Difinately a problem here.

I have an aluminum over steel two horse straight load trailer with a ramp.

It is rusting apart before my eyes.  In just two weeks home from the dealer it is almost gone, leaving me nothing but a pile of rust and some crumpled aluminum foil.  My horses have flown around in the trailer because of the slippery mats and both of them have been injured by falling off of the ramp when exiting.  Even the horse that fell underneath my previous trailer (the one without the ramp) was injured again.  When I was taking them to the vet they were wheezing from the dust stirred up inside the trailer.  After they started wheezing, the rear curtain doors fell off because of the poor construction of the hinges.  I don’t know if they were welded on or bolted on and there is little left to see now that they have fallen off.

It is a good thing that this isn’t a bumper pull (it is a goose neck) because the horses would have just bounced out the back of the trailer like what happened to my uncle last summer.  While the horses were being examined at the vet’s office I was turning the truck and trailer around and broke the rear window of the truck and bent the roof.  This is the fourth time I have done that! I am lucky though the fiberglass roof of the trailer didn’t crack this time (it does seem to leak more now though).   The same things have happened to my two cousins, four of my friends and my ex-wife.  We are going to raise a stink with the dealer.

Even though it is pretty bent up now this is one tough truck: a one ton, honking diesel monster with a PowerMax engine. Sure couldn’t pull any horse trailer without it.  I got it for a steal using some dealer coupons.

I am getting ready to take the horses 600 miles to Rapid Forks Idaho in the middle of a blizzard.

Any special preparation that I need to make?

I though Jessejames was funny, this is great.  Heres my advice as long as you have your health nothing else matters.

Can you say....  Heellllooooo Federal.   When it ABSOLUTLY, POSITIVELY, without a doubt, has to be delivered on time. 

Otherwise, take two asprin and call your local horse transport company in the morning.

What type of trailer do you have now?  How old is it?

If it were me, I would invest in some race horse goggles to keep the dust out of the horses eyes.  I would also tie the back doors with some rope to keep them shut in case you have more problems them.  Instead of backing the horses off the trailer once you get there, I would make new unload doors in the front (just peel  back the aluminum foil) so there is less chance of injury, and then you can just lead them off.

Since you have plenty of truck, all of your towing worries are over, snow is no problem if you have 4 wheel drive (don't worry about stopping).  you should get along just fine..........have a good safe trip!

Some good advice huh? Hmmm, well some duct tape, bungey cords, 1000 zip-ties, wings for your horses, 1000 pounds of road salt and for yourself, a bottle of Prozac, some Ibuprofen, 24 pack of ML, money, and a SOS lawyer, oh and some good health insurance, your'e gonna need it!

P.S. Why was your uncle in the back of your trailer? Gads.....don't want to know(holding the doors shut or checking to see whether your horses ride facing backwards?)

What brand was the trailer?  It really doesn't matter because whatever it was those aren't  any good and I wouldn't have one if they gave it to me. That company spends way too much money on marketing, advertising and endorsements.  Heck, who cares about the opinions of people that teach horses how to talk back to you and follow you around. Horses are for riding not conversation.

Only a Blue Moon trailer is worth pulling.  They are made completely of magnesium and krypton, they never age, oxidize, rust, flex or get those pesky black streaks. The floors are made of light weight gunnite and never rot.  I got mine at a bargain price because the dealer is a sweet humanitarian that doesn't ever need or want to make a profit.  He gave me one at the Irish Draft Pony Conference in Flat River Nevada last year.  I couldn't be happier. I always say "you get what you pay for and a whole lot more . . . if you squawk a lot."

Floop buddy,

I'm going to check into those in-line skates.  Nail those on and put on a pair of goggles like dblhocker suggested and I might have it just right.  Anything to be aware of when I get the skates? Any problems like the horse falling off of them? Can the horse skate backwards to avoid the dust? Will it make them sound European?

What do I do if the horse won't drink while rolling along on 'em? I guess I could put a cowboy shower in the back of the truck and get some water for them from the shower head.

Yeah well, us northern folks call this kind of nonsense "cabin fever" behavior!

I know I have it!!!!

Ok, I'm gonna try and explain this s l o w l y. It   is   a  joke.  I would like to see you at a show sometime, as it's been awhile since I've seen a real blonde woman.

Now the OP was a great post!

I get that now... (yes I am blonde too)...

BUT you also have to remember that some people out there are really serious when they post stuff... SOOO without knowing this person, I had to assume.

Just like.. I have a 14 month colt that I am standing for stud.  He has a nasty disposition but just as long as your mare is sweet, they should make wonderful babies.  He isn't registered but I am trying to find a breed that I can register him with, he is 1/2 shetland - 1/4 QH, 1/4 Saddlebred.  He is only 12 hands but his uncle matured to 16 hands, so he should be that big also.

Arroyoseccofarm,

When and where is the Irish Draft Pony Conference this year? Back in Flat River I hope. I need to talk to the Blue Moon folks because the inline skates didn't work out when I tried them last night.  Won't bore you with the details but the farrier is coming back out today to take the other three skates off.  Wife and I are going to use the goggles ourselves until we get the rear window put back on the truck.

I'm pretty sure it will but do you think my truck can pull a Blue Moon trailer?

One more question: Does a horse trailer weigh more if a horse poops in it? Just wondering since it could increase the load on the truck.

Since the inline skates didn't work out, what about skateboards?  Or if there's alot of snow, snowboards.  Maybe you could teach your horses how to do all those fancy flips in the halfpipe and they could win some money and medals. 

By the way, I've heard those Blue Moon trailers are so lightweight and aerodynamic, you can pull 'em with a small lawnmower.....  and cut the grass at the same time!

Farm77,

Thanks for asking about the hitch.  Its a Hoppin' Pop brand.  Installed it myself last year in the one ton honkin' diesel monster that I drive.  It is a standard bed.  Like I said, I installed it myself . . . only took a couple of hours once I ripped the hole in the bed. Only made one mistake but got it right on the second hole.  As always,the pictures that others have posted on this site have been very helpful.  These have been especially helpful >>  http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/forum/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=25

Back to your question: The hitch is located just barely in front of the axel on on the right. 

I was just pokin fun, no harm intended 

Going to try this until I can get them to give me one of those ultra-high tech, ultra-light new Blue Moon trailers. It will be adequet for a while. I guess the horses will have to keep wearing the goggles after all.

Should I put shavings or sawdust in the bed when the horse is riding? What are the advantages of each?

Hey isn't that Mr. Truck in that picture, back in his hey day? I knew he was partial to Ford trucks! Course having that horse in the back of his truck gave that Ford more horse power!

I think that would be a good idea to keep people from tailgating. Once they see that tail raise, watch out!

We are headed out this afternoon for Rapid Forks Idaho.  Got both horses in the back of the truck and everyone seems excited about the trip.  Using my brothers truck instead of the one ton diesel monster since I knocked out the rear window on it with the now defunct GN last week.

Truck is riding a little low in the back but I think it will be OK once we are up to speed.  I'll try to look up Mr. Truck when I go through Denver and see if he has any new gadgets that might make the trip easier.  When we leave Rapid Forks we will drop down to Flat River Nevada for the Irish Draft Pony Conferece and check out the guy that is giving away the Blue Moon trailers . . . Can't wait to get that new trailer!  Anybody know, Do trailers have a break-in period like trucks?  Heard that the new thermal retard bearings are made offshore and may need some special treatment.

When I get back I'll be seeking some help with a little LQ conversion work on the trailer: want to put in a barcalounger, big screen TV and a washer and dryer.  Going to need lots of help with the electrical wiring on that trailer. Won't have the galvonic electrical action of aluminum over steel so I will have to figure out how to get the generator going or set up some sort of 110/220 plug in.  Going to be real careful with that because the last time I got into it I didn't have it grounded quite right and it roached my horse's mane when he stepped into the trailer the first time. Talk about creating a loading problem!

Back at you soon.

Arroyosecco:  Sorry about the PM. I meant to send that to your wife.

Some horses do look good with roached manes and burn marks  ..... 

Sure hope you can provide some on the road adventure stories, gotta be some priceless ones.  And I do expect we'll see some pics of your rig showing up on the internet soon.    Looking forward to your next installment.

Be careful. I think this whole thing is nonsense and your getting some bad advice.  You have a horse, forget the frigging truck and trailer its a horse, there made to ride, put saddle on her get on and get out of town.  There is plenty of feed in the ditchs and water in the lakes(bring an axe to break thought the ice).  Then you don't have to worry about alumin over steel or steel over kryptonite, rust, wiring, 120 or 220, ford chevy or dodge, plywood, saw dust or shavings. skateboard or roller blades, blue moon 4 star or sundowner, coupons or discount vouchers, profit or loss, home school or public or private, just ride baby ride.  Oh know does anyone know what color shirt to wear.

Got a late start on Friday and only got as far as Amarillo, TX.  The good news is we got here with only minor problems: one of the horses turned around in the back of the truck after deciding that he wanted to ride facing backwards (he’s a German warmblood and they say that is real normal in Europe)  All the shavings blew out of the back of the truck in the first ¾ of a mile but that turned out to be no big deal: most of the time the horses pooped outside the bed rails of the truck anyway and we were only cited once for littering while passing through Archer County, Texas. 

Is the load on the truck more, the same,  or less after the horses have pooped?

We had hoped to stay at the Happy Tracks Horse Motel in Amarillo but they were full-up.  Guess we should have called ahead.  The nice people there told us that the only place left in town was at the Fair Grounds: $10/stall per night.  There is a Monty Roberts clinic going on in town so we were lucky to get that. (Horses were following people everywhere, but that is for another time)  It was well after midnight when we got to the Fair Grounds and had a little difficulty unloading.   The horses had jumped right into the back of the truck when we loaded them but wouldn’t budge to come out without a ramp ten hours later. Of course I was worried about them falling off the side of the ramp but we set one up with a couple of sheets of borrowed plywood and six cinder blocks and they slid right down.  Can you believe it: they actually got down a ramp without breaking a leg?  We had heard that ramps had become so dangerous they  are starting to use them at the packing plants. After all I had read on this site I was sure something terrible would happen.      Well, after we got the horses all settled in we were loading up the truck to get going and find a motel for us.  Wouldn’t you know it . . . I threw a bucket and some saddles in the back of the truck and broke out the rear window of this truck that I borrowed from my brother.  This is now the fifth rear window I have broken and this time I did it without a gooseneck trailer!  The truck is old but so far it is holding up.  I am a little worried about whether or not it is enough truck based on some of the things I have read on this site. We are going over Raton Pass tomorrow and I don’t know if this truck will handle the long steep grade with the weight of two horses in the back.  Sure wish I had my one ton diesel monster on this trip.

What’s the best way to drive up steep hills?

Arroyosecco:  The PM really didn't mean anything . . .  really it didn't. 

Made it to Denver today. We’ve looked all over for Mr. Truck with no luck. We thought for sure that he had heard we were coming. The old borrowed truck gave out just as we got into town and I was hoping to borrow one of those trucks that Mr. Truck is always test driving. Jiminy, you would think that wouldn’t be a big deal to him; how many trucks can he drive at one time anyway? He’s probably got trucks just sitting around his place waiting to be driven.

Well it seems he is hiding out from us. We have been all over town asking for him . . . gone to six different truck dealerships and five used car lots and everyone says they don’t know who we are talking about. Either he isn’t the famous guy we all thought he is or he’s hiding out and hogging those trucks. I really think he's got everyone covering for him.  If I can’t find him soon I may have to go ahead and buy another truck. That would certainly be the pits since I have the one ton diesel monster back in North Texas and he has all those extra trucks. I may just go and complain to a dealer about all of this!

The horses are staying down by Cherry Creek. There is plenty of water and even some very short grass. Good thing too because we didn’t have room to carry feed with them riding in the back of the old pickup. Wifey is selling pony rides there this afternoon to make a little extra money incase we do buy a new truck.

Bought  a brand new truck with my hard earned $$$ today.  What a beauty it is too.  It is a one ton dually, power max 7000 turbo engine with 432 HP, 759 ft.lbs torque  and nine speed transmission.  The transmission cooler is big enough to prevent the melt down of a nuke plant and ought to help us get through the mountains OK.     

I’ll never have to ask you guys “Can I pull a gooseneck with this truck?”  This baby can pull the whole goose! 

 And to make sure it will stop I have installed a Dead-In-Your-Tracks ^TM  electronic brake controller (only $99 on-line from Jorge’s Hotrod Shop in Cuba Missouri)

Wifey and I have decided to go ahead and buy a used trailer to use until the Blue Moon Trailer Company gives us one of theirs in a couple of weeks.  Does anyone have any opinions about what  is a good used trailer to buy?  I mean namin’ names and telling it like it really is? Whatever we buy  we plan sell it on this site after the Blue Moon trailer people give us a new one of their trailers. Keep that in mind when you make your suggestions.

We think we should  get a bigger trailer than we originally planned.  I think that an LQ will have better resale value (remember, we are planning on selling it to one of you after we get the new trailer in a couple of weeks.)

We settled on a two horse with LQ built by Equiroller of  Sapulpa Oklahoma.   The dealer we bought it from, Robin Cash Trailers is just outside of Denver.  They made us a good deal on this 2002 Equiroller  FurdHauler.  It is the 2^nd best trailer available.  I’d rank them with 4Star, C&M, Bloomer and of course, #1 Blue Moon Trailers.  Except for those scary ramps and trecherous cab-wrecking front corners it is a great trailer. Its all AMERICAN made except for the Jamaican aluminum, Indonesian wheel bearings, Brazilian hubs, Mexican mats, Canadian brakes, Chinese light bulbs and Korean tires.  Here is picture

Although it doesn’t look very big on the outside there is plenty of room for our horses and generous living quarters. The living quarters is really spacious.  Almost like home with a living area, bed room, bath and kitchen.  It is truly amazing what they are doing with the LQ conversions now.  I really recommend the company that did this one: Wright’s Usonian Conversions in Aurora Colorado.

The owner, Frank, was easy to work with and eager to give us the best LQ that we had ever seen. And he did it in one afternoon and charged us nothing . . .  now that’s what I consider a fair deal.  Every detail is just perfect.

Below is a picture of the LQ interior

 Arroyosecco: I PMd you again. It didn't involve her.

and you also avoid any discharge on your windshield this way.

Did you really think hard about that?  If the horses are in backwards you may end up needing to use you windshield wipers!!  If you have mares.

We made it into Pocatello last night.  Whew, what a blizzard.  Here is a pic the Wifey took at noon yesterday >>>

We made great milage yesterday in spite of the snow and ice. Horses seem to be doing much better in the trailer than they did in the back of the old pickup.

Great to relax and do a little email and websurfing here in these luxurious LQs we have now.  I was reading on this site and I have a few questions:  What are trailer weights and where do they go?  Are  they used to reduce the bouncing? Where do you buy them?  What's better: aluminum weights or steel weights?

Also wanted your opinion about tires: When should I replace them?  They look like this now 

Good times here in Pocatello! The blizzard finally blew on through and this afternoon has been great.  We came up here for a little horse show . . . tough competition but we have taken away our share of the prizes in freestyle dressage and cutting!!! It was a terrific day until late this afternoon: The horses ride backwards in this trailer since we torched the mangers at a welding shop about twenty miles outside of Denver. We had the welder turn the mangers into a hay rack for the top of the trailer.  Anyway, I was turning the trailer around to get the horses to back into the trailer and darned if I didn’t turn too sharp and knock out the rear window of the truck again!!! That must be the fifth time I have done that in the last couple of weeks.  May have to put some kind of a warning buzzer in the truck to tell me if I have turned sharper than 12 degrees.  Anybody done that before?

We are on the road again tomorrow headed for Flat River Nevada and the Irish Draft Pony Conference.  We are still eager to talk to the Blue Moon folks about a free trailer but the more we stay in this LQ that we picked up in Denver the better we are liking it.  

If just a couple of things were different we might just keep it.

The things that bother us are:

• The worm flooring (we had it treated with chlordane and diazanon before we took delivery in Denver but they are still there)
• There is no cowgirl shower  (Wifey is really needing a shower about now)
• We don’t think it has Ellie Dee lights (not sure what brand they are)

If you have suggestions about any of the above topics, Wifey and I would love to hear from you.  She is especially concerned about the worm floors and cowgirl shower.

Got several PMs about the backward riding horses.

I don’t have any pics of our horses trailering that way because I am usually driving and its hard to take pictures of the back of the trailer while I am driving.  I am a little shy about turning this truck and trailer very sharp to get a look back there because of my history (some of you are familiar with it) of taking out the back window of the truck with the gooseneck .

Here's a shot of another backwards roller from a few weeks back while driving between Pecos, TX and Carlsbad, NM. Thought you might like to see how it looks. See how relaxed the horses are?

http://www.goateye.com/albums/gcommisc/horsei15.sized.jpg

Also have this picture of my nephew riding one of our horses.  As you can see both the boy and the horse are used to the movement and very comfortable with it.

http://www.southalgonquincamp.com/photos/courtney%20backwards.jpg

Gee - all that space in the LQ and you couldn't fit 2 showers.... as for the worm flooring, I've heard that an acid wash will take care of that problem, but you gotta put booties on the horses so their feet don't get burned.  Course they have burned manes so maybe they're getting used to it by now.

Have fun at the Irish Draft Pony Conference and keep sending the pictures and updates. 

Making good time today.  The weather is clearing up real nice and the horses are having a great time seeing where they have been.  We stopped in Salt Lake City today for some diesel and a chance to stretch our legs and let the horses take a load off.  Here is a pic of one of them enjoying the break

While we were taking our little rest stop several people came over to admire the rig.  Of course we are real proud of it so we gave them the full tour of the trailer and bored them with all the details. (don't you have fun doing that?!!)

One of them commented about what she called the "walk thru door."  This was a new term to me.  I didn't know there was any other kind.  Are there "hop thru doors" , "waltz thru doors", "skip thru doors" or "crawl thru doors"  Mercy, what other kind of door would there be?    Next thing you know people will be calling the thing in the closet the "hot water heater" instead of the "water heater."

I hope that someone on this board can tell me about those doors that aren't the walk thru kind. 

We are settled in for the night in Bountiful Utah and it is.  Great place here.

RollinPonies,

  Excellent point on the walk thru doors, here's another one for ya to ponder while y'all are taking your rest break... why do they call that thing in the closet a hot water heater?  If the water is hot, why does it need heated?  Shouldn't we call them... cold water heaters?  LOL,  P.S.  I LOVE your new LQ's, very plush. P.S.S. Does your new trailer have grease or oil-bath hubs??

Mr. Bit,

Thanks for asking about the hubs.  I'm not too sure about this trailer.  You know we've only had it a few days.

On previous trailers I have tried the oil bath hubs because everyone told me they were really special.  I found that the oil bath was an even bigger mess than packing bearings with grease by hand . . . can you imagine what it was like taking a bath in that stuff?   I had that oil in places I didn't know I had!  I gave that up pretty quick.

I'll check into the hubs on the next stop and let you know whats down there.

I do know that the bearing retard pully is made of carbon fiber and isn't supposed to rust or leak.  I'm not sure if it is 20 amp or 30 amp.

Back to the door between the LQ and the rear of the trailer: Ours are defanitely made for walking through.  Here is a pic of them

Happy trails

PS - Interesting to see the "ya'll" in your post.  Didn't know you used that word in northern Indiana.  Did you know that the plural of "ya'll" is "all ya'll" ? Just another helpful bit of info for you.

Silly me, I thought you'd have those fancy "star trek" doors that open automatically as you walk up to them.  All the Blue Moon trailers have them......

 Has wifey taken a shower yet?  

From Hay2ride:

"LOL! Anyone want to take a guess at who Rollin really is?"

I still think it's a jessejames alias!!!

http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=38489795/PictureID=1119907066/a=45649362_45649362/t_=45649362

I think this would be the way to go for many horse owners who just don't want to buy that gas-guzzling truck and fancy horse trailer. This set-up would suit just about any family. I especially like the feed bag on the horse!

RollinPonies,

  I forgot to ask ya, why did y'all settle on a two horse, didn't you want the extra stall of a three horse so you could haul your prtable corral panels?  Ya know the resale value will be much greater when you get your new BlueMoon trailer and go to sell this one.  At least, that's what I read.   Oh yeah, one more thing... I'm not from N. Indiana, that's just where I'm stuck for now. Y'all know what I mean?!?  You and wifey be careful and remember, take any hills that you are concerned about in 4 low, better safe than sorry.  Now, If I may quote Tigger..."T T F N"

Mr. Bit,

We are still here in Bountiful, Utah.  Really enjoying it too. A truly beautiful place.  Even the horses love it.

Since were are taking a little time to relax I checked out the trailer bearings as I promised earlier.  These are really something. Self lubricating, maintenace free.  Take a look:

I really like these new passive radial bearings.  I expect all trailers will have them before long.  Almost sure that the Blue Moon trailers have had them for years. Rest easy.  We are rolling on terrific bearings.

There is one thing that has been troubling me a lot lately. Its not the national debt, the global ecology or the global economy.  I have really been concerned about the issue of tire rotation patterns.  Many of you probably have been too.  Wifey did some research and the more we read the more disturbing it all appeared to us.  Take a look at this and see what you think.

Just imagine!  See why Wifey and I are so concerned with the issue of tire rotation?

The problem is compounded by rust and acid washing.

Just my 2 cents.

PS: Brillo I PM'd you with more detail but they are now only one to a customer here in Utah. 

M.F.B., What a great rig. VERY efficient use of space. Also must tell you that is one very well trained horse. Obviously he doesn't need a ramp. Thanks for sharing the pic! Here it is for those of you that didn't see it before . . .

http://www.snapfish.com/viewsharedphoto/p=312101142031775200/l=85753254/otsc=SYE/otsi=SPIC;jsessionid=063FF61C4F781B44A685D8EFEAD703B3

Cloud,

The ice pick method was sure but slow. Had to give it up. The cracked glass worked well and I have a huge supply of it from the rear window(s) Thanks for the hint. If I keep this trailer I will probably have the floor redone with gunnite because of all its obvious benefits.

Thanks for asking about it here in Bountiful.  Here's a pic of some of the activity going on.

RE: the bearings 

Revolutions are usually a good thing with bearings, sometimes good/sometimes bad when its the masses (ask the Romanoffs.)  I am not too concerned about the trailer bearings.  Although the horses and trailer are pretty heavy, they are not a weighty matter in the big scheme of things.

Here's my philosopy about that: "Every day the wheels turn, the trailer rolls, Wifey and I stay happy, the horses are spoiled and life goes on, albeit sometimes with a broken rear window and a dented cab."

roll on

We arrived here in Flat River Nevada around mid-afternoon today.  Wow! What a place!

This town is PACKED with people and ponies due to the Irish Draft Pony Conference (IDPANA)  This is one BIG, BIG conference. Here is a picture inside the Conference Hall late this afternoon >>>

 It looks like the vendor show is huge and people are flocking in here.  

We saw a guy 10 blocks away from the conference standing beside the freeway with a sign that said “looking for living quarters”  This town is horse trailer crazy right now.

I think all of the major horse trailer manufacturers are here.  Of course you know that I only came to see ONE: the Blue Moon Horse Trailer Company, manufacturers of trailers that use only magnesium and krypton, never age, oxidize, rust, flex or get those pesky black streaks.

We are really having mixed feelings about parting with the LQ trailer that we got in Denver.  In just a few days we have become so attached to it. So much space in so little space . . . it really is amazing.  In fact it is much nicer than our house back in Texas.

Wifey was pretty busy this afternoon (getting the horses unloaded, the LQ set up, getting a fire going in the fireplace and cooking dinner) so I sat down to talk to some folks about the conference.  There is a rumor running around here that Mr. Truck will make a personal appearance at one of the big truck exhibits.  Supposedly he will be signing his autograph on truck user manuals.  Eveyone has dug theirs out of the glove box and is carrying it with them just in case.

On Saturday the Conference is having Baxter Black Day.  Instead of thousands of Elvis impersonators like they have down the road in Las Vegas, there will be thousands of Baxter Black impersonators here in Flat River at the Irish Draft Pony Conference.  That ought to be a sight!  The local Wal-mart has sold out of moustache wax.

Sorry about all the off topic stuff.  Back to the reason for this board: horse trailers.

Wifey and I got into a big argument while driving down I-15 this afternoon.  I say that a rear tack is better and she says a mid tack is better. Usually she is a very logical person but I think this time she has just lost it!  Please settle an argument for us. I talked to a guy parked next to us that has his tack on a roof rack.  

Where are your tacks?

I think Bit will agree with me, but as long as you are South of I-80 its standard practice to use ya'll.  At least thats what them Northerners in Chicago tell me.

That's a good question on the tire rotation.  I've wondered that as well.  I've found that when I'm going forward, my tires rotate clockwise, and when I'm backing up, they rotate counter-clockwise.  Is this normal?   If not, what should I do about it?

You sure can learn alot on this site!

Stand on the other side and they will turn clockwise.........

On another thread there is a question about determining the tongue weight. Thought you might like to know that there is a new scale for helping people determine the tongue weight.  They have them for sale here at the conference . . . really cool and simple . . . much easier than that old trick of using the 2X4s and a bathroom scale.  I'll try to find out where they can be bought.   Here is what they look like >>>>

I be back to you soon with more from the big Conference and the Blue Moon Trailer Company.

roll on

We took a trip over the the Blue Moon Trailer Company exhibit this afternoon.

Gee whiz! Am I ever impressed!!!

The trailer that we are most interested in is a 2 horse, goose neck, straight load with living quarters.

Just like I had been led to believe, the construction does not use ANY steel. All of the trailer body and roof is manufactured of magnesium and krypton.  “What about the goose neck itself and the undercarriage?” you are probably asking.  As you all know those components are commonly steel, even on “all aluminum” trailers.  The Blue Moon trailers don’t use any steel there either.  Those critical parts are manufactured out of non-rusting unobtainium.  It makes their trailers the most corrosion free of any horse trailer in the world. Shoot, these trailers will still be around in ten thousand years! (Thats twice as long as a Dodge Ram with a Cummins diesel.)  The Blue Moon uses passive radial bearings, liquid hydrogen cooled brakes. What a package. These trailers are designed by former NASA engineers.  Pretty impressive, huh?  I amost forgot, the Blue Moons don't have ramps.  Instead they lower themselves down to ground level so slowly that the horse doesn't know they are moving.  Then they just walk out at ground level. The horses will love this part . . . they can ride facing forward OR backward.

The craftsmanship is beyond compare: it is hand assembled by sixteen brothers, sisters and cousins in a family owned business that has been building wheeled vehicles in Dewey Oklahoma since 1810. No corporation rip-off here! Each trailer takes seventeen weeks to assemble only from parts made in Indiana and Ohio.  And the best part: they don’t want to make a profit when they complete one. They have big hearts and just want us to keep as much of our hard earned money as possible. The reason that few of us have heard of them is that they don’t advertise . . . they feel that it would be an unwarranted and unfair expense to include in the cost of the trailer.

 It’s the perfect world: best materials, design and construction, American manufactured by a family business,  and they want the market to have them for less than it costs to build them.  That’s what I call fair.

Now comes the hard part: if they want to give us one do we want to part with the LQ that we are pulling now?  We are going to consult the horses before we make a decision.

Do any of ya'll have experience with the Blue Moon trailers?

I’m going to try and get some pics of their 2006 models.

Roll on.

I believe that you will agree this is awesome! 

Here is the interior of the LQ

Here is the interior of the horse compartment . . . bigger than any other two horse straight on the inside . . . conventional size on the outside.  I just don't know how they do it!!!! It is so big that they put three horses in their two horse trailer.  Those former NASA engineers are pretty smart folks.

The Blue Moon family has made me the offer of a free trailer!  What to do, what to do?

Ask them to provide more clearance between the truck and the neck-over.   Looks like you'll have to stay on road... otherwise suffer a crushed bedwall.

Unless there is some hidden extendable neck that automatically reacts to off-roading...

Where is the 60" plasma TV? Also mine had an indoor spa?  I hope they are not getting cheap after all these years of building trailers?

Wifey and I  have decided to keep the used trailer that we picked up in Denver a couple of weeks ago.  Hope that it doesn't turn to rust before our very eyes   or crush the cab and rear window  of our diesel monster.  We have put a revolving floor in this trailer so that the horses can ride however they want: forwards, backwards, sideways, whatever. (We are working on a way for them to watch movies and eat snacks too, but that is for another time)

We seriously considered the Blue Moon trailer. After a very difficult weighing of the offer we decided that there isn't a "perfect" trailer after all.  Despite lots of well intentioned advice (sometimes we have hard time separating advice from decrees) there was very little that was really definitively good or bad about the trailers we were considering.  It turned out that what was right for someone else wasn't always right for us and what we do with our horses and trailer.  We also found that if we do our routine maintenance and drive sensibly, our truck and trailer work just fine and our horses are safe and happy. Most of the horror stories that people liked to share are very uncommon . . . but bad news travels farthest and fastest.  When one nut-case (is that a hyphenated word?)  puts his two horses in a broken down trailer with no brakes and tries to pull it with a LUV pickup, things do go wrong but that isn't the norm and it doesn't happen very often. Even so, eveyone talks about it   for years and the story makes it around the world twenty two times like it just happened yesterday to the people next door.

If the Blue Moon trailer interested you, I highly recommend that you give those folks a call or meet them at the Irish Draft Pony Conference in Flat River Nevada next year.  Who knows . . . they may offer you one at the fair price of free.

Thanks to all of you for your comments.  We definately hope you enjoyed the ride along with us.  Thanks to DaveM for having such a great website where we can have a little fun and learn a lot!!!

Don't fall off the ramp! 

roll on

Good luck Rollin.

Let us know how this trailer works out in the "long haul." Hope to hear more from you and Wifey and your horsey adventures.

Thanks for the laughs. 

I am planning another trip to the Irish Draft Pony Conference in Flat River in March. I am really concerned about several things as  I plan for this trip:

1. Is there a route that will get me there without pulling my gooseneck trailer over a railroad crossing?
2. How much will my new truck pull?
3. Can I turn my truck & trailer without breaking out the rear window of the truck?  (it is a short bed)

I'll keep you informed about my preparation for the trip.

Roll on