# Bringing an old trailer back to life



## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

Part 2 (I couldn't post all the images in one single post)

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And away we went.

IMG_3260 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

IMG_3261 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

IMG_3262 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

IMG_3265 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

IMG_3288 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

There was only one other even slightly concerning crossmember in the front right side of the trailer, so having some matching tube for that as well it was prudent to fix it as well while the floor was out.

IMG_3267 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

IMG_3266 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

So, I slowed down on the photos at that point. The new floor went in a few days later. I was able to re-use exactly 50% of the floor boards, replacing the rest with pressure treated pine.

The electrical was reworked. A large junction point under the trailer was the root of many of the trailers electrical problems - someone had made what appeared to be hasty repairs at one point and it had mostly rotted or fell apart. Amazingly enough every single clearance light sprang to life when the wiring was reconnected. One signal light was wonky but I replaced the tail lights with LED's and new plugs, solving that issue completely. Even the interior lighting all works.

I ended up replacing the tires when I stumbled into tires at 50% off on an end of model-line clearance. I hadn't planned on doing so until next year but it was a no brainer given the deal to be had. I had a heck of a time getting the tire retailer to sell me LT tires for a trailer, but that's another story that was had on another forum.

I spent quite a bit of time on the cosmetics. A lot of the rust streaks came right out with a buffer and some rubbing compound and the paint regained some shine. It still has a few issues here and there but I'm going to address them as time permits. I'd like to add some checkerplate in some areas as well.

Nearing ready for her first load:

IMG_3379 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

And here it stands today:

IMG_3548 by oshawapilot, on Flickr

Moral of the story...there can be deals to be had, no doubt, but go in eyes wide open. I was able to do most of the repairs to this trailer myself and have perhaps $500 invested all together, but several DAYS of labor, which is where the costs come in. No doubt with the trailer in the condition it's in now it would have easily fetched it's $5K reserve at auction (I'm confident I could sell it for at least that up here now), but the costs of the previous owner to pay someone to do all that work didn't make financial sense for her.

So basically, if you can do the work yourself and aren't afraid of the project..there's deals to be had. If you can't or are not comfortable doing this sort of project, then be prepared to pay a higher price, but still go in eyes wide open - like I said, I looked at more than a few trailers that looked purdy on top but were a mess underneath. Some people forget that it's the underneath that supports the horses.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Thanks for this great post.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Nice welding.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Wonderful post!! Thanks for the great progression.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Thanks for the great post! Like you, here in the Midwest I usually only see used trailers that shouldn't even be on the road. I've seen brand new Bison brands rust out after one winter thanks to the way we salt our roads.

A lot of these pictures were really scary! Suspecting one thing and then seeing it stripped down is a real education!


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

Thanks everybody, it's important to remember that the framing and flooring are the most important part of any horse trailer, however sadly they are also the part that a lot of people don't pay attention to or neglect. Our BO who has been around horses her entire life shared a few stories with me about having attended accident scenes where horses had gone through the floors of rotten trailers, and suffice to say they weren't pleasant. It reinforced to me while I was not only shopping for trailers, however actually doing the refurbishment on this one, that framing and flooring needed to be at the top of the priority list. 

Without doubt I could have got away without doing any of the framing repairs whatsoever, just replacing the rotten floorboards instead...and I may have even been able to salvage some of those by shoring up some Band-Aid Mickey mouse crossmembers under the trailer, but from a safety perspective it just wasn't worth the risk. 

Cosmetically the trailer still has some issues elsewhere that are more noticeable when you get close and start to look carefully, however in the grand scheme of things I put safety way ahead of cosmetics....and it ain't bad. 

What concerns me most is when I see people shopping for old horse trailers is that often they're only looking at what you see from the top side – a fresh coat of paint or wax is sometimes disguising a nightmare underneath. Not always (there's lots of good older trailers out there that are in far better shape than even this one was!) but you have to tread carefully and know what to look for.


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## Rawhide (Nov 11, 2011)

Pilot thanks for takeing time and shareing post n pic's ! " Awesome thread "

Enjoyed it . :thumbsup:


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## BreezylBeezyl (Mar 25, 2014)

This thread reminds me of how lucky I was with my trailer! It's a '74 I believe, so quite old now, but I was fortunate enough to buy from someone who fixed up old trailers as a hobby. Mine was the last one they fixed up before deciding to buy a brand new one.

It had new tires, new floorboards, and all new electrical including a plug. Axels were good, I had to make sure because this was the number one thing my dad was absolutely freaking out about!

Ironically enough, the paint job was the WORST thing about the trailer. It was redone before the previous owners got it, and these people used horrible paint that left drip marks... AND they painted over all of the decals! Some people's kids...

Very nice thread, this keeps my motivated for when I buy a bigger stock trailer in the future!


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

Great find. Great Job of fixing it.:lol: Enjoy your new toy!!!:happydance:


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## danny67 (Nov 27, 2012)

Great post! Enjoy the trailer and the fruits of your labour!


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## RegularJoe (Aug 26, 2014)

Nice work, and thanks for posting. Pretty useful stuff for those of us thinking about finding a trailer on a budget.


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## BugZapper89 (Jun 30, 2014)

I can tell you from personal experience what a big piece of junk my new custom 4 STAR was. It was water leak hell. The trailer was so bad I drove it 14 hours away after the dealer couldn't fix it on the second try and after having it 6 weeks. It got traded in with the shop vac left in it. 
I live my custom Hawk and the Bloomer is great too


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## 40232 (Jan 10, 2013)

BugZapper89 said:


> I can tell you from personal experience what a big piece of junk my new custom 4 STAR was. It was water leak hell. The trailer was so bad I drove it 14 hours away after the dealer couldn't fix it on the second try and after having it 6 weeks. It got traded in with the shop vac left in it.
> I live my custom Hawk and the Bloomer is great too


4 STAR made a bad trailer? :shock: Our old trailer was the nicest trailer I ever had the privilege to let my horse ride around in. Beautiful horse area, and gorgeous living quarters. I loved the stud wall for storage in the front, and the tack room was really room, and the windows for the horses were nice... Gosh I miss that trailer! :lol:


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## BugZapper89 (Jun 30, 2014)

KylieHuitema said:


> 4 STAR made a bad trailer? :shock: Our old trailer was the nicest trailer I ever had the privilege to let my horse ride around in. Beautiful horse area, and gorgeous living quarters. I loved the stud wall for storage in the front, and the tack room was really room, and the windows for the horses were nice... Gosh I miss that trailer! :lol:



I bought mine after having a used older one. Trust me the old
Trailers of 90's are nothing like the newer ones. My piece of trash was a 2005. It was smaller, not a big deal, but poor quality. The welds were not finished neatly the material was not the quality it was in the earlier models and above all their customer service sucked. I was told all trailers leak. Really theirs was the only one I ever had an issue with. I would have expected this out of a sundowner or similar lower end mass produced trailer but not a custom an suppose to be an upper end company


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

So who here wants a project? My 98 Bison needs framework and I can't sell the dang thing, nor does MDH have the time to fix it. Hrmph... maybe next year I'll have to take up learning welding again... 

Taking up space, worth money, but only to the right person. <sigh>


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

NorthernMama said:


> So who here wants a project? My 98 Bison needs framework and I can't sell the dang thing, nor does MDH have the time to fix it. Hrmph..>


Where in Ontario are you located? 

I have a friend looking now as well and they may not be adverse to a project as well.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

PrivatePilot, I pm'd you.


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