# Best alluminum bumper horse trailers



## ReubenJCogburn (Jul 17, 2013)

I'd love to see responses to this too. I have a highlander and just one horse, so I'm really wondering f if I could make it work with an aluminum!
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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Featherlite. Any model except the ones with hard hay mangers. Many horses hate them. The trailers are made very well and are as advertised, very light.


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## heidis123 (Aug 3, 2013)

I have an F150 & have pulled both a 2 horse Featherlite and a 2 horse Shadow- both with dressing rooms. The Featherlites are very nice if you can find one in your price range however, the Shadow is much easier to tow- although again it will be a price range issue. There have been several times I have forgotten I even had the Shadow trailer back there. In your price range, I'd look for a used quality product rather than a newer, lower quality brand.


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## ReubenJCogburn (Jul 17, 2013)

I've found a few aluminum brands:

eclipse 
sundowner
trailers USA
shadow
featherlite

All of these offer 2 horse trailers in a range of 1800#-3600#empty


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## ReubenJCogburn (Jul 17, 2013)

The eclipse is extremely affordable compared to the others, which gives me pause.... does anyone know anything about this brand?


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## Eole (Apr 19, 2013)

I have an Exiss aluminium 2h slant with dressing room, that I pull with a V8 4-Runner. I shopped a lot and found that Exiss, Featherlite and Sundowner are pretty much the same. 4-Stars is a little fancier. I had a Kieferbuilt before, again very similar but heavier.

My friend has an new Eclipse. It looks nice but I suspect, considering the low weight, that the frame isn't as sturdy as the other brands. When I shopped Eclipse, the basic low price didn't include anything (many "extras" to add to the basic price). She also had to send it back because it was too narrow for her horse (slant). 

Will you buy used or new?


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

ReubenJCogburn said:


> The eclipse is extremely affordable compared to the others, which gives me pause.... does anyone know anything about this brand?


It's a bare bones stripped version of the Featherlite. It tows like a sack of bricks.


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## ReubenJCogburn (Jul 17, 2013)

MyBoyPuck said:


> It's a bare bones stripped version of the Featherlite. It tows like a sack of bricks.


Ha!  
This forum is awesome! All this insight is so helpful to avoid possible issue trailers without doing it the hard way. 

Featherlite has this cute 2 horse style that is only 2200#. It can be a slant or a straight load. Has a forward exit for loading, and the divider can be removed if you wanted to haul other things. No tack or hay space but you can get a hay rack and could use the forward stall for tack (if you wanted to spend less and didn't care about a dressing/tack room) Model 9401 I think. Not sure if its what I'm looking for, but its got a cool and quirky look to it. 

It's nice to hear how the shadow trailers haul... That is important.

All this research has made me really understand how important it is to consider horse size when picking as well since the height, length and width can make a trailer totally useless to someone with a horse that doesn't fit!! My guy will be big, so that's important.
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## ReubenJCogburn (Jul 17, 2013)

Eole said:


> Will you buy used or new?


It would be nice to buy new, but lightly used would work well too... i found a couple good sites to search that list both (cant remember if we can give out sites) I have a lot longer than the OP (my boy is one and I have plenty of people to help haul for practice so I think I can wait til I'm actually taking him more places)

Rdream, sorry for high jacking... You just posted such a good topic! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Not my post, but thanks for the brand names guys! I had made a thread a month or so ago asking about trailer brands, but most of what I got was people just saying "Get the best trailer in your price range". That is definitely great advice, but it doesn't help me too much if I don't know much about trailer brands in the first place!!


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

MyBoyPuck said:


> It's a bare bones stripped version of the Featherlite. It tows like a sack of bricks.


What exactly do you mean by "tows like a sack of bricks"? Just that it is difficult to tow? In what sense? Heavy? What other cons are there? What are the pros (besides the price)? I will say, the price looks very attractive...


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

With any trailer if your wheel base is not long enough, it's going to tow poorly.

I have an oversized 2 horse with tack Sundowner that is aluminum steel mix. It hauls fully loaded quite well with a 3/4 ton HD chev and the sway bars - thank goodness for the sway bars! It's a great basic rig for easy mostly flat hauls. I trailer 5-6 hours in it no problem.
As far as aluminum trailers, I've heard positive things about featherlite.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

DuckDodgers said:


> What exactly do you mean by "tows like a sack of bricks"? Just that it is difficult to tow? In what sense? Heavy? What other cons are there? What are the pros (besides the price)? I will say, the price looks very attractive...


Price is attractive becomes you get an aluminum box with 4 tires. There are zero safety features on that trailer, the welds are sub-par, and it tows like crap. 

All I know is, when I towed my Featherlite, there was nothing but smooth going on back there. I never felt it slide around. I had to keep checking my mirrors to make sure it was still there. When I towed the eclipse, I could feel it swaying around, everything was jerky like the wheels were locking up, and it did feel heavier than my Featherlite. I tow with a 6 liter 3/4 ton Chevy, so I was not remotely over weighted. I don't like how that thing tows at all. 

Sure you can get a brand new Eclipse for the price of an older used Featherlite, but the Eclipse will cease to be shiny, clean and new on the first day and you'll be left with a trailer that is of far less quality than a Featherlite, Sundowner or the other big name aluminum brands. Any one of the better ones used is the far better option.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

MyBoyPuck said:


> Price is attractive becomes you get an aluminum box with 4 tires. There are zero safety features on that trailer, the welds are sub-par, and it tows like crap.
> 
> All I know is, when I towed my Featherlite, there was nothing but smooth going on back there. I never felt it slide around. I had to keep checking my mirrors to make sure it was still there. When I towed the eclipse, I could feel it swaying around, everything was jerky like the wheels were locking up, and it did feel heavier than my Featherlite. I tow with a 6 liter 3/4 ton Chevy, so I was not remotely over weighted. I don't like how that thing tows at all.
> 
> Sure you can get a brand new Eclipse for the price of an older used Featherlite, but the Eclipse will cease to be shiny, clean and new on the first day and you'll be left with a trailer that is of far less quality than a Featherlite, Sundowner or the other big name aluminum brands. Any one of the better ones used is the far better option.


Thanks for the input! I'm not actively looking with the intent to purchase tomorrow or anything, but I haven't found anything remotely local that is of any quality within my price range that fits my needs. Lots of seemingly reasonably priced four horse, trailers with living quarters, old and junky steel trailers, and if I do find anything that mostly fits my specs it seems way overpriced (and out of my budget!) I contacted the featherlite folks for a quote, still waiting to hear back from them. Anything new would probably be more than I want to spend though :-( The quote I got from Sundowner was definitely a bit too high.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I recently bought a Custom-Fab trailer that I love. They're produced by a small company in PA that makes each trailer custom to the buyer's specifications. I bought mine used (5 years old, I believe) for $8000. Aluminum, dressing room, two horse slant, and the quality is comparable to Featerlite and Sundowner.


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## AnotherHorseDad (May 5, 2013)

equiniphile said:


> I recently bought a Custom-Fab trailer that I love. They're produced by a small company in PA that makes each trailer custom to the buyer's specifications. I bought mine used (5 years old, I believe) for $8000. Aluminum, dressing room, two horse slant, and the quality is comparable to Featerlite and Sundowner.


What is the company?


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> With any trailer if your wheel base is not long enough, it's going to tow poorly.
> 
> I have an oversized 2 horse with tack Sundowner that is aluminum steel mix. It hauls fully loaded quite well with a 3/4 ton HD chev and the sway bars - thank goodness for the sway bars! It's a great basic rig for easy mostly flat hauls. I trailer 5-6 hours in it no problem.
> As far as aluminum trailers, I've heard positive things about featherlite.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


WIDER wheel base also makes a HUGE difference. My BO has a 2h bp Exiss w/ dressing room. Her vehicle is a Chrysler Aspen. THe other day we hooked it up to my Expedition (wider wheel base) and she wanted to buy it! WE have towed with mine before-there is no comparison. I love her trailer, but honestly-on the road, like major highways going 65 mph-I will take my old steel Valley any day. Just much more stable when trucks pass. Sure hers looks much better after years of use, but until I can get a Jamco aluminum, I will stick with what I have. Jamcos are a dream.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I just got a Circle J Mustang 14' stock-type 2H slant BP and am pretty happy with it so far. Mine is steel, but they also make an all aluminum model. (And they also make longer 3 horse models as well) I'm not sue how much more the aluminum ones cost, but I'd bet the 14' is within your price range new, and maybe the 16' too.

ETA- A quick search found a 16' aluminum for $8499 http://horsetrailerworld.com/home/trailerdetail.asp?ID=450272 Set up with just a center gate instead of slants and tack room, but at least it shows it's in the ballpark.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

AnotherHorseDad said:


> What is the company?


The brand is Custom-Fab. From what I've gathered, they try to keep their business small so they can customize each trailer.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## AnotherHorseDad (May 5, 2013)

equiniphile said:


> The brand is Custom-Fab. From what I've gathered, they try to keep their business small so they can customize each trailer.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Thanks. They're fairly close. I may check them out when I'm in the market


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