Posted 2005-05-17 12:52 PM (#25216) Subject: Silver Star
Member
Posts: 41 Location: n/a
I heard that the Silver Star is the same as the Sundowner without the Sundowner name; therefore, supporting the lesser price range and reaching out to a larger group of consumers.
Is this true and how can I find out if it is or not?
Posted 2005-05-17 6:35 PM (#25232 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
NOT! Silver Star trailers are built in Ridgeland S.C., Sundowners are out of Coleman OK. They are about as much the same as C&C and a Feather Light. Me thinks that someone is shooting you a line of &!$@. Where exactly did you get your info?
Posted 2005-05-17 8:24 PM (#25239 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 456 Location: south of Cowtown, TEXAS
I have no idea who, where, when or why but can tell you they are excellent trailers. I love mine and everyone that I know that has one, loves theirs too. No complaints whatsoever.
Posted 2005-05-18 6:21 AM (#25248 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Member
Posts: 41 Location: n/a
Ok, that is what I was thinking to. Could I be wrong with that name though?
Does anyone know if a "something" star or star "something" is as I mentioned earlier?
Maybe I just miss understood and I was told that the two trailers are common in make structure wise.
Now I am totally confused, thanks everyone for your input, I will have to re-ask the person to figure out exactly what they said to prevent any confusion.
Posted 2005-05-19 2:08 PM (#25314 - in reply to #25300) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Member
Posts: 23
I have an '05 Starlite 2000 2H GN. Just picked it up a week ago. I've given it a pretty thorough go-through and I would say the trailer's well worth the money. This one was $15.5K total but that includes a few extras put on it by Silver Star and by the dealer.Weaknesses:1. No place forward of the horses' heads to hang hay nets or to bolt/weld rings for that purpose. The dealer installed a hay ring just forward of the front side of the center post for hay nets. The horses will have to "eat sideways."2. Door hinges and latches are good-quality but the hinges are riveted rather than bolted to the trailer. Only time will tell how this method holds up. There is some side-frame flex when a door is opened and pushed against (into) the door-holder.3. The trailer has a "low manger" which means that if you're hauling with a high 4WD you'll have to run the GN at minimum length, and even then you might have a 2-3 degree back-tilt (which I have, with an '01 Chevy Silverado 4WD short-cab long-bed). The distance between top of the bed and bottom of the trailer frame is just barely sufficient like this.4. Center (full) divider has a sharp bottom edge that can cut horses' ankles. My dealer and I have notified the factory of this, and I will be seeing the factory rep weekend after next to point this out to him. I am getting a new taller bottom divider with this edge beveled.5. Drain holes are present in the front of the horse area at the outside corners but not in back corners.6. When the rear ramp is down, there is a wide, hoof-sized gap between the back edge of the floor and the front edge of the ramp. A spring-loaded diamond plate covers this gap but I was told by my salesman that this was installed by the dealer, not by the factory.7. Rear ramp has a few exposed, raised bolts across its surface. Obviously, a horse can slip a bit on these if he hits them just right.8. Butt-bar and chest-bar pins are not wire-attached, so they might get lost (but this is an easy fix, obviously). Also, the pins are not tapered and the holes are not chamfered, and the fit is tight. I am going to taper my pins on the grinder, and wire-attach them, to fix this.9. Halter-tie rings are directly over the chest-bar ends (on the frame and center post). I prefer them a little forward of the chest bar.10. Blanket bar is bolted to thin sheet material and is "floppy." But I believe this bar was dealer-installed.11. Screw jack has no grease fittings. (Are the newer ones permanently-lubed?)12. Mats in horse area cannot be removed without removing center post. EDIT BY MWD: THIS IS INCORRECT. I MISSED A THIN MAT SLIT FORWARD OF THE CENTER POST. MY FAULT; APOLOGIES TO ALL.Strengths:1. Trailer goes down the road well.2. Axles and tires are not undersized as you sometimes find on bargain trailers. The brakes on this thing would stop a freight train.3. Trailer was delivered with load-range E Uniroyal Laredo tires, not some off-brand.4. Floor appears solid, with a narrow stiffener running the length of the floor under the centerline of each stall and welded to each floor member. Not as impressive as my '99 Sooner's honeycomb arrangement, but it appears to work.5. Very few sharp edges other than the one mentioned above, and they're not in areas that horses can reach.6. Center partition is heavy and solid. If you get a straight-load and if you want full dividers, make sure you specify "distance to floor," and specify also "no sharp edges near horses' feet."7. Mats are solid but but easily folded over with one hand for hose cleanout.8. Dressing room is well-done. Saddle racks are good and solid.9. Insulated roof is great in the summer. Yes, it really does make a difference, especially at day shows where horses spend hours inside the trailer just waiting for their next classes.10. Rear ramp is very sturdy, yet well-sprung and easily lifted with one hand.11. Dual rear brake/tail lights, but they are incandescent, not the newer LED type.12. Jack has a spring-loaded drop leg. No more back strains pulling up a rusty/gritty/greasy leg "home."13. Cam-latch rear doors, no need to reach 7-8' up to lock them.14. Bracing to the rear of the gooseneck (under the manger) looks incredibly-strong and well-built.15. The step up to the manger is high-quality, no-skid, and can be folded up.I have pics of inside & outside. If anyone wants them, post back here and I'll upload them to my server and post the URLs.KSP.S. Sorry for the formatting, folks, but I'm sick of trying to figure out why this board's code insists on turning my posts into one long line. :-\
Posted 2005-05-19 2:55 PM (#25318 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350 Location: Newton, NJ
I have an '04 Silver Star GN - 2 horse slant. I also tow with a GMC Sierra 4WD. Have not noticed any angle when hitched. The trailer seems level. I Love the way the trailer tows - very stable. I do not have a full divider between horses, so no problems with that, but I have a slight issue with the front escape door where my gelding has banged on it a few times and the pop rivets have loosened. I've spoken to my dealer who will repair it for me as soon as I bring it in. Also, no ramp to contend with. For the money, this trailer has some of the "big boys" beat.
Posted 2005-05-19 2:58 PM (#25320 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Member
Posts: 23
Ok, pics are going up now. See http://www.kelansasu.com/horses/ for the raw list. The .zip is the (compressed) Zip file of the whole set. Might be easiest just to grab the whole set & unzip it on your own system. If you need to see any more views, let me know and I'll take the pics and put them up with the rest.KS [edited to fix spacing but "it don't seem to be working" -- MegaBBS bug? -KS]
Posted 2005-05-19 6:00 PM (#25328 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 456 Location: south of Cowtown, TEXAS
Great list! But, seems like my '99 is a lot different. hinges mounted with heavy screws. No flexing what so ever with the walls. Mine has inside tie rings on both upper corners of the drop downs. Blanket bars have been attached to cross members of inside rear tack and very sturdy - I had that done. They were originally supposed to go over each horses rear on the top of the wall.
Dislikes: On my 2h, wish the outside tie rings weren't so close to the end of the trailer. And, yes, they need to put drain holes in the rear of the trailer - but that's easy enough to do yourself.
Posted 2005-05-19 9:04 PM (#25336 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Regular
Posts: 82 Location: The Land of Ahs
I'm sure pleased with my Star Lite, made by the same co as Silver Star. It's a 1999 3H slant with most of the features I was looking for and could not find in any other make for the money. My wish list for the next trailer though, after hauling this one a few times, includes a smooth floor, this one has horizontal ridges which make it hard to sweep all the water out, (really want to Rhino line it) and bigger windows, although I like the design of the windows and they seem sturdy. It really pulls well and has a cheater jack that helps with hooking on and off.
Posted 2005-05-19 9:30 PM (#25337 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Member
Posts: 23
One more negative--see that toggle switch for the interior lights in picture #10? It's just to the left of the oval sealed beam. That thing's sticking right down into the area where the left side of the left horse's head would be. "Just waiting for an eye" ought to be the caption for that thing. I'm gonna pull that switch out of the panel and move it somewhere else.KS
Posted 2005-10-26 9:58 PM (#32388 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Veteran
Posts: 254 Location: Dickinson, TX
I have a 2002 Starlite Supreme by Silver Star and can't say enough about it with the exception that I wish they'd put diamondplate on their wheel wells instead of that non-skid black rubber. The rubber pads on my trailer tend to creep and bubble with temperature changes. Also not happy with their decals--cracked in the Georgia within 1 year of delivery, but will be replaced under warranty when I get back east next year.Tows like a dream. Quality craftsmanship otherwise.I didn't even consider a Sundowner due to other folks' telling me of the cost, and was actually pointed to Silver Star by 3 other folks at endurance rides I attend who love theirs.
Posted 2005-10-27 10:01 AM (#32403 - in reply to #25216) Subject: RE: Silver Star
Regular
Posts: 82 Location: The Land of Ahs
after pulling my new-to-me Star-Lite trailer, (see my previous post above) 12 weekends over the last several months I thought I'd update on my experience. I still think it's the most trailer for the money I've seen anywhere! There aren't many Star Lites or Silver Lites out here in the midwest so people aren't shy about asking to see it and they are all very surprised at the features & quality for the price. No trailer is perfect but I am very pleased at how this one functions. The full insulation, one main requirement to me, has definitely proved it's worth in some extreme conditions. (Be sure to get an awning, too.) The trailer pulls great, very solid, and the brakes ARE good. I've had to shut the rig down a couple of times this season for road idiots! My big mare has tested the tie loops outside on both sides of the trailer and they're solid, too. The flood lights outside are heavy-duty and there are covered outlets on the outside of the trailer. Truck bed clearance is good, pulling with 2003 2500HD 4X4 Ext cab, and I have room to walk behind the lowered tailgate while hooked up. Another thread talked about how some people have to back up close to the trailer, put tailgate up, then finish backing to hitch up. What a nuisance that would be. Someone mentioned the decals cracking. My trailer has three narrow bands of striping in a pattern the length of the trailer that are perfect after summer in the Kansas sun. Just hope the safety decals I put on will last as well. The escape windows in the neck are also important to me, something I hadn't thought about until the trailer came with them. Thank you Star Lite.
Silver Star
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