Posted 2009-09-28 5:09 PM (#111211 - in reply to #111208) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Veteran
Posts: 147
Location: santa clara, ca
We have a 4h bp and 3 horses and we load the heaviest(1700lbs) in the front stall, and the other two horse (1100-1250) in the others.We mostly load the draft in the front because he has a little more room and he tend to paw at times and this way he is pawing at walls and not at other horses....MPG shouldn't not change regardless of placement: you are still hauling the same weight and shape of trailer. To get MPG inflate you truck and trailer tires to spec. You could close the trailer windows to reduce air drag, but it's probably not beneficial to your horses as you would be limiting air flow as well.
Posted 2009-09-28 8:02 PM (#111217 - in reply to #111208) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420
Location: Iowa
I have a 3 horse slant gn. If I just take one horse, they always go in the middle stall. 2 horses, last 2 stalls. I have a stud divider, so I always use my front stall for hay, bedding, buckets, poop cart, brooms & such. All my horses are pretty much the same size & they all know how to back out of my trailer.
Posted 2009-09-28 9:15 PM (#111219 - in reply to #111208) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Expert
Posts: 1351
Location: Decatur, Texas
Originally written by linds on 2009-09-28 4:15 PM
I have a 3 horse slant - how do you load your horses when hauling: 1 horse - which slots? 2/3 horses - which slots and where do you put them, biggest to smallest? Looking to properly distribute the weight for my truck and possibly better mileage???
Mileage is really not going to be an issue unless your trailer is not being pulled close to level. You can tell this loaded or unloaded. With my set up, I have plenty of truck so the number of horse and location in the trailer I carry the horses and number of horses makes no difference However if I use a smaller truck such as my 3/4 ton regular cab with the S&H 3 horse goosenck, when hauling 1 horse I would use the center stall, with 2 horses I will use the 1st 2 stalls. Truck seems to handle much better with the weight directly over and to the front of the axles.
Posted 2009-09-28 10:02 PM (#111221 - in reply to #111208) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA
When we use a GN, a single horse goes in the middle stall. When we haul two horses, we use the center and rear stalls. The GN has more than enough tongue weight to counteract the last horse's weight, and it helps take some of it off the truck.
Posted 2009-09-30 11:16 AM (#111269 - in reply to #111208) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Veteran
Posts: 105
Location: Illinois
We have a three stall also but only haul two. They are in the last two stalls, the front stall is for hay etc. Loaded the trailer weighs @ 13,700 lbs. Have about 4K pin weight. To some extent how you load would depend on your truck. horses in the first two stalls might give you too much weight on the truck.
Posted 2009-09-30 9:14 PM (#111288 - in reply to #111270) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Expert
Posts: 1351
Location: Decatur, Texas
Originally written by ClaudiaIN on 2009-09-30 11:30 AM
We have an escape door-- so it's easy for us - most LQ trailers I've seen have escape doors in the first stall ?
Most do, but not ALL!
I must have misunderstood this, I thought they was interested in better mileage so I was thinking they had a regular 3 horse slant load gooseneck trailer with NO LQ! That shed a new light on things.
1st, YES load the 2 horses in the rear 2 stalls, 2nd on my trailer I will still haul just 1 horse in the last stall. Just because I have enough truck and my trailer is balanced well.
Last but not least, I would think fuel mileage would NOT be an issue with a LQ trailer, if you have one, chances are you are going to use it no matter the cost of fuel or the amount of fuel you will use!
Posted 2009-10-04 10:59 AM (#111426 - in reply to #111208) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Member
Posts: 49
Location: Clarksville, Tennessee USA
After reading the posts to this question would it be o.k then to convert the forward stall into part of the LQ and use the rear for the horse. 2 horse SL/fifth wheel here.
Posted 2009-10-04 12:42 PM (#111429 - in reply to #111426) Subject: RE: How do you load your trailers?
Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA
Yes. This has been accomplished by several of our members. Most use the original stall as an additional room, shower, storage, mud room etc., instead of physically moving the original slant wall bulkhead. That too can be an option, which would result in adding another ~3 feet to the original LQ.