does anyone have any opinions on why Exiss trailers are so much less expensive than the other all aluminum trailers out there?

researching to buy my first horse trailer and I'm a bit cautious when I see something that looks perfectly fine on paper and has such a low price point.... in my experience if it looks too good to be true, it usually is :)

hoping to end up with the "honda civic" of horsetrailers (well built, not fancy but safe and reliable 2 hrs gooseneck with midtack or large enough dressing room that it wont matter ;)) and have to admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed by the options out there.....

thanks!

If you do a little more research, you'll find most manufacturers offer various lines of trailers that vary in pricing. Exiss is one of them. They have two major offerings that differ in construction details; the "Event" and the "Sport". Of the two, the "Event" is built more robustly, and you'll find its pricing is very much in line with its other middle of the road competitors. There are tens of thousands of these trailers that have been in service for decades, with many satisified owners.

The "Sport" models are more lightly constructed and marketed to satisify the entry market  horse owners. They are quite competent for owners who don't use their trailers professionally, or under what would be considered severe duty. Construction wise, they are quite comparable to other manufacturer's, who offer similar, entry level products. Their materials are quite good and their construction details are better than some of the other builders.

No matter what brand you choose, there will be detractors spelling doom and gloom over that manufacturer. I would look at a trailer's sales record for the number of units being sold, search this forum for previous threads about this brand, and then make your decision. Do not take the word of a friend that knows someone's uncle who once heard from his neighbour.........

When you are purchasing a new trailer, you have the opportunity to have it built exactly to your specifications, with options, types of windows, doors and their placement etc. etc. If you can find a used trailer that suits your needs, you will often have the opportunity to pay about half what a new one costs. A well built trailer that receives proper maintenance, will easily last decades. Purchasing the right one and keeping it a long while, is the least expensive method of ownership.

thank you for the advice. I am open to suggestions on where to do "more research"....as you say, each brand has its fans and its detractors, so searching on this board yielded me a whole lot of conflicting info.

the websites for each brand of course tell me that THEIR trailers are Teh Best! (tm). Dealers want me to buy what they got on the lot, so take that with a grain of salt the size of my new truck.

consumer reports, my usual research for appliances doenst do horse trailers, nor does Edmunds, which added to my car research.

the info you share about each company having two lines with one more lightly constructed makes sense with the Exiss brand for sure, tho some others seem to have fewer differences in construction (TrailsWest...the main difference between the classic and sierra that I can find is things like windows, types of lights, and other bells and whistles, while the framing, paint, brakes, etc seem the same. ditto logan coach and their XT vs Edge....unless I'm missing something?)

so again, I'm open to suggestions (gratefully!) on where I can go to get unbiased "more research"...

thanks!

You can't get that here. Owners are very prejudiced with their purchases. Some will be more eloquent in their ownership descriptions, but most will show a propensity for their particular brand.

I kinda got that impression, yeah :)

I'll just keep bugging people I run into at trailheads, asking them what they like, what they dont like and what they'd do differently next time. funny how they're always delighted to talk at great lengths about that kind of thing :) (I even had someone find me out in the woods, hours after I talked to them in the parking lot and tell me more stuff they had thought of :))

seriously, though, thanks for all the input and suggestions. its a big purchase and I want to go into it with my eyes wide open.

Exiss is one of the oldest brands out there and has more trailers on the road than any other manufacturer other than Featherlite.  Their construction is the best in the industry and they have an 8 year warranty to back up their products.  I highly recommend them to anyone, the value for the dollar is worth it.  visit an Exiss dealer and compare the construction for your self, it exceeds all others in the industry for construction.

LOL!!! What you smokin'!!??

I have a 2005 Exiss CX400.  The trailer itself is fine.  But customer support from Exiss in Oklahoma is loosy.  Try calling or e-mailing and you will see what I mean.  Called multiple times and punching their numbers for both customer support and parts.  No living person there.  The best I could do was leave messages.  Every voice message and e-mail went unanswered.  Simple question too.  Just want a copy of the owners manual.  Even if I have to pay for it.

I don't have a lot of respect for a company I can not get a hold of.  I try and buy American,  but not when they have poor customer service.  So probably will not buy another trailer from Exiss.

Did you register for the forum just to complain because no one answered your phone call?  You have two post....no questions, just complaints.  Why don't you call the dealer you bought the trailer from to get a manual?  If you have questions about the trailer you can ask here and I am sure someone can help you.

Thought this was a forum to discuss opinions.  People ask about the quality of the trailers and I consider customer service to be part of that.  The cool thing about it is that based on my experience they have poor customer service.  My guess is that you are not the forum police,  so you must work for Exiss.  Especially with a 177 posting in less than a year.

The other thing that I have learned about Exiss is that where most other companies run a 7,000 # axle,  Exiss runs a 5,400# axle.  Look at that while you research trailers.

Again Blackcows,  just an opinion that when someone who is researching trailers they should look at.

No I don't work for Exiss but I do have 2 Exiss trailers, some people fish and they talk about boats, some camp and they talk about RVs...we show cattle and horses and my trailers are my toys thus the 177 posts.  If you want to search my posts you will see that they are about my trailers and answers to others questions not specific to Exiss.

If you aren't happy with Exiss customer service or you trailer contact your dealer that you purchased your trailer from and ask them for help.  No different than if you bough a car from Ford...you don't call Detroit you call your dealer.

That's a bit dramatic don't you think?

In my opinion alluminum trailers are like golf courses.....as long as you aren't the first owner you are going to be able to resell it and get most of your money back.  If you buy a $50,000 trailer and sell it for $45,000 or buy a $30,000 trailer and sell it for $25,000 on could argue the less expensive trailer was a better value.

As for being on the road and goin to rodeos.....that's probably as easy as you can be on a trailer.  Take a stock trailer and bounce it through a pasture stuffed full of cows then you will see if you have a good trailer.

I think most any trailer that is being manufactued will stand up to the "abuse" most horse owners are going to give.  Heading up and down the highway with a couple of thousand pound horses isn't that big of a chore.  If you want to pay for the Lexus that's great but the Camary is manufactued the same way for a lot less money and gets you there just the same.

One man's opinion out of tens of thousands of satisified owners. Facts will not support these statements.

We have dealers in my area that don't have 7 trailers ;)