# Light Weight Trailers



## beau159

In general, an aluminum trailer is going to be lighter than a steel one. 

Also, one with a small or absent tack/dressing room will be lighter. 

My aunt has a CM 3-horse slant trailer bumper pull with small tack room in front, that I pulled with my brother's new F-150 with ecoboost. Granted, there really wasn't any wind that day and I was only hauling 1 horse, but I was very impressed with how easy it pulled. 

For years, I pulled my Exiss 3-horse slant trailer gooseneck with a _large_ tack room with my husband's GMC Sierra 1500. Wasn't ideal because if I was hauling 3 horses and it was windy out, the pickup would struggle. Finally was able to afford a 3/4 ton pickup this year that makes a world of difference ... but overall I was pretty satisfied with how well my Exiss did pull with hubby's pickup. 

So yeah, I'd stick to osmething that is aluminum with a very small tack room.


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## livelovelaughride

I bought a Circle J aluminum 2 horse slant. The Runabout....its about 2200 lbs and seems pretty good to tow with my Ford Sporttrak. However I had to take out the divider due to my horse not fitting into the slant of the first stall. He is too long!
I took out the partition and trailer him loose and untied. He also is too tall for the open windows....at 16.1 he had to cram his head downwards to partially get half a head out.....so I never use the drop down aspect unless feeding.

Had I known this earlier, I may have bought another brand. Its supposed to be 7 feet high and 6 foot 9 wide. He does turn around inside, but once we are moving he stays in one spot. If I wanted to get a trailer that really fit him, I'd have to look at a warmblood 7'6" and in Canada there doesn't seem to be much inventory for aluminum.

Oh and there is a small tackroom that's fairly functional.


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## Kay Armstrong

Brenderup is very light.


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## smrobs

Yep, aluminum will be your best bet. Most trailer manufacturers should have, either on their website or available via email, the total weight of their trailers so that you can see exactly what you're looking at.

Are you wanting a gooseneck or a bumper pull?

For example, this one has a total weight of 2100 pounds, it's an all aluminum Featherlite
Horse Trailers - Bumper Pull Horse Trailers - 9401 Horse Trailer

This is the brand I'm saving up to buy, their 14' bumper pull is 3300 pounds, but you could probably get 3 average to small horses in there or 2 large horses with plenty of room to spare if you tied them in slant formation. They are a combo steel and aluminum construction
Trails West Horse Trailers|Horse And Trailer|Horses Trailers


Edited to add, you won't need one that's very big and 14' would be plenty. My current trailer is a 16' open stock trailer and I easily fit 1 average, 1 large, and 1 VERY large horse in there.


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## smrobs

Aha!! I was looking for these. The horse in front is 16.2 and weighs about 1500 pounds (chestnut), the black in the middle is 15.3 and weighs around 1300 pounds. The gray at the back is 14.3 and weighs about 1100 AND both he and the black are saddled. They rode comfortably for 3+ hours in there.


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## DraftyAiresMum

The only trailer I've pulled was an aluminum Featherlite two-horse slant. I trailered my one (at the time) 16.1hh, 1300lbs draft cross gelding in it by himself. I pulled it with my 2005 Chevy Trailblazer extended and my fiancé's 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins turbo diesel. The Trailblazer pulled it like it wasn't even there, as did the Dodge, even with my loose, big gelding in it (he has been trailered all of four times in his six years...three times in the trailer I mentioned).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Collie

I need a bumper pull, don't have a truck with a in bed hitch. I don't like slant load while my mare fits in them, I am hoping to get a larger horse (the fun of being 5'10" and all legs) next few years and would rather not have to sell.


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## jenkat86

We just got a used Calico 2 horse slant/stock combo a few months ago to haul goats with. It's steel and surprisingly light. I think it's about #2400 empty. I kind of felt bad for the goats the first time we hauled them because it seemed like the trailer bounced around a lot back there. I did put a horse in it and went about 4 miles and it seemed like the added weight helped...


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## verona1016

You mention you won't be using a large truck to pull- do you know the towing capacity of the vehicle you plan to pull with? Knowing that can help determine the weight range you should be looking at. The lightest trailers that I know of are Brenderups; IIRC they're around 1800 lbs empty for the 2 horse model. They no longer sell them in the US and were not cheap when they did, so they can be hard to find and relatively expensive when you do, though.

An all aluminum like the Featherlite smrobs linked to would be your next best bet.

If you have enough towing capacity, some of the older/smaller steel trailers might fit the bill, but if you plan on getting a larger horse then that may not be the best idea!

For reference, I have a 14' Circle J Mustang 2-horse slant and it weighs in at 3000 lbs. It has a small but adequate tack room, but could also be reconfigured as a 3-horse slant if you took out the bulkhead (though it's not designed to be done easily)


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## Corporal

No matter whether it is aluminum or steel you WILL need to have a hitch that is welded or attached with an appropriate pin, to your truck's frame. Both of my two trucks have this and the electrical systems with a manual trailer brake are also on the two. We purchased our original bumper hitch trailer package in 1986, and since then, THIS is now available, which eliminates the attachment of sway bars:
Weight Distributing Hitch will improve your trailer sway
If you try to attach ANY trailer to just the ball hitch, you still need to wire lights, as well, although a lightweight tow trailer doesn't stress it.
we just saw the other day, when somebody's trailer ripped off their bumper and stopped traffic in town.
Just some FYI, bc nobody else might tell you. Btw, we have had the school of hard knocks regarding horse trailering, but we were told early on to get our towing package professionally installed, and THAT has never failed trailering horses. 
Instead, we bent an axle, lost a tire, had the inside of the rim fall apart--we felt a lot like the Grizwalds.
We still haven't solved our trailer wiring. NO problem with the brakes, at all, just lights that don't work right. :twisted:
I bought this:
12 Volt Magnetic Towing Light Kit
to hook up to an extra car battery in my tackroom, JUST to give me tail lights, in case the others fail.
One more thing, be generous and WASTE plenty of white lithium grease on the ball to keep it greased throughout your trip. White lithium grease isn't expensive, but 35 years ago we had a hitch fail on a very lightweight tow trailer that we DIDN'T bother to grease well, and it only stayed on bc we attached a vice link locking wrench to it and we had chains.


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## PrivatePilot

Knowing what your tow vehicle is is critical information for everybody here - do you know it's basic tow ratings? Is it even suitable for the weight of an empty horse trailer much less a loaded one?

We need details. Without such all the discussion about trailers and weights is pointless. 

And I've said it here lots of times before, and will do it again - A gooseneck trailer is a terrible idea for 1/2 ton trucks - if you don't have a 3/4 ton or bigger don't even consider one.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Joel Reiter

PrivatePilot said:


> A gooseneck trailer is a terrible idea for 1/2 ton trucks - if you don't have a 3/4 ton or bigger don't even consider one.


Yes, after some "discussion" with PrivatePilot I finally did the math and he's right. Even with the higher payloads of some very recent model half tons, it's a marginal situation.


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## Collie

I typed an answer and I deleted it.

We have a ford 150, 2014, set up for towing, it's mainly used for towing a flat bed of fishing gear (nets, rope, anchors, crates etc). Also used to pull 100 bales of hay on the flat bed and has no problems stopping or going up hill. While I wouldn't want to take it long distance it seems to do the job.

No gooseneck trailers, bumper pull is much preferred. I like stock trailer for being more open so they are an option for sure.

Also a bigger horse would only be 15.2hh-16hh, my mare is only 14.2hh 800 lbs so that is a big step up for me, no giants or full drafts in the future for me. So max for horse weight would be 1600-2200 lbs.

Thanks Corporal for the information, I know have to do more researching and understanding the best set up and safety. So I have some ideas to look at now. Funny enough I've seen two brenderups for sale this year, not horribly over priced for a used trailer around here. Might be worth looking at. 

Hopefully have answered all the questions.


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## PrivatePilot

What engine? There's a fairly significant difference between the tow rating on the smallest v6 and the v8 options. 

That said, the v6 options are likely to still be adequate for a 2 horse without any issues, and the v8 options will pull upwards of 11K or so (iirc) so you're good for just about any 2 horse setup, even an old heavy steel trailer.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Collie

It is a V6 but I would have to get the details from someone that remembers better than me. Probably could tell me what it can tow.


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## Chasin Ponies

Check out the Shadow Stablemate. They are all aluminum, gross empty weight is about 2800lbs and they are much, much less expensive than the Featherlites. I've been shopping for trailers for several months now and this one is really good quality and has plenty of room in it.

As far as what you can tow, first look in your owner's manual and see the tow rating in that section. Good thing to remember that although the lbs listed can be quite high, it's not a good idea to go right up to that limit. Hopefully your vehicle has a manufacturer's "tow package" that includes a hookup for your electric brakes-you will be surprised by how much you need them!


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## PrivatePilot

The smallest v6 had a tow capacity around 6500#, and the ecoboost is around 8K. Wheelbase makes a differences as well but those are rough figures. 

Either are in steel 2 horse territory although the naturally aspirated v6 will be working hard so a lightweight trailer would be a worthy investment. For the ecoboost, less of an issue as even an old steelie with 2 heavy horses isn't going to stretch it to its limits, or even close honestly.

And brakes are not an option, they're required by law on any trailer over 3000/3500#.


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## AnitaAnne

Collie said:


> It is a V6 but I would have to get the details from someone that remembers better than me. Probably could tell me what it can tow.


Go get one of the Brenderups, anything else may overload your vehicle. As a bonus, the Brenderups have self-contained inertia brakes so you won't need to add break control to your truck. 

They are best when stored under cover though. 

Have had mine since 1998 and wouldn't sell it for anything. It is the smallest 2 horse and weights 1550 lbs.


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## smrobs

With both my most recent work trucks (one F150 and a 1500 Silverado), they have recommended maximum towing weights listed in the owner's manual for each engine size.


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## my2geldings

Our trailer is quite large in order to be able to transport all our horses together, so we had a similar concern back when we were shopping.
Generally speaking aluminum is lighter, and I believe if you went with a stock trailer they are meant to be lighter as well because they are more basic.


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## BearPony

I have a Brenderup and absolutely adore it. It pulls very, very well with my large SUV. I would not attempt to pull any other type of trailer (and by that I mean a Euro-style trailer designed to be safely pulled by a lighter vehicle) with my vehicle, but this setup works for me.


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## LoriF

I got an older 92' two horse straight load bumper pull. Crescent is the brand and it's aluminum skin/steel frame. When I had it weighed without the spare tire on it or anything in it, it was 1840 lbs. I got this one for just kicking around locally and it works perfectly with my chevy 1500. My 16h 1400lb mare fits on one side without anymore room to spare but she fits. My 14.3 mare has tons of room. I got it really cheap but I had to do some work on it. It really didn't end up costing very much. I think that if I wanted to spend the money on a newer one I would get a featherlite. They seem pretty nice


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