"I just wanted to express my gratitude for helping to sponsor me by use of your trailer. This trailer is exactly what I pictured and more. My horses have already ridden in it and seem to enjoy the ride. They really like the spaciousness of the extra wide stalls. My advanced horse feels much more confident going into the 7’6” tall rather than the 7’. You were all great to work with and I appreciated this very much. This trailer will be traveling the country this summer, and will continue to go from show to show. This is a great trailer to promote, and I have already given people your information about trailers. I will send pictures of my advanced horse, and we are trying to qualify to be at Rolex Kentucky next year. Thank you again for all of your help, and for this amazing trailer."

Sarah

"I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you how much we like our new HUT…we haven’t had a chance to take it camping yet but we have enjoyed going through it and showing it off to our neighbors and family. We have tried out many of the functions and everything is good. Thanks again for the great treatment and a great trailer! In a nutshell.. Great Product ! Good people to work with both at the dealership and the factory. Lakota has put a lot of thought into details and we are proudly showing them off ! If things continue the way that they have so far, we will be good ambassadors for Lakota and Midway Trailer sales !!"

Sandy and Jim

"I absolutely love our new trailer!! Thanks for for all of your help."

Della - Proud new owner of Lakota HUT

"I would like to let you know what a nice representative you have for Lakota Trailers in Martinsville,In. I just bought your HUT trailer from him and want you to know that he was kind,courteous,professional and just plain bent over backwards to help me in every way possible. A very good experience in buying the trailer. Just wanted you to know. "

Thank you, Billie

"On June 1st I purchased a Lakota B.P. Hut trailer. I am so pleased with it that I wanted to write to you. As a 64 year old woman, I feel that this trailer fills a need in the industry for the upcoming baby boomers. I would love to buy stock in your company as this trailer is a money maker. It is a well planned trailer that has so many plusses for the weekend camper. I would highly recommend this trailer to anyone who does not have a truck and wants to camp with their horse."

Sincerely, Karen

I purchased a HUT and since doing so I have almost been killed three times.  I am fine until I put that second horse in the trailer.  Do you pull 2 horses?  and if so and you have no problems please let me know how you are setup to tow. 

Example...truck, hitch, equalizer bars? and/or antisway etc.

What are you pulling it with? is it the 6;9" wide or the 8' wide model?

CRG, this is the two horse BP with LQ that snakes all over the road when loaded with two horses. She has purchased everything new, and every type of equipment including a truck, in an effort to make the rig work.

It won't. When she said she was almost killed, she wasn't exaggerating.

This original posting was a couple of months ago.

Gard

I'll takea look at it.I had not remembered reading it,but,I remember seeing the new prototype in some literature,or someplace.

I wonder what the problem is? Is it the weight,or the length,or the general design of it? It looks ideal for say a single person.

Hi it is Teri who wrote about the Lakota trailer mentioned here.  the problem is that the second horse has it's front legs over the back wheel of the trailer but his hind end is not over the wheel well and I think that is why the second horse causes the sway.  Let me tell you on Friday it was the tail wagging the dog...something no one would ever wish to happen.  It took my two hands on the wheel, forget trying to uses the electric brake switch to help me.  I was on the shoulder of the interstate listening to the brump..brump...brump when you hit the rough edge of the shoulder telling you that you are going off the road.  If I had gone off the edge onto the soft shoulder I know I would have flipped the trailer as I would have had no control.  The thing that upsets me most is that I have tried everything and can you imagine the shock when this happened and I was ready for everyting to be alright.  I cry a lot now.

CRG, here's the original thread....  http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/forum/thread-view.asp?threadid=8810&start=1

  I believe I would be on the phone with Lakota everyday until they bought this HUT bumper pull trailer back. You got a nice enough truck now to pull a decent size gooseneck LQ! I wonder how many they have sold and how many of them are having the same problems. Some folks may only be carrying one horse or maybe a couple 700-900# horses. They are not adding enough weight behind the wheels to upset the balance.

 Anyway, I'm no trailer engineer, but the first time I looked at one I had this feeling that the axles were too far forward. I guess you got to add some type of ballast to the nose of the trailer like hanging suit case weights on the front of a farm tractor, to compensate for the weight of the second horse hanging behind the axles.

  Don't cry, that ain't going to make it right. Call the dealer you bought it from and call Lakota and give them HELL!! This has been going on long enough..

You don't want your horses to end up like these...  http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/Trailer_wreck.htm

MYSTICSMOM,

One of the amended rules in effect for this form, is the disclosure of any poster to provide his relationship to the product or dealership of which he is involved. Yours is?

Gard

Rentento's right,gal.Don't cry about it,that's what would make their day,to be able to classify you as a weak,timid,sniveling female who backs down in the face of the big boys (and girls) that would like you to just "go away." You stay after them,and notify every agency that you think might be interested if they aren't willing to make this right,such as: your state's attorney general's office,BBB,ect ect.

"Whose top dog,baby sister?" "The one that fights the hardest." ('Comes A Horseman')

You are right, MYSTICSMOM is Gator Trailers in Sorento, Florida who I have spoken with and is a Lakota dealer that was very helpful in showing me the equalizer bar she uses when she sells a Lakota HUT.

Lakota said to do it.....and I did it.

Lakota just wrote and said I should contact Gator Trailers and trade in my HUT for a g/n.  I would like to know what Gator Trailers is going to do if I do this.  Who will be sold my trailer and then what?

I have to think on this.

I am going to contact the dealer the mfg says to and try and get this resolved.  I do appreciate the mfg trying to work this out with me.  I also appreciate Gator Trailers for helping as this is not where I purchased the HUT from.  they have offered to help me since this problem started also. I have heard nothing from the dealer I purchased this from.  Shame on them.  I will let you know how this works out.....hopefully well.

Thank you all

  While it seems that you are well-advised to replace your HUT with a Gooseneck LQ, it makes me wonder, what happens to the next person who gets your old trailer? Obviously, if it sways dangerously for you, it will be the same for the next victim.

  Since the manufacturer recommends that you get rid of the trailer, are they going to re-imburse for the trade difference in a new vs. used model? What about all the other bumper pull LQ trailers out their with heavy tongue weight? Good luck.

I am working with a Lakota dealer to replace my model with a gooseneck.  Unfortunately they do not have used trailers and I know the gooseneck is going to be more than I can afford right now.  Remember I also purchased a truck but I have to see what we can do to work this out.  the main problem is I have spent a lot of money and the banker is broke.  Remember I did not plan any of this to happen.

I would think that it would be in the best interest of the manufacturer to "buy" back the lemon unit than to pay the settlement AFTER the wreck. Since the settlement after the WRECK could end up costing them 100 times the value of the trailer. Get an attorney. You should be able to carry two horses in a two horse trailer safely, if the trailer was engineered right.

In law, there's a clause that states a product has a "Warranty of Merchantability". What that means is, if a manufacturer makes, promotes and sells a product for a specific purpose, that product has to be able to do what it was sold to do. If it does not, the manufacturer can be held accountable, and be forced to make restitution.

Lakota has sent her a letter stating their intentions to settle the matter. It will be interesting to see how serious they are in doing so.

Gard

Mysticsmom,

I noticed you said you are a "user" of the Hut. (The Fl Lakota dealer as well)  I see where Teri asked you have you ever pulled 2 horses in that trailer and you never did respond to that.  I can assure you Teri's rig is hooked up properly (She had three professional people look over the rig and even had a professional truck driver hook it for the last test drive she will ever take) and I am sure if you as a dealer would like to drive to Naples to view the truck and trailer yourself she would be more than happy to let you see it.  You stated she wants a larger unit, extra stalls etc etc- I recall her post saying she was even willing to swap Lakota for a USED goosneck trailer just to be safe.  I am sure if you had a 2 horse gooseneck with L/Q she would be happy with that.  It is my understanding you do not offer that.  So to sit on this chat and state she wants bigger and better is false and paints this post in the wrong light.  I think most people on this chat would agree that she just wants Lakota to fix this problem.  I don't think Teri should have to do another thing.  I think Lakota should send their rep to Naples and do whatever tests need to be done.  I also think Lakota should deliver a new gooseneck trailer to her or offer her 100% of her money back to her.  I also know that Teri has had correspondence with other Hut owners that have the same problem.  You are going to find the HUT trailer is defective in design.  I think Teri is frustrated and I think Lakota has asked her to do enough and Lakota should send a rep to her.   She is trying to get this problem resolved not upgrade to a "bigger and better unit"  She could have just traded it but she is fearful for whoever else might end up with it.  I find that a far cry from "wanting just a larger gooseneck"  

We don't have a LQ BP trailer,just a 3H slant steel stock trailer.I believe that it is 18' long.THe front horse is over and slightly in front of the first axle,the second horse is over the second axle.The greatest stall length is in the back.

We hauled 2 horses to MO Sunday,and put one in the 2nd stall,and my husband's 19 yr old mare who likes a lot of room in the back stall.Almost to our destination,traveling about 60,I looked back in the passenger mirror,and noticed that the trailer was swaying slightly.Nothing major,but,I could definately see it.I told my husband,who was driving,and he noticed.I told him to let off the speed a tad,and when he did,it stopped.I've had that to happen with me before in a 2H side by side,and also with a 3H LQ w/10'SW.That tail wag the dog feeling.

I say this because until this thread,I did not realize about unloading the tongue and putting extra weight in the back of the trailer can cause this problem or worsen the tendency.We talked about this because I had been reading this for a few days.That is what we did without thinking,we unloaded tongue weight when we placed her in the very back over no axle,and the other horse was in the 2nd stall.She should have gone in the first stall,and he in the second.

On the way back,(minus our gelding) she went into the front stall over the first axle.No problem.She rode in comfort,and we rode with a lot more relief.I'm glad that I read this thread and realized that the issue also applied to what was happening to our old trailer.

 Your "3H slant steel stock trailer" is a BP?

It's a well known fact that all trailers have to have a proper tongue weight to tow properly. GN trailers, because the axles are placed so far aft, have little trouble with a light hitch weight, regardless of how they are loaded.

BP trailers are more limited to the amount of hitch weight they can have, because of the vehicle's towing and weight carrying capacities. Instead of the 25% or more of the trailer's weight being on the hitch, as is commonly attributed to a GN, they typically are in the 10% - 15% range of the trailer's weight.

The difference in tongue weight is accomplished by the placement of the trailer axles. The more forward they are placed, the more balanced the trailer becomes and the less tongue weight is applied to the tow vehicle. The GN axles will be very close to the aft part of the trailer, the BP will have its axles more to the center.

The Lakota HUT has a heavy LQ installed into the front of the BP trailer. If this installation were placed into an unmodified BP trailer, the tongue weight would be excessive for most towing vehicles. To decrease the tongue weight, the axles were moved more forward from a standard BP installation. This exact placement was critical, because the dynamic differences in trailer loading, may vary from 2000 to 3000 pounds, while the tongue weight could not.

With one horse in the trailer, its weight is over the axles, and the over all balance of the trailer is maintained. With the addition of a second horse behind the balance point of the axles, the tongue becomes too lightly weighted, and the trailer starts "snaking" or "wagging" while being towed at speed.

This is a classic problem with any bumper pull trailer, with too low a tongue weight. Adding auxiliary hitch accessories may mask the problem, but will not correct the fundamental discrepancy of an improper weight issue. A BP trailer will tow correctly without any auxiliary equipment, if it is trimmed correctly. This is proven by the thousands of trailers presently in use.

In most factories producing trailers, numerous templates and jigs are used while the frames are constructed. This ensures that each one is fabricated correctly,  and the many components are accurately installed, with little variation from unit to unit. This is necessary for the best tracking and towing characteristics. All the frames and axles far a particular trailer series, would be almost identically fabricated.

For one HUT to tow differently from the rest, is difficult to understand, if they are similarly constructed and connected to a proper hitch. For one person to have problems, and another with no difficulties, doesn't make sense unless the type of usage is considered. If one owner only trailers with a single horse, he would have no issues. If another owner always tows with two horses, his experiences would always be problematic.

I find it curious that any dealer of this model of trailer, has so little knowledge of any negative towing issues. If so many were sold and built the same, does this mean that all of the subsequent owners only trailered one horse? This isn't probable.

It sounds like the experiences of another trailer manufacturer, that denied any frame issues, until finally enough people voiced their problems. Their combined difficulties finally resulted in the manufacturer changing its material selection.

Perhaps if enough Lakota owners combine their experiences, a resolution can evolve.

Gard

  I would imagine that there's a huge difference in how this trailer pulls with a full water tank. With two horses, empty tanks,.. bad sway? With a full tank up front with two horses,.. less sway?

  Julibee, have you tried hauling the two horses with your water tanks/tanks full? I can't find any info on how much the fresh/grey/and black water tanks hold. Anyways, if the HUT has any water tanks, you can add 8.333# for every gallon you carry. That would add a good amount of tongue weight and help with the balance when hauling two horses.

  Again, just wondering.

Mysticmom, I was there when the Lakota technician reviewed Teri's trailer.  I can personally tell everyone that the technician they sent was professional, unbiased and a highly skilled trailer technician.    The technician and my husband took the trailer on the test drive with my 2 horses in it and I can assure everyone on this chat the the trailer did sway and that the technician said there was indeed a problem.  He looked at everything including the axles and they were not bent.  The tire belts were worn from improper load weight distribution as a result of the horses being in the trailer and the trailer not towing properly.   At no time did this technician come to the conclusion that the axles were bent.   As a matter of fact, The technician said the first 7 models of this trailer had problems.  This trailer was one of the 7 first models.  The other one is sitting on Nelsons lot in Ocala. (That trailer was bought and the lady went home and loaded her 2 horses and it swayed so bad she drove it back to Nelsons and traded it for a gooseneck that day)  The technician said that the axles would have to be removed and moved further back on the trailer that it was a design flaw.  Lakota refunded Teri's purchase money minus tax (I personally think she should have gotten that as well but I am biased) and they sent the trailer to your lot since it was damaged goods.  The people on this chat need to know Lakota did send a reputable technician, Lakota was a decent professional company and did settle with Teri but please do not come on here and say it was only a bent axle.  It was not.  It was a faulty design just others on this chat had alluded to.  Your dealership will be cutting off the existing axels and moving them to the proper location.  I think Lakota handled the return of Teri's money professionally and I hope they take all 7 of those original trailers and recall all of them. 

Hay Guys

I do not think the truth has been published yet? Keep watching for more info. Bee carefull what you ask for.

Wow...lots of drama.  But I recall other brands having "issues" as well.  I don't have a HUT trailer, but a Lakota GN 12 ft shortwall LQ Slide Out and I absolutely love it.  Lakota has been wonderful.  I am glad they did right by Terri and I truly hope they do recall those other trailers with the flaws. 

I stand by Lakota, I still believe they are very well made and they stand behind their products.  I am sorry Terri had to go through all that.  I am glad it all worked out for her. 

I don't feel that Lakota should be responsible for returning her tax as they don't "keep" the tax it goes to the state.   The state is not going to return the tax to the dealership because the trailer was refunded.

Why would we not want the truth?

Yes,there are several of us on here who aren't afraid of the truth,or of TELLING it to each other!

One thing I've noticed about mysticmom that is commendable is that: she's always been supportive and encouraging about "Terri" in her posts.

IT, seems like there are three stories. The truth. The whole truth. And everything but the truth!! I can't distinguish between the three of them. I'm off to a show this weekend and expect you all to have this all resolved before I return. Ya'll have a nice weekend!!

In the words of a famous California governor..."EYE'LL BEE BOK"!

Gatorjet and Terri know each other quite well, and have been in on the trailer problem together, right from the start.

It's amazing how different the two stories of the trailer's problems have evolved. The same rep was involved with both parties, and yet there were two different outcomes.

Now MYSTIC is trashing the veracity of Gatorjet, insinuating that she's not familiar with the problems and out come. Terri mentioned that several times she used the trailer, and that's when the problems began. Use any trailer at least once and see what two horses will do to a pristine interior.

Mystic seems to ignore the reps comments that the first seven HUTs in Terri's series of builds had the same problems. Lakota recognized this and changed the axle placements since then.

And by the way; how does Gatorjet know so much about Terri's business? She is Terri's daughter.

Gard

This is Teri writing and I need to put a stop to all this nonsense coming from Mysticsmom.  If she would do her homework and try to earn an "A" she would be more successful in selling something.  I think if she continuesto justify reasons to help her make sales she needs to go somewhere else and stop slaming me.  I own one horse and the other horse belonged to Gatorjet.  She put her horse at risk, which was a lot of me to ask but she did to help.

What is a conference call going to do...we were there not Mysticsmom.  Nothing was being said by me since I settled with Lakota as I was trying to find a way to make everyone understand it all but noooooo Mysticsmom had to give her explaination of what took place from what she made up or misunderstood and honestly she really did not do a good job of it.

Now use your imagination...why would a technician continue on with two horses in a trailer that has a bent axle and put us all at risk if they knew this was the problem.  Would you intentionally take two horses that you knew the owner/s were worried could die and continue on an interstate trip and put yourself at risk also!...come on....use your head instead of your verbal weakness.

One more thing...you have a trailer that was purchased and paid for by an individual to use however the owner wanted.  Did that owner buy a trailer, bend the axle intentionally.  If you want to know how the dent in the wheel happened...try swaying and hitting construction dubree on the highway for one and I'll take the time to explain pooooo in the trailer...isn't that what you get when you return from a trip and the technician asks if he can take it right away so that he does not have to return to this coast...So you shovel XXXX out the door...got it...might miss some.

Now the rest of the "this trailer was used" are you saying it was not built to hold up to the power of horses.....you are something else.

And finally....gee if I recall this trailer swayed the first day after purchasing it...do you think I can abuse something in such a short period of time...if you don't believe it call the dealer who will confirm this.

Enough said about it all.  How to win friends and influence people.  Go Girl.

QUOTE]Originally written by mysticsmom on 2008-04-14 12:13 PM
Mystic Mom you said the day you received the trailer on your lot  "The rest of the unit is in perfect condition as Teri has taken care of her trailer." and then after I came on here to dispute your statement about what the technician said, ( I was there and I heard it right out of the technicians mouth.)  you decide to come back on here and say: "I have the trailer and lets say it has been used quite a bit. There are dents in the wheel fender, a hole in the water heater cover, poo in the back, dents in the interior door, dents on the pass thru door, and scrapes on the back crossmember showing that this unit was used and pulled at an angle."

You sound like a child that has been called a name and you are retaliating.  Again, I will say, Lakota handled this professionally and again I will say the first 7 models made of the HUT had a small design flaw.  I would still recommend Lakota as a trailer to buy because they are a reputable dealer and admitted there was a problem and they worked with Teri and they came to an agreement and fixed it.  That is all Teri asked for and I am glad it is resolved.

However, your behavior as a dealer is way over the top and you need to learn to act professional like Lakota did.  I do not forsee me recommending Gator Trailers to any of my friends because your behavior speaks for itself.

I would be curious as to what the tongue weight of the 'newer' models are.  Somewhere back there was stated the tongue weight was 1200# empty.  If they move the axle back, fill the propane and water tanks, and with less weight removed when the horses are loaded (due to the more reward placement of the axles) how much is the tongue going to weigh then? 

Lakota itself has been in the RV business for a long time.  As far as making horsetrailers, I believe it is 2005.  They did make prototypes before that.  I also recall Exiss and other trailers having "issues" and having a similar recall situation.  I fully expect Shadow trailers to be recalled as well.  I was really shocked when I looked at them closely and saw how they are put together.

I fully stand behind Lakota, and I am typically a Featherlite/Exiss person.  I had a Featherlite for quite some time and loved it.  I love my Lakota GN LQ.  For the GN is the way to go. 

Hi everyone

Just want to update all of you wonderful informative people that I was able to take the money I received from Lakota and purchase a g/n trailer with l/q yesterday.  I was getting frantic trying to find one (used) within my price range and persistance paid off.  An ad was placed yesterday in some small local paper, I made an appointment to be the early bird and catch the worm, which I was; and it had most of the features I wanted plus it leaves me enough money to purchase a generator, electric motor to crank her up and a step to get inside the l/q more easily.  Remember I am over the hill.

So all is well that ends well.  It has been a roller coaster but using this chat room has given me the motivation and knowledge to handle these problems the right way.  As my Dad always said "the right thing is always the hard thing to do".  Thank you Dad.

Sincerely

Good for you Terri!!! I hope you spend much enjoyable time in your new trailer. I bet you will like the way this one tows.

Gard

I bought a Lakota HUT last summer (2007) and pulled it without a weight distribution hitch on an F150.  I did not have problems with swaying. However, the tongue weight was too heavy for my truck.  After installing a weight distribution hitch initially the trailer did sway.  A small adjustment to the weight distribution bars resolved the swaying issue.  The adjustment is simple and is necessary because when the horses load, weight shifts off the tongue.  The trailer pulls great. My horses only weigh around 1,800 - 2,000 together and even with the larger/heavier horse loaded at the back, it still doesn't sway. The dealer I bought my trailer from hauled an 18 hand cart horse in my unit and had no problems. Personally I don't think the slant load has enough stall length for two large horses but that's a different concern.

Do you know if your trailer was one of the first models?  Did you actually have any measured tongue weights?

Do you know if your trailer was one of the first models?  Did you actually have any measured tongue weights?

Lakota web site says the first year model for the HUT was 2006.  My unit is a 2007 model.  The labels on my sofa cushions had date around June 2007, but that doesn't mean anything about when the actual trailer was built. 

The Lakota advertised tongue weight is 950 lbs. and that is what is printed on the trailer as well.  As I recall, the payload of my F150 is 1,500#.  Pulling the loaded HUT with an F150 is at or slightly above the manufacturer's suggested weight limit for MY truck's configuration. My truck is a short bed, 4 doors, with 18" wheels, and 4X4, all of which cut into the towing capacity of the F150 advertised 10,500 #.  Each truck should be evaluated for weight capacity based on its specific options. 

I'm very conscientious about adding extra weight and balancing the load on my trailer because it does make all the difference in the world and like everyone else, I want a safe and comfortable trip. Before owning the HUT, I owned a Brenderup which is completely a dream pull trailer. I've towed other trailers with other tow vehicles,  including pulling a ski boat with a Honda Accord short distances. I've had a 24' F450 chassis RV that I pulled the Brenderup behind and would not have ever known it was back there.  I will tell you very sincerely that my truck is pulling the Lakota without an issue.

Also, I've had great experience with Lakota concerning my warranty items. A part on the electronic jack broke and they replaced the entire jack with a newer model.  There were never any doubts from them.  They were always polite, cooperative, and ready to quickly resolve the issues. The problems we reported were a leaky outside faucet which they replaced, a broken part on the jack which they replaced with a new year model jack, and difficult fit on one of the back doors caused from the center divider that the door latches on. I didn't want to take the trailer to a dealer for repairs as my boyfriend could fix everything and they helped him through it.

I wonder what the final analysis was for the woman's trailer?

I am the woman that owen the Lakota and the final alalysis was a bent axle.  Also, someone asked if you weighed the tongue weight...I did and it was 1,200# when it was empty.

From what I read, your trailer is different than mine and I purchased mine in March of 07 so I probably got one that was made at the end of 06.

I am happy you have no problems with yours and yes, Lakota did stand behind their product is why they purchased it back from me.  Due to the bad experiences I had, which were many, I would not go back to a bumper pull and wanted a gooseneck which everyone spoke highly of.

I am waiting to take ownership within the next two weeks.

LOL!!! CRG..... Here we go again. First they're bent, then they're not, no they are, yes they arn't. Ya'll still ain't tellin everything....... Are you?!!!

facts are not changing.  Instead of getting into all the details to someone new that is not having my problems, I just repeated what Lakota told me on the phone to simplify the explaination.  As far as my problems...they were real and if anyone has such problems with thier trailer...believe me they will get the detailed facts as I would not want anyone to risk their safety because of a trailer.  Believe me, I know the truth....I was the player in all of this.

well,neither does anyone else that is a regular on here,want anyone's safety risked.No one is disputing the truth,yours,theirs,or anyone's.I just remember what I read was: the axle was not bent,in bold letters.And you post that it was,so,hey,apparently,it was.

All of the design flaws aside,or whatever Lakota decides to do with their HUT trailer from here on out.You yourself are the one that said  that you were told that one of the axles was bent. 

Clarification......I received a phone call...after the fact....from the main office in Indiana.......from someone who did not inspect the trailer that the axle was bent...this is what Lakota said not what I said or believe or heard myself.

\

Wonder what made them say that?

that answer would have to come out of the mind that composed the words.  And that was not me. 

Just a guess, but it might be a better response than to say the trailer had a design flaw...

It could have been that particular trailer had a flaw but, I doubt there is a flaw with the HUT design on the trailer that I have.  It rides perfectly.  It seems that if there was a design flaw, everyone who bought one would have a problem and be requesting refunds.  Also, it would seem that Lakota would have redesigned HUT which, it doesn't appear to me that they have.  The Lakota web site is different from the last time I looked at it more than 6 months ago.  It has been amended to say that a weight distribution hitch is required for the trailer, that was not there when I bought my trailer in '07. 

I wonder if the trailer owner had a weight distribution hitch?  We may have already reviewed this topic though...

Unless your trailer was among the first seven of the series, you may be enjoying the lessons learned from their problems. As Paul alluded to, it may be easier to place blame on a bent axle, than to say that the axle placement was incorrect. Today's society now specializes in pointing fingers at someone else and saying, "it's not my fault".

Gard

Like Usual you said it well Gard

This comment make have made me look like a 'duuh' but,that's not what was on my mind when I made it.