# Horse trailer storage question



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I'm hopefully going to be moving forward with purchasing my trailer. I wanted to get some thoughts about storage. It will be an aluminum trailer and I am in Central Texas. We get about 33 inches of rain per year; it tends to come in big bursts.

I could keep my trailer at the place where I board for $50 per month. I would be parking it over some grass or in a gravel area. Alternately, literally right across the street from where I board is a storage facility that has room for trailers. I could park it there for $90 in a covered spot on concrete.

Is it worth it to pay the extra $40 per month for a covered spot on concrete?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Can't keep it home in your yard for free?

Not knowing what your floor of the trailer is...would make a big difference to me.
Here are my thoughts...
On concrete your trailer will not sink into dirt and will or should be kept level on a surface so not parked racking the trailer frame continually.
Under cover is a huge protection for the trailer from punishing sun you have in Texas like we have in Florida.
Having a solid surface that not hold moisture is better for frame and all the structural things of brakes, hoses, axles for less rusting to occur and corrosion.

If you do the barn, you need to buy 2x6 boards to get the tires up and off the ground for health of tires.
Raising will also allow better airflow underneath which is necessary to protect those frames and all the "stuff" from moisture accumulating issues slowed down.
You need a large jack board that will sit level and hold the trailer tongue out of and off of the dirt cause they sink easily just sitting in place.

Regardless of where you keep your trailer...
I strongly suggest you invest in wheel covers for each tire and your spare if it is located outside your trailer.
The sun is punishing, drying and will age, dry-out and rot your tires sooner than you have any idea.
We have larger tires on our trailer _{depends upon size/weight of trailer} _and bought our covers from a motor-home place via the internet.
Our covers not only totally cover the entire face seen of the tire but the tire width entirely and have a securing strap we use so when the air circulates_ {breezy/windy}_ it not lift and remove the covers to other areas of the yard..
Our covers are white as it repels heat and we bought UV protection with the fabric we chose.
Our trailer is in our yard, sits on grass and yes, it has the jack board and a 6x6 it sits the jack on to keep the trailer slightly elevated for rain run-off. The tires sit on 2x8 boards as our tires are wider than many too with the added weight of our trailer as it is.
We do have a drive under shelter but still open sides is open sides and water gets inside our stock sided trailer needing to drain out or off.

The other thing you _*must*_ have...if not kept secured on your property is a hitch lock mechanism or anyone can back in, hook up and drive away at any time basically with your blessing.
I would also invest in tire/wheel locks and a tire boot that keeps the trailer from being moved easily..
You would need to remove the tire to do away with the boot hence tire locks makes it more difficult but not impossible to steal a trailer.
All doors locked shut with a key. _{When we haul and leave ours sitting it is secured and although open in design we use rubber covered cable/chain and padlock go around door and steel uprights so no one goes investigating where they not belong. At away shows my hay supply is in my trailer I access it daily, hence not wanting anyone where they not belong.}_
If you purchase a gooseneck like you at one time considered, you still need to use jack boards, secure and lock all the same things, just a bit different instruments to do that but any trailer place will have information to guide you or of course ideas can be found via the internet.

Some indeed "cover" their trailers with what looks like a blanket...
We _do no_t and _will not_ because of the increased condensation that occurs, the difficulty getting that huge cover up, over and on and then having to remove it to use is just crazy...mostly though is they can scratch the surface if a stick or anything gets caught under the fabric against the trailer paint or polished aluminum...
That is my experience and opinion...
Happy shopping.
 🐴 ...


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Thanks! Do you think it would need tire covers even if it was kept in a covered spot?

I appreciate your comments about anti-theft devices. I had actually wondered how people keep others from just making off with their trailers. I will definitely look into that.

ETA: where we live now it's a standard 1960s neighborhood, so we have a two-car driveway. We currently park both cars in the driveway because my husband uses the garage for a wood shop. I could park the trailer in the driveway, but then we'd have to park one of the cars on the street.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Yes...
UV rays are in the air and sunlight...
You also on concrete pad will be dealing with in summer especially the heat radiating off the pavement back to your tires covers can stop some occurring.

You have no side yard between houses? You don't need much space...
To me $600 - $900 *plus* a year is a lot of money to spend to park a idle trailer when I could invest that at my house on a parking pad of gravel or concrete strips/pad and my trailer is now _not_ a monthly expense to let it sit someplace else...yeah, no.
If you live in a HOA community though that may not be permitted but then also usually is a lot for parking "extras" under some sort of resident security of locked fenced area...
🐴 ...


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Yeah, I agree it's a lot for storage, when you look at the yearly costs. I do plan on using it, though. Hopefully several times a year at least, maybe a lot more. It's why I finally decided to get it now -- I'm really looking forward to starting to take them places.

We don't have an HOA (it's one of the reasons we chose the neighborhood LOL) but I can't imagine my husband being willing to make a parking pad for the trailer. He barely tolerates the horses as it is. His attitude is, as long as he doesn't have to deal with anything horse-related, he's OK with it.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

With that thought though...
Is your husband going to be OK with spending $1080.00 a year to park the trailer if you do the covered across the street?
Mine would blow a gasket at spending that for nothing but a parking spot...

He might not want to deal with "horse-related" issues but might be more in tune with a parking pad and one-time cost than a yearly drain...and is only going to increase each year as rent goes up as you know is the norm.
🐴 ...


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

No, I'd be paying for it. The horses are my hobby and I pay for it. It's why I have zero extra money all the time, LOL. Almost every penny I make goes to them. Honestly it's better that way. I told him how much I pay per month just for boarding once and he almost fainted.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

If you choose the storage place, be sure you have 24/7 access. Your neighbors will be happier if you don’t park your trailer there....lol. As an alternative view to hlg’s......I have never, in 40 years of owning a trailer, parked it on concrete or covered tires (in SE Texas). My 9 horse head-to-head was parked under a cover until a load of hay on the wagon needed emergency rain storage. I used to use my trailer so much that the tires couldn’t possibly last long enough to dry rot, though.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

My trailer is under cover in hay barn. Jack is on two boards so it doesn't sink into ground. Sun hitting on tires not an issue so no tire covers required.

Friend that parks her trailer outside uses plywood to cover tires. 

Yeah my hubby would blow a gasket over paying to park trailer. No way would I fork out money, to park my trailer somewhere else. 

It's safe in barn with a lock on ball hitch, plus bobcat parked in front of it. We always keep a section of hay barn ,to park trailer an bobcat under cover.


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