Hello,

I'm trading in a 2006 LQ trailer because, well, it's very cheaply built and I'm tired of shoddy workmanship. I'm very strongly considering purchasing one of the four brands mentioned in the subject. I'm looking for a 3 or 4 horse LQ trailer with a 10-12 foot shortwall. I'll probably end up going with a 2-3 year old used model to get a little more trailer for the money, rather than purchasing brand new.

Does anyone have any opinions on Elite, Sundowner, Hart or 4-Star? I don't want to mention too much about what I'm looking for as far as opinions go as I'd appreciate some honest reviews and don't want to lead people in any particular direction. :P I just want thoughts on various aspects of these trailers. The only thing I will say is that first priority is a quality built trailer all the way around down to little things (the way the horse dividers latch into the frame, quality of interior LQ parts, etc). I'm probably also looking to find the "weak spots" with these brands of trailers that the dealers just won't tell you about.

If possible, I'd like to keep this from a flame war with fans of these brands just tearing down anyone who disagrees with them. I'm really just looking for actual facts and/or real life experience with these to help me make a $50-$70k decision.

Thank you!

Might also take a look at the C&C brand trailers. They are quality trailers all the way around! We currently own a 2003 model and ordered it with an empty shell and had someone do the LQ for us!

Love that trailer!

We are on our 2nd Elite trailer. It is a 2005 15ft. short wall and had the interior custom made by a local LQ company. When looking at trailers, I look at the welds, the quality of hinges on the drop downs, and the spacing between joists on the floor. Elite uses Marine grade aluminum too. We use the trailer heavily from March through November. Sometimes going on some very hilly twisty curvy roads and most are not paved for over 7 miles... which can be very hard on a trailer when fully loaded with horses and week long camping supplies.

My friend has a C&C trailer, and it is a very well built trailer also.

Thank you all for your opinions. They're really helpful. We're narrowing our search, but of course the wife just decided she'd like to look at Bloomer trailers as well. I think we've ruled out Sundowner as most of the available models are production models and as one of the previous posters mentioned, have a very "assembly line feel" to them.

We currently own a brand which I won't mention, but it's our first LQ trailer and has taught me a lot about what I need to look for in our next trailer (including the divider latches, as someone else mentioned! We had a horse break one TWICE on one trip and ended up having to remove the divider completely in order to make it home). It seems like all of these are getting pretty good reviews, which is encouraging. Comes down to a matter of personal preference I suppose. :)

I have one more question as it relates to this I think. We're probably going to buy 1-2 years used to save the $$$. We have a couple of trailer dealers local to us, but are probably going to end up buying long distance. Every dealer I've spoken to assures me that people buy sight unseen all the time and they can take photos/video for us, etc, but it seems a little out of sorts to be spending $70,000 on a trailer I've never seen, especially one that's used.

Anyone have experience with this sort of transaction?

We've purchased two trailers that were used and a long ways from our home. We found them listed in HTW from private owners. We were fortunate that both sellers were accurate in their descriptions and didn't list by omission.

By purchasing used, we were able to buy a much larger and better equipped trailer than the new one we were considering. We bought a trailer of which I initially knew little  (Sidekick). When I checked it out, I was very impressed and immediately completed the transaction. The second trailer, an Exiss, took longer to search for and find, as we wanted this particular brand, model, length and equipment.

Both of our transactions went well, and I wouldn't hesitate to repeat the process. The trailers have yet been to a dealer since our ownership. They have been reliable and enjoyable. We have added some upgrades to accommodate our wishes.

With any used item I purchase, I usually keep some additional funds to correct any faults that I miss during the sale. These trailers did not require any repair expenditures. Our ownership has been most satisifying.

I wish you luck in your search.

BOL  gard

We looked at numerous trailers with interiors and alot looked nice but cheap. Alot used pressed wood, or that covered wood. We finally decided to buy a shell and have the interior put in by place in Iowa. Oh my gosh the difference in workmanship, plus what you get for you money is outstanding!!!!!!!!! We have friends that bought theirs done by the companies you mention and they say theirs look cheaply made when compared to ours. Besides it cost us less to have it done instead of buying the whole package.