# Trailer Questions



## horseponydogcrazy (Jun 8, 2014)

Good evening horsey friends, 
I might have finally found a trailer  First off don't worry I will be setting up a time to go look it all over. 

It's a friend of a friend. It's a one horse Brenderup trailer. It's probably going to need a new floor, one of the hinge's replaced on the ramp and a coat of paint. The asking price is $1200 dollars but she told me that she would lower the price as she needs to sell it. 

Does anyone know how much it would be to replace the floor and hinge? If I end up buying the trailer, should I get a professional to replace the floor and hinge or do it myself? (with help from my friend the leader of horse masters) 

Thank you and happy riding.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

At a certain point in time most trailers need more work to fix them then they are worth. My prior trailer sold for $850. It needed sandblasting and new paint, a new floor, the back doors completely replaced, the roof sealed, the leaky windows fixed, the tack room needed welding... The frame underneath was solid but i could take that money and invest in a newer trailer, rather than investing in fixing the old one. 

If you can fix up an old trailer, then it may be worth doing, but that is beyond my skill set. 

So say you buy it for $1000, are you okay spending a couple thousand fixing it up? It could be $3,000 to fix or more. 

My mom was rear ended in her car and just fixing the back bumper was $4000. Your labor costs add up.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

A cheap paint job today and you do all the prep work which is what makes it look good or a disgrace is time and skill...and elbow-grease = work.
Paint supplies and how nice a job you want...
Intend to take it to bare surface, fix dings, rips and holes or just scuff the surface and lay a coat of paint on top... 

Brenderups are some sort of fiberglass or resin so you need to know how to mix, apply and prep all that then prep for paint...
Trailers are equivalent to large SUV in quantity of materials needed or more...
I would guess you are looking at a minimum of $1,000 for someone to just shoot a coat of paint, minimal hands on prep done. Exterior painted only. If wanting interior done a whole other pricing will you face.
Today to get a pickup truck painted is many thousands of dollars and a trailer is as much on and off a ladder and twisting of body, forget needing a paint room large enough to fit it in...

Cost of a floor is going to depend upon size of the trailer.
If doing the floor you will be exposing the supports of the floor to sight and better figure some work needing done to that too so traveling the roads the floor not literally fall out of the trailer if supports are damaged.
Sometimes it is worth the extra expense to invest $$$$ and do it right the first time so hauling is safest for the horse...:think:
To replace a hinge...well, you need to know the kind of hinge and if spring loaded it needs to be put on by a professional so it not unload on you and send you to the next county when the spring sprungs....
How it would be attached no idea as you don't weld to fiberglass. :shrug:

A few members here have this brand trailer.
They might be able to offer some insight.
So, when the person you know has *not* been able to sell the trailer, is asking such a low price and is willing to go lower makes me nervous, real nervous. :|

I would suggest being you are in a horse area you _get this trailer to a reliable trailer place to inspect thoroughly_ and give you a assessment on condition and what must be done to make road worthy.
Horse trailer dealers will look for particular things a camping trailer dealer won't, but basic safety and road-worthiness is a must have before you ever consider putting a animal in it and going down the road.
You can also get a estimate on a paint job and then search around for places like Maaco or some such cheap chain who do "specials"....not all places though will do a horse trailer!
You truly need to know what is involved to do a floor on this brand of trailer, not just any trailer as this isn't steel or aluminum but that composite material may make a difference in approach and execution of the job at hand, I don't know.
This could be a diamond in disguise or a run-away as fast as you can or something in the middle.
The price though concerns me of why so cheap...:think:
How old is said trailer and what safety features may it not have, size it may not have and how large is your horse in relation to fitting in said trailer...
Low prices and already told will go lower...makes me look at something with a microscope and fine-tooth comb to know what I'm facing, knowingly...not taking anyone's word for a large investment you will be undertaking.
That's me...._*good luck *_and do check into this very carefully.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

horseponydogcrazy said:


> Good evening horsey friends,
> I might have finally found a trailer  First off don't worry I will be setting up a time to go look it all over.
> 
> It's a friend of a friend. It's a one horse Brenderup trailer. It's probably going to need a new floor, one of the hinge's replaced on the ramp and a coat of paint. The asking price is $1200 dollars but she told me that she would lower the price as she needs to sell it.
> ...


I have two Brenderup trailers. Replacing the floor might be a little tricky if it is still the original floor. 

The Original floors are made out of marine grade plywood with special coatings over it. Most people do not try to replace the floor with the same materials, most people replace with a regular type wooden floor. If the sides are solid, might be able to go over the current floor. If you use FB check for Brenderup groups for instructions. 

The hinge should be a simple mater to replace. 

As for painting, that depends on what material the walls are made of. One of mine is wood, and I have repainted it twice with regular outdoor house paint. Buy the good stuff and costs maybe $40 for one gallon, which is plenty. 

The top would be a bigger issue if damaged. The top is made out of fiberglass, so if it needs more than a wash and buff then it could get costly. 

The floors in both of mine 20 and 21 yrs old, are in excellent shape. Proper care and they last a lifetime.


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## horseponydogcrazy (Jun 8, 2014)

I do need to find out what year it is. I am planning on doing the painting myself. I will look it over very careful and also plan having my neighbor and friend who is the leader of horse masters look it over too. If you were going to buy it, with the information I wrote in my previous post, how much would you offer?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

How much to offer is a total unknown without knowing year and condition.
The fact the owner of the trailer put $1200 and willing to take less does say much to me about what you may find and decide to walk away from.
Don't bite off more than you can do yourself or with minimal help and financial outlay.
You know it must be a older trailer and you know it is not in good shape or it would be worth more than the asked for amount.
The most concerning one of all though is make sure your horse will fit and enter, and ride in the model trailer it is,_ positively_ or a total waste of money and unusable for you. Not every horse will load a 1-horse trailer.:|

:runninghorse2:...


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

horseponydogcrazy said:


> I do need to find out what year it is. I am planning on doing the painting myself. I will look it over very careful and also plan having my neighbor and friend who is the leader of horse masters look it over too. If you were going to buy it, with the information I wrote in my previous post, how much would you offer?


I would offer $800 for it. But it is most likely worth the $1200 she is asking. 

I have had one of my Brenderup trailers for 20 years so I am VERY familiar with the construction. I am also VERY familiar with all the skeptical people! 

People used to come watch me load my Perceron cross gelding in the trailer because they didn't think he would fit! I always wanted to ask them how they though I got the horse to the show??? :rofl: 

So - Brenderup never need the Wheel bearing greased, so the most you might have to do is buy tires. The tires are regular car tires, _*not big massive expensive trailer tires. *_ 


The Solo (one horse) models were some of the latest styles, so I am sure the trailer is much younger than mine! 


It will most likely have the walls that are similar to Laminate, so you will need to 
1) sand the surface to take the gloss off
2) buy a BONDING primer like Gliddon.s and prime the body of the trailer
3) paint with two coats of quality outdoor house paint (preferably a paint/primer combination. Get the best quality so it will stay on. 

Pull the mats up and see how bad the floor is. If it is just some holes, you should be able to sand and seal those areas, then go over the whole floor with a regular wooden floor. This will be the biggest job, but on a one horse at least you won't have a partition. 

Also make sure the brakes work (they should) as you do not need brakes in the tow vehicle to pull a Brenderup, they have self-contained inertia brakes similar to boat trailers (But better!) 

The top will be fiberglass, and will most likely need a clean and polish so you will need a REALLY TALL ladder to reach it! 


I always used shavings on top of the rubber mats and cleaned the manure out as soon as the horses were unloaded and put away. If you keep horse trailers clean, the floors will last a long time!

Pictures of my 1989 Brenderup Prestige (brown) That I purchased new in 1989. Pictures were taken this year 2019.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

One other very important thing to remember, The Brenderup MUST be hooked to the tow vehicle BEFORE loading a horse in it.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

This is my 1988 Brenderup Baron that I purchased used a few years ago. I bought it mainly for the tack area and had planned to sell the Brown one, but honestly it is just so easy to hook up and go with the smaller brown one, I use it for trips to the vet and stuff where I don't really need any tack. Used it this morning to take Chivas to the vet for x-rays. 

My white one, 21 yrs old!


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## horseponydogcrazy (Jun 8, 2014)

*Added Pictures*

The owner sent me these pictures..


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

That actually looks pretty good! 

It does not appear to need paint on the main body, so can most likely forget that. 

That model is the Prestige Solo, so it is just like my brown one except only a one horse (mine holds two). 

You might need to have the wall replaced/reinforced where the side door is, but that is much better than having the ramp messed up. 

The ball is missing from the wheel jack, but again should be able to find one easy. 

Everything else looks good, but bring a screw driver with you to test the floor. Will have to lift up the mats.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

The easiest way to fix that door might be to just cut out a bigger opening and make a new wood door to fit the opening. Can use the same door handle parts, just put on new hinges. 

If you don't care what it looks like, could just brace/reinforce the inside at the hinges and replace the hinges with gate hinges. 

It looks to be pretty good shape for the roof and the frame, just needs some TLC there! 

BTW I have built a lot of things, including the cap on my truck


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Looks better than what I would of expected...
It does need work...
I see some questionable walls, whatever they are made of, near the closure latches...appears to be bubbling.
Do have the structural integrity checked carefully by a professional, then make your decision.
Good luck.
:runninghorse2:...


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

AnitaAnne said:


> I have two Brenderup trailers. Replacing the floor might be a little tricky if it is still the original floor.
> 
> The Original floors are made out of marine grade plywood with special coatings over it. Most people do not try to replace the floor with the same materials, most people replace with a regular type wooden floor. If the sides are solid, might be able to go over the current floor. If you use FB check for Brenderup groups for instructions.
> 
> ...



Ill add- if you want to cut cost on paint and you don't care what color you get, getting the "wrong mixings" that the hardware stores discounts is a great way to cut that cost by 70% ish. I just repainted the inside of mine from a bucket of outdoor paint that came in the most INTERESTING shade of brown (well sorta brown).


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## horseponydogcrazy (Jun 8, 2014)

Thank you all for your advice and opinions. 

AnitaAnne 

I have heard about testing the floors with a screwdriver. But how do you do it? Thank you.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

To test floors with a screwdriver you lift mats and stab the floor all over with special attention to edges along walls, where boards come together, and where the horses would urinate and it could pool.
It is common to have rot/issues near doors, at wall and floor junction and under windows.
You can also feel spongy flooring that moves under pressure, and figure your pressure is a heck of a lot less than a hoof weighing many hundreds of pounds of force per inch is going to produce.
You can also do that screw driver thing to walls you suspect of being bad and needing repair and replacement done...
If the trailer was metal I would tell you to do a knock test with the screwdriver to find bondo filler that makes many serious issues hidden...
Wood walls are much the same thing...need found the rot to fix or it becomes cancerous and dangerous for your horses to transport in.
Bubbling of paint and surface is a clue of a issue needing very close inspection no matter where or what kind of trailer it is or the materials it is constructed from.
:runninghorse2:...


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

@horselovinguy described the screwdriver floor test well, but be careful to not use too much force! 

The idea is just to look for soft spots, and I usually use the handle end, not the pointy end. Reason being it is possible to damage things that are not currently broken if you use too much force on a small area with a sharp object. 

If you like the Brenderup but feel the Solo is not repairable in your budget, or just are not sure about a one horse, PM me if you would be interested in my Brenderup. I will consider selling it, but not sure what your budget is.


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## RMH (Jul 26, 2016)

We've got an identical trailer which is probably in a bit better shape but we paid a quite bit more for it. One horse trailers suitable for towing with a small truck, midsize suv, or sedan are relatively rare. What I see from the pictures is the front left by the escape door and maybe the door need repaired. There may also be issues at the ramp latches. Can't tell about the floor. You might check into a boat place which is used to working with laminated plywood and fiberglass. My understanding is they were made in Denmark and then assembled in Texas. Brenderup trailers are not currently sold in the US which might make getting some of the specialty hitch and brake parts a challenge. There is nothing too complicated about the body and frame that can't be fixed.


Overall they tow well and have a lot of room for one horse. On my first trip with my gelding I unfastened the cross ties and went around to lower the ramp and remove the butt bar. He proceeded to turn himself around and walk off as he was used to with my stock trailer. I now undo the cross ties last.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

RMH said:


> We've got an identical trailer which is probably in a bit better shape but we paid a quite bit more for it. One horse trailers suitable for towing with a small truck, midsize suv, or sedan are relatively rare. What I see from the pictures is the front left by the escape door and maybe the door need repaired. There may also be issues at the ramp latches. Can't tell about the floor. You might check into a boat place which is used to working with laminated plywood and fiberglass. My understanding is they were made in Denmark and then assembled in Texas. Brenderup trailers are not currently sold in the US which might make getting some of the specialty hitch and brake parts a challenge. There is nothing too complicated about the body and frame that can't be fixed.
> 
> 
> Overall they tow well and have a lot of room for one horse. On my first trip with my gelding I unfastened the cross ties and went around to lower the ramp and remove the butt bar. He proceeded to turn himself around and walk off as he was used to with my stock trailer. I now undo the cross ties last.


That is true, very easy to tow and repairs should be fairly simple. Essentially most of the parts can just be replaced with quality wood. 

The bottoms were made in Denmark, then shipped to Texas where the tops were manufactured and installed. 

I purchased my Brenderup Prestige without ever having seen one before! I did a lot of research to locate a trailer that could be pulled by the truck I had at the time. My then husband would not allow the purchase of a bigger truck. 

I called up Simon Barr, the president, and talked with him for a long time. The end of the conversation and I had a trailer being sent to me from Texas to Alabama! I always say I bought that trailer on faith alone, and I am very happy I did 

One thing I remembered him saying was that the trailer is so well balanced, that if a tire blows out while driving it would be hard to know. I finally was able to prove this true on my trip to Mississippi this past spring. Apparently I drove over a nail at the campground. By the time I returned home, 250 miles later, one of my tires was flat! I never knew and my horse never knew it either! I drove all that way on three tires with no loss of speed, traction, or comfort. Amazing!!!


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## therhondamarie (Sep 18, 2019)

It looks a lot better than some of the trailers I see advertised around here for $1200!


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## Dixiesmom (May 26, 2013)

AnitaAnne said:


> @horselovinguy described the screwdriver floor test well, but be careful to not use too much force!
> 
> The idea is just to look for soft spots, and I usually use the handle end, not the pointy end. Reason being it is possible to damage things that are not currently broken if you use too much force on a small area with a sharp object.
> 
> If you like the Brenderup but feel the Solo is not repairable in your budget, or just are not sure about a one horse, PM me if you would be interested in my Brenderup. I will consider selling it, but not sure what your budget is.


If I still had a vehicle that could pull anything, I'd jump all over this. Miss having a trailer SO MUCH, but the truck finally died and our 2 cars are small cars.


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## horseponydogcrazy (Jun 8, 2014)

Thank you everyone. Unfortunately, the trailer was in a bit worse shape then my neighbor friend remembered. I don't have enough funds to have what it needs done.


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## therhondamarie (Sep 18, 2019)

Aw sorry I know that must be disappointing. Just keep on looking! This is what I tell myself every time I am disappointed by a trailer we go to look at. I don't mind doing some work but I'd rather not spend a fortune on the trailer then have to spend another fortune on making it safe for my horses.


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