# Looking at a Brenderup



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I've seen those up close and personal. It only reinforced my opinion that they are too light weight and flimsy and I wouldn't allow my horse to be hauled in one nor would I own one. Even as light as those are, your Nissan Xterra probably doesn't have the stopping ability needed to haul. It's not the tow rating that's so important, it's the ability to stop with that extra mass pushing you from behind. I would continue saving my money and buy a truck and then a trailer.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I loved my Brenderup Baron. They are light but not flimsy, and very cleverly designed. However I agree with Dreamcatcher, you need a full sized pickup or equivalent. My horse isn't much bigger than yours and I ended up getting a bigger truck, even with the Brenderup.


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## CaliforniaDreaming (May 8, 2011)

I've got a Baron HB, and I love the thing. I don't haul very far, most of my trips are within a 10 mile radius of the place I board at, but I have hauled about 30 miles occasionally. For someone who isn't likely to get a truck any time soon (I haul mine with a V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee), the B'up has worked out very well for me and my Haflinger.

I think if you were looking at a Solo, Royal or Prestige, your current vehicle would probably be fine. Brenderups have a design that balances the tongue weight and inertia brakes so stopping the trailer isn't as big of a concern as American designed trailers. Going up to a Baron though, I wouldn't haul with a V6 SUV if I could help it (a V6 truck might be OK) but I have a friend who owned a Prestige she hauled with her Ford Escape, and was able to upgrade to a Baron. She ended up trading her Escape in for a F150 (not sure if she got the V6 or the V8 model) because the Baron is a bit heavier and longer than the other B'up models.

I haven't run into any issues concerning repair, as I haven't had to do any major work yet. I do need to replace my hydrolic lifts on the ramp, but I got those parts online very easily. There are still a few trailer dealers in the US who can source parts.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Do Brenderup trailers have integrated brakes? If so, then stopping shouldn't rely on the vehicle's brakes. I'm putting a hitch on my XTerra. It is a Class 3 and will be rated at 4,000 lbs max regardless of the vehicle's maximum capacity. ("_This trailer hitch is rated for 4,000 lbs. gross trailer weight, 400 lbs. tongue weight, 6,000 lbs. weight distribution capacity and 600 lbs. weight distribution tongue weight (limited to lowest-rated towing component)_ ") In theory I could haul Bandit by himself in our trailer. I may give it a try but only on the rarely used local roads for a couple of miles. There is only one stop sign between me and where I would try to haul him, though. Wouldn't try it on the highway or in traffic. Primarily putting the hitch on to use a small trailer to haul hay with the XTerra.


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## RMH (Jul 26, 2016)

My wife has a Brenderup Solo which she pulls with an Acura MDX with a V6 and a 5000 lb towing rating. For being a one horse trailer is is suprisingly spacious. Our first long trip with it was 300+ miles and it towed great. Some of the highways had 75 mph speed limits but I was more comfortable running 65-70 mph. Mileage loaded or empty with the MDX was around 13 mpg. We made a second 400 mile trip and I took my GMC 2500 because the gas mileage wasn't a whole lot lower and I felt more secure driving at highway speeds. The trailers are very well engineered and balanced. They do have built in inertia brakes where when you slow down the hitch compresses and activates the mechanical brakes via cables. No brake controller is needed. The crack looks relatively simple to fix but should be fixed as it is between the upper latch and the bottom hinge. Another place to inspect is where the front escape door is cut into the front panel as the panel tends to rot from moisture. Ours has some rot and will have to be replaced at some point. Only issue is that they are no longer being imported into the USA so getting some specialty parts may be problem but thus far we've not needed anything.


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