# Looking At A Used Trailer-What Do You Think?



## JustWingIt (Jul 29, 2012)

So my mom _finally _came to the conclusion that when you own a horse, it is almost essential to have a trailer, especially if you want to show, and especially since the owners of the barn where I keep my horse don't go to the shows I want to go to with my new gelding. 
So, it just so turns out that our (new, since I just moved to a new stable) vet has a two horse, straight load, bumper pull for sale, exactly what we were looking for!
So we went out to the see the trailer and this is what she told us about it:


Its a Valley
Its around 12 years old
Its extra wide and extra tall (essentially warmblood sized)
It has power brakes
So here are some pictures and I would like some opinions on its body, shape, size, brand, etc. It obviously needs some cleaning up but we are fairly certain most of the rust is on the surface. We are going to get it inspected and if the rust is just surface and not structural we will most likely buy it. When we buy it we will get it sandblasted, repainted (inside and out), and refloored if necessary. 

Here are some pics and thanks in advance for any opinions!!


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## jethroish (Sep 19, 2009)

Main things I would look at: Floor- does it need replacing? Tires - with the grass grown up around the trailer, I would bet they need replacing. Tires go bad, not so much from use, but from exposure to the elements. Brakes and Wheel bearings - to inspect them, you have to remove the tires. Not expensive, but if there is no grease in the bearing it could be really bad.
If you are happy with the condition of it and the price is right, it does not look bad.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I washed my trailer with tri-sodium phospate and it removed all the oxidation. Paint was nice and shiney. If you buy the trailer and don't have a garage to put it in, at least make a plywood floor to keep the grass from growing up. It also allows the breezes to go thro underneath. If there are rubber mats always roll them up so the floor can dry.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

I see maine on the tags, that tells me snow and road salts. The wood doesnt look great either. Personally I wouldnt own a steel trailer. Id take a good hard look at the underside as well. Most I would even consider would be about $1000


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I will vouch for the name and say that I LOVE my Valley trailer. It's a BP stock trailer that has held up really well for us.


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## callidorre (Dec 7, 2011)

It looks like it's set up similiar to my trailer, aside from being wider than mine and having top doors to the back. Does the front window and the side windows open? Our window at the front of the trailer opens and it adds a lot of air flow and ventilation. There is a screen over it also to keep debris out of the trailer which I don't see placed in this trailer. 

The main complaint I have about the general set up of my trailer is that there is no seperate tack room/dressing room. You can throw things in front of the horses, or in the one stall if you're hauling only one horse- but hay gets over everything when the tack is up front. We're upgrading to a newer, bigger trailer at some point in the next year or so and having a seperate area for tack is going to be a requirement of mine. So, think about whether that will affect you. 

It sounds like you're going to have the trailer looked over. Definitely look at that floor and the tires. And if it is structurely sound, I'd expect it to priced closer to $1500-$2000 really in my area. If the trailer's structurely sound and the price is right, it looks like a good first trailer.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

It's a trailer with possibilities for sure (and as other posters have said pending a good inspection). I have never been a fan of a full divider though -- prefer partial to give to the horses as much space as possible for their legs to find a good balance.


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