We are looking for a new trailer and are having problems deciding between which one we want:

there is an 01 Exiss close by for 7500

friends of my parents back home have a 98?  4-star 2 horse slant with mangers.   I love the idea of a 4-star but my sister said the mangers make the stalls that much smaller $7000

Hawk, is a 99 looks to be in good condition but the owner hasn't sent any really good detailed pictures, I did get some good ones of the roof inside/out so I believe that the roof is in good shape (it seems Hawk puts on a thicker fiberglass than some others, but this one doens't seem to be loosing the top coat on it) $5800

Adams,  is an 08!  that we found and the owner would accept $7300  but I don't know a lot about the adams trailers.

so what are the good & bad of the listed trailers?  all are straight load except the 4-star.  all wooden floors with mats (except 4-star, does have one spot of discoloration on the floor around where a male would urinate, but doesn't appear to be pitting just a bit discolored).

I'm going to look at the Exiss this weekend hopefully, the hawk has the draw in price but the Adams has the draw in price/year.  the exiss and adams are both listed as suitable for larger horses which would be nice to not be limited down the road.

My own personal experience:

I have an older 4 Star - love it and it holds its value - similar models sell for what I paid 3 yrs ago.  I used to own an Adams -it was 4 yrs old when I purchased it.  Sold it for less than half what I paid after only 3 years.  It did not hold up and there were too many quality/poor design issues.

what year were your trailers?

and what points on the adams were breaking down?  right now the Exiss is looking to be our number 1 choice with the adams number 2.

the 4-star would be number 1 except for the mangers make it sound like it would be a bit more limiting to the size hrose I can get.  but i don't have a doubt that the wife's pony would fit most any trailer

My 4 Star is a 1992 and the Adams was a 2005.  Several of the welds broke on the Adams (mainly on the ties and the saddle rack).  The material used for the latches was not strong enough and bent when the horse leaned against it, making it really difficult to latch after that.  Poor design included the ties which were just wire bent in a loop and welded on to the top rail of the trailer inside - the ropes got stuck when it wedged in the corners and the opening was very small which made it difficult to feed a rope through.  The design where the sides met the foor made it extremely difficult to clean, trapping manure and hay.  Lots of sharp corners everywhere and sharp points on welds.  The butt bar was a thin tube with a chain fed through it that also bent easily.  One of the doors was not lined up properly and leaked.  The fenders were thin enough to bend by hand.  It appears the Adams are priced less because they use much lighter weight materials and do not spend the time to finish the details.  I parked the two trailers next to each other and the differences were quite evident.

IMO, older high quality trailers have already taken the hit in depreciation and will last much longer than the newer, entry level brands and you won't have to deal with repairs when the light duty parts fail.  They will also be easier to sell.

8 Foot wide with mangers in a 4-Star is not a tight fight and your horse will have the ability to put head down is your is averge size and hauls quietly.

We have 8 wide with mangers and love it. Gives a place to put hay and also water when stopped. And the extra storage under the manger is very nice.

The trailers you are comparing are so very different in construction and quality. 4-stars have a good reputation and hold value very well.... but it also comes down to how well the trailer was maintained.

the 4-star trailer is 8 hours away so had my parents take a look. 

 its a 96 only 86" wide  (so just over 7')  70" long stalls and only 28" wide.  Mom said that both of my sisters' horses would not fit, one too big all around and one too long.

also seems to have been left outside a lot,  the pins holding the doors shut were rather rusty and the aluminum was very oxidized and showed some signs of pitting.

The hawk is priced right but not advertised right so don't really want to take the 5hour trip to find rotten floor boards and who knows what else.  In the pics it was dirty, hay and shavings still in it but the person never took the time to pull it out from between a garage & bank so no way to get a good look at it.

So it's down to an 01 exiss (i think it's an SS 20 or 70 RP?)  and an 08 Adam

pulled in to look at the Exiss and the owner comes out and says "sorry to tell you just noticed a leak today"   not a big deal have read enough on here to know that it can be dealt with.

but after pulling up the mats on the floor and looking a bit the aluminum planks look in good shape but in 2 spots there was some flexing under my weight (125pounds)  so i'm a bit nervous about 1000 pounds of horse.  They are just 2 spots right in the corner.  I talked to a dealer/repair place that guesses it would probably be some simple welds and maybe a bit of bracing but obviously can't give me an answer without viewing it.

the steel part of the frame is also a bit rough but seems to mainly be a powdercoat issue flaking off, everything appears to be very even thickness and not a lot of extra rust coming off mainly just rusted but that is to be expected with 11 year old trailers I would think.

so what are your thoughts on the bit of flexing in the corner of a trailer with aluminum floors.  it's an 01 event model exiss so i think i read that it's individual planks are welded seperately if that makes any difference

and can you sandblast a steel frame without hurting the aluminum and how hard would it be to do (have a friend that sandblasts and paints on weekends)

The flexing of an Exiss floor is disconcerning. As you mentioned, it is constructed of an interlocking floor planking system, wherein each piece is welded to each cross member joist, which are located quite close together. This results in a very strong floor.

Our trailer has two floor joists completely removed except for the top webs, to facilitate tank installations. I helped build a LQ in a similar trailer, cutting out one joist. Neither trailers' floors have any resulting flexing around these areas.

If I read your posting correctly, your visual inspection found sound planking. The only reasonable conclusion I can then think of, would be some damage or failure to the structural subframe work. There may be a broken weld, an "I" joist, or a bad joint to the perimeter plate. The only way to discover the source of the problem, is have someone walk on the floor, whilst a second person is under the trailer inspecting the area.

Once the problem is located, a good welder can easily reinforce the area with additional materials. The steel subframe for the axles is not prone to rust throughs, and can easily be brightened with some media blasting and then painted. I would not use sand, and the opperator should mask the aluminum flooring with some Luan or some metal sheeting, to protect the softer aluminum. Nut shells or even baking soda will easily remove a light rust coating.

Another method for rust removal from steel, is the adapters that can be fitted to electric drills, which hold non woven abrasive materials. They can actually polish metals, without disturbing the base materials. Another tool is an angle grinder fitted with a wire cup or circular wire brush. A coarse flap sanding wheel used on the same tool, will easily remove the rust as well.

It may take a little work to restore the trailer to a new condition. Your estimated labours and costs to do so, should be deducted from your purchase price. Once it is restored, I think you'll find it very capable, reliable and rewarding to own. I and several friends are quite familiar with these models, and our ownership has been very satisfactory.

Your labour charges are in line with our fabricators. One thing about welds. Rewelding a broken aluminum weld, can result in a weaker joint than the original. Most repairs will include the reweld, grinding it smooth, then adding an additional plate (doubler) of the same material and thickness, which is welded over the original area. This will ensure the integrity of the joint.

I recently purchased an older aluminum 2h GN trailer, with minimal equipment, for more money than you're considering. That isn't a brag or an attempt at status. I did so because it is almost exactly what I wanted, and it was less than half the price of a new one. The over all condition is remarkable, and I'm pleased finding such a realitively unavaible used example.

A trailer without a LQ is simply a metal box on wheels. Because it is metallic, it can be repaired, modified, updated and kept usefull for a long time. It holds no secrets, and its construction is typical. A competent repair should last a life time.

In addition to your trailer repair dealer, I would suggest that you also inquire about fabricators for repair pricing, and techniques. It's always good to have multiple bids.

If you can purchase an aluminum trailer that will suit your needs for $7K, I say go for it. An aluminum trailer that is well maintained, is barely broken in at 11 years of age. It's not unreasonable to expect at least another decade of trouble free ownership.