horse trailer info

[Genie]

So, how many of you have had wrecks? As you always bring up the surviveabilty of a wreck.

I am curious as to how many of you have actually had wrecks?

Manure happens!

A converted cargo trailer should work fine as long as you are within the specified weight limits.

I'm sure a loaded cargo trailer weighs more than the minis depending on how many and the size of the trailer.

We have never had any trouble and we actually do have a converted cargo trailer, which is shown at the first of this thread.

We have had miniature horses for 17 years without any trailering incidents.

We were following a "proper" two horse trailer on a freeway and the truck was travelling too fast and the horses started "swaying" from side to side in the trailer and the sway kept getting further and further from side to side and the trailer with it's dual wheels and all the trimmings flipped into the ditch.

You are right "manure happens"

 

[Jill]

Also, here's my other trailer which I picked up 2nd hand for $1,500. It's a 1994 but in great shape (always kept under a roof). It's been very handy and pretty inexpensive I'd say. It is 8' long, 5' tall, and 5' wide. I can haul 3-4 minis in it.

 

[Barbie]

I have a Wrangler trailer - bumper pull which I had built last fall. I love it!!!! Website for them is: www.wranglertrailers.com. They are wonderful to work with.

Barbie

 

[Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance]

We recently bought 6X10 Car mate, single axel. (a double axel would be and too big to fit in out back yard as we have less then an acre) We purchased it w/ a sky light, light, and one window on each side. We painted the wood walls and doors (inside) so nothing would soak into the wood then the floor was painted with something to seal it. We then put down a tarp and the interlocking foam squares for the floor which works out great. the stalls are above the wheels, so we only have two stalls and we have bumpers on both sides and the front. Holes are cut out of the side of the stall for ventilation.

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

trailer 2

 

[basshorse]

We love this 2-horse dual axel trailer for the big horse we had and the two minis we currently have. It is very versatile. Because it is a "warmblood" trailer, the little extra height allows us to store our carts vertically in the front. The inside divider, feed bins, and post are all easily removable. We can haul it with our SUV. (Long distances we use our truck) We do not have the ramp, but the rest of the trailer is pretty much the same as the trailer on the link...we did have a foal panel installed on the center divider for the minis.....You could probably haul 6 minis in this trailer. My favorite thing to use it for is, of course, our minis...but, we use it for hauling and storing all kinds of things...This particular brand does a lot of things to make the trailers safe for horses with a very high quality finish. I love how the fenders are finished and wrapped; so they don't have the sharp edges some trailers have... (Sorry, I sound like a sales person...but, we love the quality and versatility of this trailer...)

My only criticism, a short tongue makes it somewhat unforgiving when backing...

I deleted the link...I'll try to post a picture of my own trailer soon after we unload the hay. I had 2nd thoughts after reading about sales ads/testimonals and so forth...didn't want to break forum rules... PM if you want the link.

Jill-What a cute little trailer!

 

[Minimor]

Of course accidents can happen with any trailer. I really have no idea how a wreck with a cargo trailer compares with a wreck with a horse trailer. I do know, though, how a single axle trailer rides in comparison to a dual axle trailer, and if you really cared about what kind of a ride your horses are having when you trailer them….you wouldn’t be putting them in a single axle trailer! Any single axle trailer has an incredible amount of teeter totter effect as it goes over bumps (have you tried riding in your single axle trailer at highway speed over a railway crossing? Or a rough road? It’s a very unstable ride for horses. Even on a smooth road just the movement of the horses can cause the trailer to tip back & forth from front to back. And yes, of course if the horse trailer is a big one it's quite possibly going to have heavy suspension that will make the ride too rough if you are hauling only one or two Minis--the thing is to keep that in mind when horse trailer shopping a buy one that will suit your hauling needs. If you feel a cargo trailer best suits your needs at least please consider one with a dual axle!

Towing a cargo trailer certainly isn’t going to protect you from an accident, as a post or two above seems to suggest. You could just as easily end up with a case of the tail wagging the dog with a cargo trailer as you can with a horse trailer. Just because it hasn't happened with 'your' cargo trailer doesn't mean it won't, or that it hasn't happened to someone else with a cargo trailer; you must surely realize that it also hasn’t happened to a good many other people that always tow horse trailers as opposed to cargo trailers. Just because you saw someone get flipped into the ditch with a horse trailer doesn’t mean that if that same driver had been pulling a cargo trailer instead he wouldn’t have gotten flipped into the ditch…

On those cargo trailers do you look underneath the trailer to see what there is for cross supports under the floor? Or are you okay with it being just solid metal and assume it to be strong enough for hauling horses even if there are no cross supports. Maybe some cargo trailers have the cross supports? I know some don’t, but I haven’t looked under a lot of them so I’m interested in hearing if some of them do have them?

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I have had friends have wrecks with trailers. Wind flipped over their three quarter ton truck with a very heavy and very nice bumper pull trailer, with two paints on board. Both walked away with minor scratches, after waiting 30+ minutes to be cut out. If that was a cargo trailer they would not have walked away.

Plus, all the ride benefit mentioned by everyone else. Two axles ride far different than one axle.

 

[user 488]

All I have to think about is a flat tire! One side of the trailer on the ground going down the highway at 70mph......NO THANK YOU! You don't need to get into an accident to make things an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Or a lost wheel... that happens WAY more often than it should.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Or a lost wheel... that happens WAY more often than it should.

 

[user 488]

Or a lost wheel... that happens WAY more often than it should.

As many thousands of miles as I have hauled I have never had any type of accident (per say). But I was on a day trip with my friend Robin......RobinC on this Forum. We were on our way home and I did lose a wheel. And this wheel flew off my trailer and demolished the front of a brand new Ford diesel dually coming from the other direction. Thank GOD that my old trailer had the kind of suspension where the one side doesn't give way and the remaining axle carries the load. We had NO idea the wheel even fell off until the police followed me into my drive and told me what had happened.........30 miles back

! I was just so glad the man driving was not hurt or anyone else was either. So yes, I know all about losing wheels!

 

[Jill]

Again, I so much agree about "real" horse trailers with two axles. Just because someone may have used a cargo trailer for umpteen years without a problem doesn't mean an accident wouldn't turn things into a tragedy. Like I said before, I've never had a car accident in more than 20 years of driving, yet I still am happy to have airbags and use my seatbelt.

 

[Valentino]

Ok,

I beleive valid points and concerns have been raised by all.

Many of you have alot of trailering experience, and sharing your knowledge is of great service to those of us who may not.

Thanks!

I think the gist of it is to make sure you do things right!

 

[coopermini]

We have about 300,000 miles on our 24' gooseneck trailer. It is a Featherlite brand. Have not had an accident but certainly had a few close calls getting stopped in time when some idiot suddenly stoops or cuts us off.

I would never ever recommend a single axel trailer. As mentioned if you get a flat or loose a wheel (which seems more common with single axels) you are in much more danger.

Anyone who thinks a single axel trailer rides fine should take a ride in one! Just following one down the road for several miles should give you a clue how much they bob and weave all over the road let alone the up and down action.