# KeiferBuilt Questions



## barrels_and_bling (Jun 5, 2019)

Hello!
My family recently purchased a 2001 (I believe) 3 horse, slant load, bumper pull, keiferbuilt Eagle XLA. I am wondering what everyone's experiences are with these trailers. 

So far i've noticed that the drop down windows wont stay against the wall of the trailer, they will flap as we drive down the road. (experimented with an empty trailer) It seems like the keepers are a little loose and wont hold the windows in place. Any ideas on how to fix this? Also it seems like my horses are squished. The stall length is 117" but their butts are constantly pushed right against the wall. I haul with hay nets to keep them busy, should I remove the hay nets to give them extra space? Then how do I reward them for loading? Also my horse is a leaner and has popped open the divider before. Only once but still, I dont want it to happen again. I LOVE the trailer but I need some solutions on how to fix these minor issues. 

All help will be appreciated 

(pictures are from google, not of my personal trailer.)


----------



## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

I have not owned a Keifer so I can't say if the issues you are having are common. In my old horse trailer I never noticed if the drop down windows rattled or not.

I personally do not travel with hay nets in the trailer. I think I would only do that if I were going longer distances. Does your horse have a hard time loading?? If not, then I don't see the point of using the hay net as a reward. Perhaps just give your horse a little treat (piece of carrot) for loading? 

Mine just get a little pat when they have loaded and they don't seem to mind since I never have any problems. 

I'm not sure what type of dividers you have so can't comment on that. 

From what I've heard I thought Keifer were pretty good trailers, but I'm not sure.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Welcome to the Forum!!

Keiffer trailers were always known to be excellent quality, heavy trailers that took a beating and still kept going and being reliable safe transport years ago.
Sounds to me your trailer needs some minor adjustments made to it so things close that should close and stay open that should stay open.
Your trailer is a 2001 ...18, near 19 years old and you must expect some things to rattle, make noise, not fasten as tightly as original and new..
I would contact the manufacturer and see if they had any issues with options your trailer has in it.
With a VIN number they know what it has, has not and if there were any recalls on products that happens periodically.
Sometimes rubber stops and hold-backs dry-rot or just loosen with age...
Latches can shift or bend slightly over time which could account for partitions to open.
As for horses fitting in slant positions...hay nets do take up space so that could be part of your problem.
Measure each stall and make sure the horse is placed in as size appropriate as possible a location.
I don't feel a "must-do" need to reward my horse for loading in the trailer...he goes where he is told...a pat and good boy is often all mine get.
I have a 2 horse straight load and a 4 horse semi-stock so don't have issues of slant dividers and not fitting happening often.
Try removing the hay net and see if it remedies your situation.
Your horse can eat outside the trailer if he needs while tied to it so he is occupied at your destination.

I would contact the manufacturer first.
Ask about recalls, or how to realign, tighten things that have loosened over time and see what they can suggest to help you.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


----------



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

i replaced the rubber keepers on my trailer with no issues.


----------



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Good comments, as usual. I’ll add that I use a hay bag rather than a hay net as it takes up less space. Given the one hole in the middle of the side, there’s generally less snooping around than happens with a hay net where the horse checks out all the openings looking for the good stuff. Since there’s less snooping, there tends to be less need for the horse to move around.

How big are your horses? I’ve got a two horse slant load roughly the same dimensions as yours and I would guess that the maximum size horse I would want in there is 15.2 (mine are all 15 and under which gives them a nice comfortable space within which to stand).


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Longer horses tend to be squished in some slant loads. The measurement given for the trailer is usually one corner of the slant across the diagonal to the other--- in reality the horse has far less space. If your horses are squished, I would consider taking the dividers out entirely and treating the trailer like an open stock. Then they can stand at more of an angle if needed.


I do not put hay in my trailer unless the haul is longer than 2-3 hours. 



You should be able to have the dropdown keepers and latches replaced. At nearly 20 years old, some maintenance is going to be needed no matter how nice the trailer is.


----------



## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I put about 100,000 miles on a Kiefer Built....2 h straight load. Loved it!! My dealer stood behind it 100%! Those rubber pieces break down and lose the grip....easy replacement. My Featherlight ones have not held since they were NEW, but the dealer would not stand behind the warranty on that or other problems we had.


----------



## barrels_and_bling (Jun 5, 2019)

Chevaux said:


> Good comments, as usual. I’ll add that I use a hay bag rather than a hay net as it takes up less space. Given the one hole in the middle of the side, there’s generally less snooping around than happens with a hay net where the horse checks out all the openings looking for the good stuff. Since there’s less snooping, there tends to be less need for the horse to move around.
> 
> How big are your horses? I’ve got a two horse slant load roughly the same dimensions as yours and I would guess that the maximum size horse I would want in there is 15.2 (mine are all 15 and under which gives them a nice comfortable space within which to stand).


Thank you!! My horses range from 14.2 to 16.2 and take a 72" blanket to a 78" blanket


----------



## barrels_and_bling (Jun 5, 2019)

greentree said:


> I put about 100,000 miles on a Kiefer Built....2 h straight load. Loved it!! My dealer stood behind it 100%! Those rubber pieces break down and lose the grip....easy replacement. My Featherlight ones have not held since they were NEW, but the dealer would not stand behind the warranty on that or other problems we had.


May I ask where you got the replacements? Thank you


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

How wide is your actual trailer inside to inside straight across?
Makes a difference, a big difference.
:runninghorse2:...


----------



## barrels_and_bling (Jun 5, 2019)

horselovinguy said:


> How wide is your actual trailer inside to inside straight across?
> Makes a difference, a big difference.
> :runninghorse2:...


7 feet


----------

