# Reviews on Trail-et trailers.



## Ashleysmardigrasgirl

subbing... I'm looking around in to buy a different trailer like the trail-et with a walk in dressing room


----------



## Monty77

I hauled around an '03 2 horse gooseneck made by Trail-et for almost 3 years. I loved the thing. The tack/dressing room was a pretty good size, enough for all my stuff anyway lol. In terms of horse space, it was very spacious, the divider was on a hinge and could swing, so lots of room when the first horse gets on. I was able to get a 17 hh, 1500 lb warmblood on it with out any difficulty. The only problem I ever had with it was the weight. Ours was 100% steel and weighed almost the same as my new 3 horse gooseneck with living quarters, almost 6000 lbs. The olny reason we ended up selling it was because it got really friggin cold when I was camping lol, got to have that heater.


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

This ones a fiberglass roof, aluminum skin and a steel frame. Thanks for the input!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## MyBoyPuck

I just looked at a 2000 slant load model the other day. Very nice looking trailer. The rear doors and ramp were heavy as all hell, but it was very roomy and plenty of space in the dressing room. I would have bought it but it was extremely overpriced. (it was at a dealer) If I found a reasonably priced one, I would most likely buy it. It did seem heavy. Even the ones with aluminum over steel frame. I would not tow it in anything under 3/4 ton.


----------



## goneriding

I have an 02 slant and like it very much. Check the tread and brakes. The straight loads I believe are roomier. We have a 16 hand 1200 pound Paint and she does fit but is maxed out for space.


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

I will get an exact measurement on height and width so I know. Roomier the better just for the sake of my horses.  my guys aren't that big at all anyway. My mares 14.2 and 800 pounds and my geldings 15.2 and around 1100. Just want something easy to load em up and go..we recently got a new truck and sold the old..but my trailer now is a gooseneck and the new truck doesn't have one. And plus I'd like a tack room for shows which my trailer doesn't have. Hoping this trailers as good as it sounds. I'm also looking at a 98 sundowner but am Leary as I know of the problems with the undercoating.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## tim62988

The biggest thing I would watch out for would be the roof.

if you can go on a sunny day you will get an idea of the condition it is in. there shouldn't be light and dark spots, it should all be dark. all in all I think fiberglass roofs are great. 

I will admit though at under 5K, as long as everything is structurally sound, new tires, and roof recoated I think it would still be worth it. just try to get a bit extra off for anything you will have to fix (call whoever you will get to do the work so you can tell owner: "It's going to cost me XX to get it where I want it, so lets split the difference")


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

Do you think 5k is too high priced? I have no idea what these trailers are going for which is why I Asked. 

The owner did admit that it's going to need new tires because the ones that are on are starting to dry rot. Otherwise it seems pretty decent. (But so does everything else in pictures)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## tim62988

if the floor & roof are in good shape, no leaks around the windows, and it was kept clean 5K is a great price. the dry rot might not be a big issue depending on how bad it really is

The cheapest quality trailer I could find in july was 6,500 and we were looking for the same thing: aluminum, bumper pull, 2 horse, w/ dressing room

search on craigslist and some other sites to see what comparable year/condition/brands are selling for.


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

Thank you for your help! I will let you know how it goes  I have an appt to see it Saturday AM
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

So it went well, we put a down payment on it and will be picking it up sometime next week! I have no clue why the price was so cheap. There was nothing wrong with it at all..besides needing new tires and rims which isn't a big deal.

Oh, and its not at 03...she made a mistake. It's really an 04. Around here I was looking at the same model trailer and it was going for $7,000+. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## goneriding

Glad it worked out for you. Why do the rims need replacing?


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

Well, they don't need replacing but I would like to replace them anyway.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## goneriding

Just my two cents, you could sand them and spray paint them if you wanted to save a chunk of money.


----------



## tim62988

if you like the rims but they are just rusty/pain peeling find someone that does auto body painting.

i am going to take the wheels off the trailer when i go home for thanksgiving for my buddy to repaint.

he said it's super easy if you know someone that does custom duct-work. you can get a piece of tin cut to fit the rim so you can sandblast and paint on the rim without removing tires.


if you go with a new set though i would be 1/2 tempted to save the old ones w/ the old tires and swap out for winter time so the new tires don't get flat spots and dry rot on them


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

So just kidding! I found out why it was so low in price. 

There's a $2,000 lein on it and the trailers in her husbands name. Whom she divorced but swares was given to her in the divorce papers. Waaaay too sketchy for my liking. People are so stupid. All I had to do was look at the title and see the lein on it. God, some people just like to play you for stupid I guess!

Oh, and she said she must have forgotten to write about the Lein in the ad. Really????
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## tim62988

you saw the trailer and like it, track down the husband and give him a call.

could seriously be worth your time, heck offer him a bit less even. 

meet him at the bank to pay off his lein, call the local sheriff so they know whats going on when the trailer comes up "missing" or maybe ask for an escort to the farm. 


the bank would be much happier, the husband would be happier (out from under that 2K and also up say another 2K), and you would get a heck of a deal


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

Well the lady started gettin a tad nasty when we were iffy about purchasing it after we found out about the Lein. She never told us about it and is expecting us to fork out the money for it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Barrelracer130

I have a 89 Trail-et and I love love my trailer. Its in great shape, Mines a fiberglass roof, aluminum skin and a steel frame. Super Nice trailer. The only thing I would change is I wish it had a dressing room.


----------



## goneriding

Run.....mess


----------



## Cowgirls Boots

Oh I did..

...the nerve of people.....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Zorro and Tornado

The single most important thing when checking an aluminum skin, steel framed trailer is the frame. I rebuild and repair horse trailers for a living...well one of the hats I wear and although I think highly of the Trail et, I have had a few come to me with serious frame rot. I mean to the point that a horse could go through the floor and unless you have a trained eye...this may go unnoticed. Having aluminum skin tends to hide what goes on underneath and unfortunately the average horse person in my experience does not properly clean or maintain a trailer. Urine and manure becomes acidic and leaks down under the wooden floors. This corrodes the frame over time and if it gets bad enough the trailer is scrap or you will spend a fortune replacing the main frame rails. This actually involves removing the axles, fenders, and much of the aluminum skin in order to be done correctly. Aluminum skin/steel frame trailers are great...don't get me wrong and aluminum is not impervious to urine either...I have seen it eat through even aluminum floors. If manufacturers used a better coating on the frames in conjunction with educating owners on proper care, they would last forever. One last thing....cleaning the trailer with BLEACH is a HUGE mistake. No mater how much you rinse the trailer out bleach is a corrosive material and will find it's way between the floor boards and the frame. You are asking for trouble here. I understand the thought of disinfecting the trailer but at what cost. My choice is an anti bacterial soap loaded into my pressure washer feed and some liquid wax after made for pressure washers. Do this just twice a year besides all the regular clean out and you will be amazed. Just make sure you remove the rubber mats or the wax will create a skating rink!!!


----------

