# Trucks and Trailers



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Being a "girl"...and this is meant to protect you...do some research and be a informed consumer so not taken advantage of...spend a few $ and have whatever you seriously consider purchasing checked out by a good mechanic..truck and or trailer.

Buy a used truck from a dealer so you have some warranty. It will cost you more, yes... but unless you are handy with a wrench and being possibly far from home and commuting to work/college/home along with towing a horse trailer...knowing some of those expensive ticket items are covered may be a big deal.
If you know someone who has a truck for sale and was a meticulous maintenance person to it, then safely buy it.
Off the street and a total unknown...a "car fax" would be highly suggested for serious crash damage but that still doesn't tell you about repairs.

As for a trailer...if you are in the super hot part of Texas I would not think of a closed in trailer but more open stock sides or large windows for ventilation...and a insulated roof for some heat protection and quiet when the hail stones are failing from above.
My own personal feelings are...if doing a straight load don't buy one with a rear center steel beam at the door. A larger barreled horse may not fit well or a horse who isn't a good loader may give grief...a sliding divider...what I would search for.
Slants...not all horses fit in all slants {that goes for straight load too}..be very careful . Some are narrower making stalls shorter and that = not getting the divider to pin shut and the horse to not fit.
I also would not purchase any trailer with less than 7' height clearance or more...
Please, _do not _even consider any trailer that does not have a full size human escape door in the front...you need a place to run if things go wrong inside and getting out those tiny window doors or having to get past a freaking horse in a slant is just not safe..it happens and to often...be careful of what you buy.

Shop carefully. Don't purchase the first thing because it is there unless what you really want...
Do some research about the manufacturer of your choice in truck and know what you need. Do the same about a trailer.
You must have some idea of "brands" you are interested in...start there and then tweak it as you need to....

With the $$ amounts you write of you should be able to purchase a nice combination..
You might even speak with a local horse trailer dealer...sometimes they have customers "trade-up" their entire setup to a bigger and more elaborate one and sell a matched truck & trailer combo...again from a dealer gives you some warranty to consider..probably pricier but never hurts to inquire..

Prices for both will depend upon what your purchasing market is like.
So will availability of what is out there and why... 
Enjoy the search...
:wink:


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I would suggest not putting the whole 10k into a truck, pull back to 8k or so and save that 2k for repairs. You can get a pretty decent used truck in that range but it will still be older and older rigs need TLC.


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