# What to watch out for when looking for a trailer?



## PoofyPony (Sep 15, 2011)

I personally look to see if the floor under the mats where the horse stands is solid and in good condition. If its wood this is kind of a must for me.

Also any sort of crappy welding jobs on trailers are also a pet pieve of me. Some trailer companys are better at quality then others, but I don't want a slab of metal come loose because my horse is kicking at the wall and managed to knock the only one weld spot there is attached to the frame.

I would be looking for sharp objects and edges that horses can get caught on. Such as the first spot in the trailer next to the tack wall. Horses can over step and bend the metal so it has a sharp edge at the bottom... you can prevent this with a trailer with mats up the walls, or by layering shavings there so it prevents it somewhat from happening.



Also what kind of trailer is also a factor.

I personally don't like trailers with collaspable tack room walls (just more scary situations I can see happening down the road).

I also would love to have a trailer with matting up the walls (mine dosen't but I have friends who do have such). This helps with the wear and tear from horses kicking of over stepping onto the bottom of the wall if they get out of balance.

I personally like trailers with windows that fold down with bars behind them (so the horse can't peak his head through but they can still see a clear view outside). I've seen horses almost jump through the window when owners put down the windows. There is a video around here on youtube somewhere that shows a horse that actually manage to do so, and the people scrambling about trying to figure out how to lodge the horse free of the death trap. Its scary.

I also don't like hay feeders.... just more scary hang ups I can see happening when a horse is in there. If I want my horse to eat... I can hang up a safe hay bag where I hook his lead rope too while I watch him with supervision.

Bumper pulls I hear don't turn as easily as goose neck trailers do. I have a bumper pull and its just fine in my opinion. Though mine is a two horse trailer. I think if I had anything above a three horse I wouldn't like it to be a bumper pull.

I have also heard that Morgan horse trailers, the leverage hitch in the front rusts out more quickly then most trailers do. But, I haven't seen many to see and judge on what i've heard on them.


Thats about all I can say. When purchasing a new trailer... its like a car, you get what you pay for.


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## raisinandelana (Sep 11, 2011)

I see you have 4 horses. I myself personally would get a nice gooseneck. it takes me 5 or 6 times to get the ball lined up with the hitch w a bumperpull lol
And I love how goosenecks handle in general because the weight it more evenly distributed on the 5th wheel plate. 
I always check underneath and under mats if there are any in the trailer. Make sure the floor isn't rusted out. (I know someone who didn't... it was tradgic.) And if wood floor to make sure its not rotten. And make sure there is no space between the door when its shut. I've seen a horse get its hoof between the door and the floor and had its hoof drug 4 miles. Luckily he was ok for the most part. I would go to a respected trailer place like featherlite. Or sundowner. Love em both. Good luck in the hunt!


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

save yourself the money you will waste buying a cheaper steel trailer and pay more for an all aluminum the first time, You still have to wash the floor out but they will look new for many many years. ALL STEEL TRAILERS RUST !!! I dont care what kinda super duper bs finish this that or other the makers claim THEY ALL RUST, and all rust quickly, Thats what people are doing looking underneath seeing how bad they are rusted out. Horse urine is corrosive to steel. Lots of used rusted steel trailers out there as people try to pass their mistakes on to the next person. 
Aluminums weigh a little less, last a lot longer, and hold their resale value. Bumper pulls are handy and a aluminum 2 horse can be pulled with most V8 powered SUV's. Or some of the larger 6 cylinder ones with the right towing equipment added. I have a 2 horse aluminum gooseneck with a tack room/ sleeping area up front and a rear swing out tack room. It weighs 3600 lbs which is just a little more than my older steel (that rusted) 2 horse bumper pull with a bend over back killing tack area, and no where to sleep. 
Look at the height also, taller trailers creat more wind drag and can make a trailer feel heavier on the highway. trailers tend to be regular 7", tall 7-6 or 8, or short 6-6" 7" is fine for 16 hand and under.
SO in a nutshell, aluminum, look at the weight compared to what tow vehicle you are using and dont buy more height than you need.


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

Ok thanks, 
I am looking for a 2 or 3 horse slant bumper pull.
My truck is a Nissan Titan V8 and its towing capacity is 10,000lbs.


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## Piperpony (Sep 21, 2011)

Watch out for scammers, there are a couple of really nice GN trailers listed on horsetopia that are a total scam. I was looking into one that "seemed" to good to be true and it was. Thankfully I kept searching the net and ran across someone else that posted about this scam. The poster even pasted in the e-maileds from the scammer she delt with in May, they were the exact same e-mails I was getting only a different trailer and a different name. I guess the scammer is too lazy to write new e-mails to people. She "seems" pretty believable. The lastest scam is a 1998 sooner GN


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## BaileyJo (Aug 23, 2011)

I agree. Watch out big time for scammers. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. I found alot of scams when looking for a trailer.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

The floorboards and breaks are the two things that I always keep in mind.

Also, bear in mind that while your truck capacity may be 10,000 lbs, your hitch will have an effect on the weight it can pull. My hitch can only pull 10,000 lbs, but my Hemi engine could pull much more with a gooseneck attachment.


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