# Bought my first horse trailer



## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

Well, after watching the Craig's List ads for about a year (since before we bought our first horse), I finally bought a horse trailer last night. We only have two quarter horses, and only one of them will travel to most of the 4H shows & practices, so a 2-horse was plenty. We're currently pulling with a Chevy Tahoe, so I wanted something small & light for now. Virtually all of our destinations are within 30 miles of home. I would have liked to get a slant-load so that I could fold out the dividers & use it for a lot of other stuff (like ATV's & lawn tractors), but the extra expense of a slant load didn't seem worth it.

I ended up with a 1990 W-W 2-horse, straight-load, pumper-pull trailer for just $1200. It's in decent shape for what we need.

The body has a little rust around the front where the feed tray attaches (above the tack area), but is otherwise solid. The rust-colored body is actually the paint color, and matches our barn pretty closely.

The bearings have just a bit of play, but aren't bad. I'll check them out soon.

The 7-wire plug had been cut off & replaced with a 4-wire to match a previous owner's vehicle. I guess that seemed easier than just buying an adapter plug. :shrug: That's easy enough to fix. I therefore haven't tested the brakes, but those will get inspected along with the bearings.

All the lights work except for the license plate. I'd like to run some interior lights soon, though.

Several of the floor boards are deteriorating, so they'll all get replaced before I take a horse for a ride. What's the best width to use? It seems like wider boards would be stronger, but narrower boards (2x6) would be easier to slip into place between the end channels. Horses put a lot of weight in one small spot on the floor.

The doors & windows allow me to completely enclose the trailer if I need to keep something dry inside during a thunderstorm (or for storage). Consequently, all the interior padding is in excellent shape for a 28-year-old trailer.

It towed like a dream when I brought it home last night.

This trailer adds a few projects to my to-do list, which I really wasn't looking for, but it only cost a third of what a nice slant load would have cost. Time will tell if I regret that decision. Worst case, I'm not married to the trailer. I can always resell it & buy something else.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Congrats!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

My old trailer was a WW like that one. It sure did tow well, and I loved it.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Looks like a nice little trailer to suit your needs, especially once you get it fixed up. Congrats!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Looks like a very nice starter trailer. Congrats!


And if the divider does not come out, make sure to haul the horse on the DRIVER SIDE of the trailer, when you are only hauling one horse and not two.


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## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

beau159 said:


> And if the divider does not come out, make sure to haul the horse on the DRIVER SIDE of the trailer, when you are only hauling one horse and not two.


I was going to ask about that one. Why the driver's side?

The divider between the doors does not move, but the divider between the stalls is removable. You can even lower the center divider down near the floor if you need to keep small animals separate.

Will a horse be OK in that double-wide space when the trailer is stopping & turning? I would have thought that the walls & dividers were very helpful for balance.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I was told on driver's side because roads are sloped towards the shoulder.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

_Very nice...._
_*Congratulations!! :clap:
*_
2x6 boards are the width to go with...

When replacing put the ten-penny nail between boards for spacing allowing for urine drain and to not warp and heave your new floor....
When you look at the plank end...tree growth curve lines face down so any warping doesn't heave and leave lumps & bumps. :|


With a little bit of work this is going to be a super nice trailer...
A diamond in the rough right now...soon to be a polished beauty.
_Enjoy and safe travels..._
:cowboy:....
_jmo..._


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

ObiWan said:


> I was going to ask about that one. Why the driver's side?
> 
> The divider between the doors does not move, but the divider between the stalls is removable. You can even lower the center divider down near the floor if you need to keep small animals separate.
> 
> Will a horse be OK in that double-wide space when the trailer is stopping & turning? I would have thought that the walls & dividers were very helpful for balance.



What waresbare said above. It's because of the natural slant that most of the roads have. They are "higher" in the center and slope off to the side. The horse will feel more stable riding on the high side, than the low side.


But if you can remove the divider, that would be my first choice. Then the horse can move freely and stand where they choose. Most horses actually choose to ride backwards (butt first).


Some horses will choose to brace against a divider, but most are perfectly fine riding loose.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

OH! MY! GOSH!

I have the same trailer I think! Mines only a QH size so yours might be taller. It was the best trailer FOREVER! I have it parked down in the woods now but I bet I could pull her out and use her still!

I take it back... Mines a 70 something and I think the brand is off... But still! Easy to hall, light weight, no problem backing... I loevd that tiny trailer!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Looks in pretty good condition, especially on the inside. 

A friend of mine recently bought one just like that and has been busy fixing it up including a new paint job. Her truck arrives today so all set to travel.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

It would be great if you would keep us updated with your restoration. It would be instructive for any of us who have considered buying an old trailer to weigh the cost and effort against the purchase price.


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## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

Joel Reiter said:


> It would be great if you would keep us updated with your restoration. It would be instructive for any of us who have considered buying an old trailer to weigh the cost and effort against the purchase price.


Will do! Replacing the floor boards (and rust-proofing the supports under them) will happen ASAP, since I refuse to load a horse onto those old boards.

The rest of it will happen as time permits. Here's the list I currently have, in order of decreasing priority:

* Open up the wheels & inspect/service the bearings & brakes
* Replace the 4-wire pigtail with a 7-wire pigtail so I can activate the brakes
* Install a break-away battery for the brakes
* Replace a few broken marker lights (most still work)
* Temporarily patch the open holes in the body where rust has eaten clear through (just a couple small ones)
* Install more LED lighting: backup lights, interior lights, and exterior work lights
* Clear off the rust, bondo the holes in the sheet metal, and repaint the trailer

Honestly, I'll probably never get around to that last item. The first three should happen pretty quickly.

If I'm feeling bored, before I repaint it, I'll rework that center door post so that it just bolts into place (it's currently welded) and can be removed when I want to haul a lawn tractor or go-kart.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

ObiWan said:


> * Clear off the rust, bondo the holes in the sheet metal, and repaint the trailer
> Honestly, I'll probably never get around to that last item.


Look on the bright side, if you never paint it you'll have a perfectly functional horse trailer that nobody will steal.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Can you please add one more item to the list, very near the top....
When you are checking bearings, seals and doing the brake work please check the tires for age.
Stamped on the sidewall is a code that is the manufacturing date...
When you take the tires off to do the other work, write down the stamped details and then go internet surfing to find what the code means...
Trailer tires regardless of how much wear they show are recommended to be replaced around the 5 year interval so catastrophic roadside failure rarely happen....
Depending upon where you live, tires also dry-rot from heat and sun exposure quickly...hidden dangers.
When you are ready to travel the roads make sure your tires are road-safe for a great experience not one riddled with problems.



Not back to your restoration...
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Do you have a high school or community college program in your area that does automotive repair? If so, that may be a great way to get your trailer painted and bodywork done for very little money.


A friend had her little trailer repaired and painted by the local high school auto body class. The only cost to her was the supplies/materials they used (bondo, paint, etc) and a couple of gallons of orange juice and donuts that she took to the kids when she went to pick it up. They did a pretty nice job on it, too.


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## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

SilverMaple said:


> Do you have a high school or community college program in your area that does automotive repair? If so, that may be a great way to get your trailer painted and bodywork done for very little money.


We do, but their waiting list is *YEARS* long for that sort of thing.

I know people that do body work, so I'll probably just see if they can give me a hands-on tutorial if/when the time comes.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

That is so exciting! nothing beats the freedom of having your own horse trailer. Excited to see how your trailer comes along. Pictures are a must!


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## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

ObiWan said:


> Replacing the floor boards (and rust-proofing the supports under them) will happen ASAP, since I refuse to load a horse onto those old boards.
> 
> * Open up the wheels & inspect/service the bearings & brakes
> * Replace the 4-wire pigtail with a 7-wire pigtail so I can activate the brakes
> ...


I'd completely forgotten that I posted this thread. A neighbor gave us a ride to 4H practice, and then when that was done, my daughter got so busy with school & work that she didn't have time to trailer the horses anywhere... until last month. Our 4H club had an end-of-year ride around a state park lake that's about a 45-minute car ride from our house. My neighbor couldn't take us, so I finally got our horse trailer road-worthy.

The old floor was untreated 2x10's running front-to-back. Each end was inserted into a channel that was welded in place. Removing the old boards was easy--I just jammed my hand through the boards in the rotted spots and pulled them out. A sawzall cut off a couple inches of the remaining good boards. To insert new, treated 2x10's, I cut the top flange off one of the channels (that part was mostly rusted away anyway) so I could insert the new boards & then slide them over into position. Two exterior-treated, self-tapping deck screws secure each new board to the steel supports so they won't slide back & forth.

While the floor was out, I drilled some drain holes along the floor channels to help prevent water build-up. I also brushed & sanded away all of the loose rust from the support structure (just the parts that would be obscured by a new floor). I then sprayed the remaining, solid rust with Rustoleum's "Rust Reformer" product. It looks like flat black spray paint, but it's actually a chemical that converts the surface rust into something inert that won't continue rusting. I then top-coated all that with Rustoleum's "Stops-Rust" satin black paint. It actually looked really good for the few hours before I covered it all back up again with new flooring.

I used some Great Stuff Pond Patch (waterproof spray-foam insulation) as a quick & dirty way to patch the worst of the exterior holes in the sheet metal. It doesn't look pretty, but it keeps out the majority of the rain. I already had a can of it open for another project, and I used it on the trailer because I hate to waste an open can of Great Stuff.

I opened up each wheel hub, and found that, after a little cleaning, all of the brakes and wheel hubs were in fine shape. Even the wiring to the brakes was still good, right up to the point on the tongue where the DSPO had cut off the original connector to replace it with a 4-wire plug. The tires could stand to be replaced, but are functional. I'll replace them if we end up keeping this trailer (see below).

I bought a new coiled, 7-wire connector and a new emergency breakaway battery, and got those installed so that we can actually activate the brakes from our truck. I love those coiled plugs--I have them on both my trailers. I also bought a new Tekonsha P3 brake controller for our truck, and replaced the two blown fuses that prevented it from working. I reattached a couple loose ground wires while I was at it.

I replaced the broken license plate light with an LED lamp. I realized later than the lamp is designed to point straight down, but ours points back at an angle because it's on the fender. I need to add some sort of shield so that I don't blind the driver behind me. Tailgater prevention, I suppose.

Our three top/middle marker lights were all broken, so I got one of those LED strip tail lights that's made to go below a pickup bed, and secured it to the back edge right below the rear doors. In theory, it would give me a full-width tail marker and reverse light, as well as half-width turn & brake lights. In reality, I bought a too-cheap model, and then banged into it accidentally, so ours doesn't work well. Even if it did, the reverse light is much dimmer than the brake lights, so it's not worth much. If you buy one, spend more than $12. I'll probably install a better one someday if we end up keeping this trailer.

The final upgrade, and the one that I'm most excited about, is installing two 5'-long LED strip lights across the ceiling supports inside the trailer. For $20, I got two 5' strips with a built-in push-button switch. The original trailer was a dark cave after sunset, which no doubt was scary for the horses. I'm not sure if the lights help the horses much, but they make cleaning out the trailer after sunset a breeze!

With everything done, the trailer towed behind our Tahoe like a dream out to the lake & back.

The down side is that both of our horses were happy to climb into the trailer the first time. However, after taking their first ride (separately), neither of them wants to get back into the trailer. I leave it sitting in their pasture with the doors open during good weather, but I guess familiarity isn't helping ease their fears. They both trailer just fine in my friend's gooseneck slant-load, so I suspect that this little bumper pull is just too small and bouncy for their liking. I really hope we can train them to get over it, otherwise I'll have to sell this trailer and buy something larger. :-(


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Good work!

P.S. FYI, My first trailer was that style/vintage and I’ve moved onto a two horse slant completely eliminating any trailer loading problems I experienced with the first one. Also, if I may (but it’s probably unneeded as you seem like an on top of things kind of guy) if the trailer is in the pasture with doors open and not hooked to a vehicle, it will need to be blocked to prevent tippage or rolling on the off chance your horses start going in and out of it.


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## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

Chevaux said:


> My first trailer was that style/vintage and I’ve moved onto a two horse slant completely eliminating any trailer loading problems I experienced with the first one.


Everybody used this style of trailer 30 years ago, so it must be a workable solution... I hope. Or did stubborn horses just stay in the pasture back in those days?

Is your new trailer still a bumper-pull? My friend's trailer is a giant, goose-neck, 3-horse slant + living quarters, so I'm sure it rides light a yacht compared to my little trailer. I've been wondering how much bigger I needed to go in order to solve the problem, or if a slant-load of the same size would solve the problem. Do you know why it was that your horses disliked your old trailer?

I probably have $1500 + a week of long evenings invested into this trailer so far. I could probably sell it for $2000 now. Craig's List tells me that I could buy a 2-horse, bumper-pull slant-load for about $4000. Although I'd rather not spend the extra money, I could stomach another $2000 if I knew it would solve my problems. Moving up to a goose-neck isn't an option for the foreseeable future, though.



> Also, if I may (but it’s probably unneeded as you seem like an on top of things kind of guy) if the trailer is in the pasture with doors open and not hooked to a vehicle, it will need to be blocked to prevent tippage or rolling on the off chance your horses start going in and out of it.


Yeah, I'm on top of it, but it's good to have that reminder out there on the public forum. I've actually pulled the trailer back up to the driveway now for the winter. Tires don't like sitting in mud for months on end.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Some horses have no problem riding in a straight haul, others will get worse & worse each time they ride in it. Must make them sore, as will a slant load if crammed in the first or second slot. I eliminated the problem by buying a 3 horse slant and taking out the first gate, thereby making it a 2 horse slant. OP, you should have no problem selling that horse trailer for $2500, my area anyways.


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## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

On this last trip, I was pulling our 20-yr-old gelding on the bare, wood floor, covered only by the 1/4"-thick rubber mat that came with the trailer. Our farrier (who was on the ride and helped us get re-loaded) suggested that I should use a thicker, rubber floor mat, and put down a decent layer of bedding on top of that to ease the stress from the road vibrations.

That sounds reasonable to my newbie mind. Anybody care to comment on that suggestion? Is it likely to actually help?

Personally, I'd be pretty scared if somebody crammed me into a box that was barely bigger than my body and had no forward-facing windows, then bounced me down the highway for who-knows-how-long going to who-knows-where for who-knows-what-reason. I can't really blame the horses for not wanting to get back in, I suppose.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I'm thinking your horses may not like having to squeeze past the center rear beam....many horses do not like their ribs to touch as they go in or out.
Horses 30+ years ago were smaller in size for one so "fitting" they indeed did.
Suspension components have also changed how trailers ride...
A longer wheel base does smooth the ride out in the trailer, but those torsion springs can make a difference too...
So can tires...if they are at all dry they don't absorb bounce but bang, bang, bang and jostle the occupants more.
You can buy inexpensive trailer tires from Walmart and put road hazard insurance on them that will cover replacement pro-rated along with flat repair for free..
I do use only trailer rated tires on my trailers as it does make a difference in sidewalls although many say they use lt truck tires, they are not made for the torque applied on turns which can ruin sidewalls and creates dangerous conditions in the tires.
There have been threads here before about tires for trailers and what people use or don't use and why...
The mats, not everyone has them but they do add traction and soften the noise factor...
I don't know if I would use shavings myself, they can be slippery when stepping in or out and hooves slide on the floor.

I have bumper pull trailers...
One is a semi-stock. It has 2 dedicated straight stalls, then a slam gate and adequate space for 2 more horses. My trailer is 7'6" tall without my mats so a little shorter in height with mats in the trailer. Full width swing door and step up style trailer like yours is. I've never had a horse not get in.
My other trailer is also a BP...ramp and 2 straight stalls. 2 escape doors in trailer front my horses can walk in and extend their head and neck comfortably. I have a full divider that swings at the front so I can slide it over when loading if I need some extra space, then slide it over and secure it and the horse with butt bar/chain. Only after the butt bar/chain is secured do we secure the horses heads. Stand to the side and have helper springs to lift the ramp...NEVER stand behind and step into the space where the ramp can land in case of a emergent slam down you don't want to get trapped under the ramp...
_{I've seen a women get caught and break her femur/thigh bone from a ramp slamming her and horse flying backward off the trailer in a panic. .was horrible to see}_
There is a huge debate about straight or slant and which is better...
Personally, I don't like slant loads for many reasons. Again, a hot topic and one discussed here in other threads about pros and cons to them versus straight load and there pros and cons...personal choice.
I can only say commercial shippers, the ones who haul those famous racehorses, million dollar show horses use straight load trailers, not slants says something to me.
Biggest thing though is its personal choices...

So, trailering is a art and one we have to learn to do well with live cargo.
You may have driven trailers before but it is different for it to be horses..._you need to slow down_ tremendously on turns, stops and starts gently done...go for a ride in the trailer and not hold on to anything will give you a fast education in what our horses experience.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Yes, my slant load is a bumper pull (2 horse). It’s taller, the individual stalls are wider and the new style suspension is quite lovely plus the lighting inside and out is better than the old one.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

ObiWan said:


> Personally, I'd be pretty scared if somebody crammed me into a box that was barely bigger than my body and had no forward-facing windows, then bounced me down the highway for who-knows-how-long going to who-knows-where for who-knows-what-reason. I can't really blame the horses for not wanting to get back in, I suppose.


When I rented a 2-horse, straight-load bumper-pull Featherlite for a cross country trip, my big guy had never been in a trailer that small. I spent maybe two hours getting him in it. Well actually, I spent two hours getting to the point where he would go in, and stay in on his own, without being restrained.

We drove several hundred miles the first day, and continued for two more days, unloading and reloading several times a day. At our destination we loaded up several times for trail rides. After two weeks we came home. He was NEVER hard to load after the first time. I didn't use any bedding, just heavy rubber mats.

All of which to say the problem isn't that it's a straight-load or that it's a bumper pull. But maybe it's too small and I couldn't say about the suspension. Maybe you should take a ride back there and check it out.


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## ObiWan (Jul 7, 2017)

Well, I happened across a 3-horse slant load trailer that seems to be working better for us, so this little 2-horse straight load is now for sale. It's located near Lincoln, Nebraska, and we're asking $2300. Read all the details in this Craig's List ad:
https://lincoln.craigslist.org/grd/d/walton-2h-straight-load-bp-horse-trailer/6890451088.html

I also had another, similar trailer dropped into my lap, and that one will be for sale, too, as soon as I finish fixing the last few little things on it. The wiring was a basket case when I first got it. This other trailer has a drop-down rear ramp instead of side-swinging doors, so there's no center divider in the way.

Please help me unload these two little trailers. I really don't need 3 horse trailers for our 2 horses!


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

Looks like you did a nice restore. "southeast of Lincoln between Bennet & Eagle" -- I knew that area in a former life. Had dealings in Syracuse and hauled kids from Nebraska City to Lincoln on weekends.


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