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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 362
 
Location: Allegan, Michigan | Ok... I am going shopping this fall or next spring for a new trailer with living quarters. (yep spending spree...wheeeeeeeeeeee!!) Actually going to shop for a gently "used" model (make that new as well if in our price range). I have been eying the All aluminum Shadow Trailers. Found a 2007 3 horse w/10 foot slide out for 39K. Not sure I need all that room. But might be nice to have. I like the Featherlites but wish they were a bit wider. I prefer All aluminum if possible. (NOT shopping this minute, so if you have a trailer for sale..I can't look at it yet...have to get hubby approval so we can get the loan, and he is in Afghanistan, so kinda hard for him to sign loan papers right now..lol.... ) more than likely will be late winter, early springish time frame. I am just starting to do research now. This way I will have done my homework and know what I want. This will be my LAST trailer to buy!!! So I want to do it right! Thanks for all the input...
Edited by mrstacticalmedic 2007-10-11 8:53 AM
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Regular
Posts: 93
Location: Southern Indiana | I would like for you to check out Outlaw Conversions. They are simply the best of quality and service for an interior conversion company. Our conversion was in a 4 star trailer. When we purchased our LQ, of course a few minor items needed to be addressed. Would you believe that Outlaw had a dometic fridge person drive from Ohio to Southern Indiana (in our driveway) for the repair?? We purchased the trailer in Texas online. One small crack appeared in one area of wood while we talked with Dave(service manager of Outlaw) at the Congress---It was repaired while we were there!!!! I am telling ya..........Service with such PROFESSIONAL attitude these days goes a LONG way.............OUTLAW is simply number one on our list. We also loved our four star trailer.............The Only mistake made is that we sold our trailer to upgrade to an RV............when we purchase our next LQ,,,,,,it will have an outlaw interior. Feel free to email for questions if needed!!! |
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Expert
Posts: 2614
 
| We also used to own a trailer with an Outlaw conversion package,and they do beautiful interiors. However,we now have an Exiss with a Sierra conversion,and I must say that it is every bit as beautiful as OUtlaw's work,and,I found the layout to be better myself. Outlaw is excellent to deal with over the phone. |
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Regular
Posts: 93
Location: Southern Indiana | Glad to hear you are pleased with your exiss with sierra conversion. We purchased a new one b4 our 4 star and returned it after two weeks of ownership. Luckily for us after our purchase, it rained, poured, pretty much gates of heaven let loose...........our exiss did not stand up to the elements. The entire bed, gooseneck area was soaked and mildewed also with puddles in the middle of the floor from the ceiling. I will say sierra was going to replace everything to our satisfaction but since we financed the trailer- the finance agreement stated that if we had any problems the first 30 days to contact them. After talking with Tatonka finance, they refused to send payment to the trailer dealer for faulty merchandise. Thankfully I read the finance agreement carefully. I was very pleased to not have to worry about a possible lemon trailer everytime it rained. But I would bet every manufacturer has problems, it is HOW the company deals with them. I can speak from experience, Outlaw and Sierra have proven their customer - no questions asked. I will also ad, our first LQ was a small 720 all aluminum SUndowner. also an excellent trailer. |
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Expert
Posts: 2614
| I was wondering when that was coming. |
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Posts: 2614
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You can read in a previous thread on Exiss about my friend's brand new expensive 4 Star if you like,also.
Edited by crowleysridgegirl 2007-10-06 8:43 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 134
| Hi, I have owned a Sundowner, the 720 which is the all alumminum frame and it held up extremely well and pulled great. Never more than routine maintenance. I also had a Featherlite which i also had really good luck with. Wonderful layout in both trailers for the living quarters with plenty of storage. my featherlite was 8" wide which was more than wide enough. Most of the people I show with seem to favor the Sundowner, Featherlite, with a sprinkling of Harts and 4 Stars. Good luck and Have fun |
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Expert
Posts: 2614
| Featherlite was purchased by Universal which also owns Sooner and Exiss.Featherlite is trying to mount up a new ad campaign,I'm not sure if they will be the same trailer that they were in the past. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 274
Location: MO in woods | We are proud owners of 2 Sundowners.We love them and they hold value really well.Some dealerships prices are crazy high but for quality etc Sundowners you can't go wrong.Besides inside check welds,under carriage and take along trusted friend for advice n help.Love bigger windows in bunk area,larger area in stalls,saddle racks hold saddles in while traveling.We travel alot almost every weekend in IL.IN,MO,WI and never had any problems with Sundowner trailer.If we buy another one(which our 1999 looks NEW still) you can geuss it'll be SUNDOWNER-SIMPLY THE BEST.... |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 362
Location: Allegan, Michigan | Thank you to everyone! I really appreciate the advice you have given me. Definitely will be putting it to use. Seems Sundowners, Featherlites and Exiss seem to be the ones predominantly favored. Hubby will be home in April, so that is when we will be buying, more than likely will check out trailers at Equine Affaire in Columbus, OH, I recall LOTS of dealerships represented there. Plus we will get to enjoy a fun weekend to boot. We did buy a featherlite last year from Leonards, I have to say the salesman was awesome, but the service otherwise was horrible! What should have taken maybe an hour to take delivery we were there at least 3 freaking hours! That was ridiculous considering the trailer was paid in FULL and not financed whatsoever! It should have been ok, we knew you drove 6+hrs to get here, the trailer is washed, and ready to go, just sign on the dotted line and we will get you hooked up! The trailer was dirty and wasn't ready to go at all! I was furious! Oh well, you live and learn. Hopefully they have gotten better with their service and trailer prepping. |
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Regular
Posts: 53
Location: Grand Rapids, OH | I had a similar bad experience with TMI (Trailer Marketing Inc) in Walton. KY. They were awesome to deal with on the purchase but their service was REALLY crappy! I drove 4 hours to pick up my "repaired" trailer only to wait another 3 for them to finish. The service manager didn't help...the only thing he said to me was, "sorry for the B.S." The owner wasn't much better, pretty much shrugged his shoulders like "oh well." |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Farmville, VA | I'm with "Paints" on this one! Owned two Sundowner Sunlites, couldn't tell you about any service issues, I've never, ever had to do ANYTHING to either one of them. My current Sundowner Sunlite is a 2001 and looks new inside and out! I pulled my other Sundowner Sunlite for 10 or more years without every a service issue. Just keep in mind, shop around and trailers are like anything else. You generally get what you pay for! Good Luck! |
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Veteran
Posts: 150
Location: Farmville, VA | Let me clarify my above statement. I never have had to do anything but normal maintenance on tires, brakes and bearings. I know there many other good brands available. But Sundowner will always get my hard earned dollar(s)! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 560
Location: Mena, AR | No one has chimed in for Cimarron Norstar. I've owned 2 Exiss, first a 3H 4ft dressing room, and an 3H 8ft LQ. I had some minor problems with them, but Exiss did a good job of taking care of me. So other than the hassel of getting the trailers to & from the factory, and they had to try several times, I was happy with their service. The roof did leak on the first one. I got up top with a hose, found the leak and fixed it myself. My next trailer was a used 2003 Elite with 10 LQ, very nice trailer with an outlaw conversion. It had hydrolic brakes, which I could never get to work right with the brake controllers I tried. But it was a good trailer, and the next owner got the brakes to work by getting a controller from the maker's of the brakes. Duh... The LQ did not have enough hanging space, and it was a real problem for me. The trailer I have now is a '04 CM 3H 10ft LQ Norstar (Cimarron). I LOVE this trailer. I like the finish in the horse area much better than either the Exiss or Elite, it stays cooler in the summer due to the roof. (I don't have the roof issue), and I like the floor better than the pan floor in the Elite. It has a Bunk House conversion in it. Not the fine finish of the OutLaw, but pretty darn good. The only things I've had to address were things with the LQ, that you'd expect to run across. A/C broke, water hose came off after I had an outside water inlet replaced... Since your looking at used trailers, I certainly put the Cimarron on your list to look at. I think it is often overlooked, it is a good quality trailer and not as pricy as some with more popular name brands.-Betty
Edited by bjhouten 2007-10-09 4:28 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1871
Location: NY | I own an eby stock combo ,I like the size and the aluminum It is well build and still owned by the same people , I own a draft horse |
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Veteran
Posts: 282
Location: southcentral pennsylvania | You may want to do a search on this thread for Stidham Trailers. I have owned Stidhams since 1970. Their quality is impeccable. Bought my last 2 over the phone, sight unseen. That is how much faith I have in the product, and the family owned company. Brenda |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 720
| Look at Elite also. HD Oklahoma crafted quality. No flashy advertising, just a trailer built by a company owned by craftspeople. And it shows in the trailer. |
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Expert
Posts: 1723
Location: michigan | Personally, I wouldn't shop so much by brand as much as which trailer has what you want and need at a price you can afford. Every trailer has a owner with a horror story about this and that. I own a Exiss and its been very good but if and when I buy another, I'll look at all makes and models. Before you shop, make a list of what you want ( wish list) and what you need ( must have) within your price range and go from there. You can find a larger variety if your not hung up on brand. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Arkansas | Farmbabe, you are absolutely correct. Agree 100%. Have an Exiss, Sundowner, and CM, all serve their seperate needs very well. I don't bash trailers by brand, anyone of them can have lemon or a bad day. Buy the trailer by that particular individual trailer, who knows, you may get the one where quality control was really on the ball on that particular day! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 736
Location: Western WA | Buy the best you can find is good advice, especially buying used. You won't be able to custom design your LQ or horse features. Make a list of must have features and like to have features, establish your price range, and buy the best you can find that fits you parameters. I don't think there are any bad trailer brands out there, and like someone else pointed out, things slip by the QA folks. |
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Veteran
Posts: 190
Location: Texas | My three favorites in order of preference: 1. BlueMoon, because it is the very best in every way. 2. Sundowner, because it is practical, reliable, durable and big. 3. Paydfore, because it may not be pretty but it works and is affordable. roll on!
Edited by RollinPonies 2007-10-10 2:32 PM
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.jpg) Expert
Posts: 2828
Location: Southern New Mexico | I'll second RollinPonies on the paydfore. Mine is 10yrs old and doing great. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 489
Location: CA | Yeah, Rollin! You can't compete with Paydfore. Mine's a Paydfore/Featherlite and I wouldn't trade it for anything. |
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Expert
Posts: 1871
Location: NY | farmbabe is 1000% right that is how I did it and you will be happy that you did |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 362
Location: Allegan, Michigan | We found out we can get a new trailer with a slide out and complete LQ for around 40k. It is the Shadow trailer. We are seriously going to check them out. We can get a 3 horse slant, with ten foot Lq with an 8 ft slide for around 39k brand new (with taxes,tags around 42k). I don't need that much LQ and will probably look at the 8ft lq with the 6ft slide. I found out there is a dealership not far from my moms house up by Temple, MI, the dealer ship is in Lake City. Next time I am up visiting my mom (2 1/2 hr drive one way) I will head up there and check them out. I have been to Millbrooks in GR already, have found them to be grossly over priced and the sales folks not very friendly except for Sarah, she was nice! I have learned alot and when hubby comes home in April I think we will have fun shopping! |
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Expert
Posts: 1723
Location: michigan | I think I drove past the dealership your talking about in Lake City last summer. I didn't see a huge assortment on the lot at that time. I didn't get a chance to stop in but it nice to see another dealer up north. Good Luck |
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Expert
Posts: 2828
Location: Southern New Mexico | Yeah, Rollin! You can't compete with Paydfore. Mine's a Paydfore/Featherlite and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Hey! That's the same as mine. Except I would trade it for an aluminium trailer with a weekend package. Mine is steel with just a dressing room. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 362
Location: Allegan, Michigan | Rollin: ours will be a Paydfor within 1-2 yrs of purchasing it. Farmbabe: Hey thanks for the great advice. I went window shopping yesterday. Decided I do not care for the Sundowners at all. I do like the Cimmarons ALOT. I even stopped at a featherlite dealership and they are putting together a package estimate for me with all the amenities I want. I plan on heading up to Lake City early next week just to get a gander at the Shadow trailers. I also plan on going to Watervliet to Triple C and talk to Adam Crouch there and see what he has. I think he has 4 star, Hawks, and Merhows there if I remember correctly. I also heard Robbs Trailer sales on the other side of the state has quite a few as well. I want to check out all the different brands. I was asking what folks liked about their favorite so I could get an idea what differences there were and what to watch for. |
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Veteran
Posts: 196
Location: WI | Decided I do not care for the Sundowners at all. I do like the Cimmarons ALOT. Please let me know what you didn't like about the Sundowners. We were going to be looking at them next - maybe you can save us a trip. I'm liking the Cimmarons too. Nice. Didya try Prices Trailer? They're on your side of the pond. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 362
Location: Allegan, Michigan | I forgot about Prices. They usually have a decent selection. About the sundowners, I didn't care for the decor inside, very cheap and cheesy looking. The leather/vinyl trim on the walls was just too much for me. The decor was definitely lower end. If you look inside the Cimmarons you will see a much nicer trim, the same with the 4 stars and Featherlites I looked at. I also didn't like the layout, seemed cramped too me, even with the slide out. I also prefer All aluminum vs aluminum skin such as the sundowners offer. I thought the Cimmarons had a bit more head room in the bunk area as well vs the sundowners. But to each their own. My tastes may not be the same as yours. But to me it was lower grade materials and cheesy. |
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Member
Posts: 8
Location: Goshen, IN | I just made the big trailer decision. I spent a long time doing my homework and finally purchased a Keifer Built Stock Combo (3 horse slant). I've had it for 1 month and so far, so good. I do not camp for long periods of time..just a night or two so the dressing area is plenty for me. I have always pulled bumper pull trailers but absolutely love the gooseneck. The stock option gives me more options as I use the trailer for other stock on occasion. The step into the trailer is slightly higher than my old trailer and my horses had to "think" the first time...now no big deal! Also trailer is alum. I also put a collapsable saddle tree in so when camping just drop that down and have extra room. |
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Favorite Trailer brand and why.
