have plans to make some, hopefully this summer).