hi,  i currently have a 3H BP sooner and want to go to GN with LQs (in hopes of attending more shows so my 2 girls, 13 and 9, will continue their interest in their horses, as opposed to going boy crazy any time soon.) i will probably keep the sooner for running around town type errands.

i have been 'researching' trailers for at least 6 months and am pretty comfortable with narrowing my choices down to: elite (except they don't insulate the roof, important here in texas), platinum, C&C and hart. (there are a couple more i would also consider.) i have retrenched on my idea of reverse load/reverse slant based on lower resale value (just in case the girls do forsake their horses for boys...heaven forbid.)

here is my question: since my husband is not involved in this particular shopping venture AND CERTAINLY WON'T be any help when it comes to any type of mechanical breakdowns, no matter how easy or complicated, i wonder if any of you out there have any comments regarding the structural/mechanical aspects of any of those trailers which might help me make my decision? 

 for example, are there any trailers out there made so you never have to worry about axles, bearings and all those other mechanical failures?  are there certain things in the LQs that may tend to cause more problems than they are worth?  if we plan on only taking this trailer to horse shows (where there are hook-ups) do i really need a generator?  how many of ya'll with LQs actually use a stove or even the burners at shows?  (camping would be a totally different situation.)

also, if i am looking at used trailers (probably nothing older than 2003) is there anything particular i should ask about, other than the "does everything work?" type question.  or should i stick with a new trailer since this will be my first experience with LQs?  (i would really like to stay in the 45K to 55K range, for a 3 or 4H with 10 to 13 ft LQs). 

what about going to a 4H as opposed to a 3H with midtack?

so, if each brand of trailer were almost identical as far as what is on them, size, etc, and prices were very close, is there anything else i need to consider?  i would like to hear about the good and bad, not asking for any bashing, just personal experiences/knowledge.    thanks for any input,  amy

Amy ... Since you're going GN from a BP.  you first have to decide on the configuration.   4h or 3 & MT... How large a LQ.   Then you have to get a truck to match it.  If you already have the truck... reverse the process.  You're limited by the truck's capacity.   Be sure to match the neck-over height with the truck bed height too.

As for the maintenance... There is no such thing as a maintenance free horse trailer.  Any horse trailer that is free of maintenance is or shortly is broken/rotted out.  Don't scrimp on interior post horse cleaning or bearing maintenance.  It's much cheaper and easier than broken down on the side of the road.

Generators, furnaces, potties and showers are the most troublesome pieces of LQ's.  If you can stay on hook-ups and cook with a microwave, you'll do well

Ditto:

We get acused of giving advise that you need bigger this and bigger that....sooooo make sure if you don't want to buy a new truck you match your truck to the trailer.A process some of us failed to do and had to buy a bigger truck Ha Ha.

If you are going to a place with hook ups you don't need a generator,however if you are "ruffing it" you might need something to recharge your batteries.

The rest is a matter of prefference.stove,oven,etc.

If you are relieing on someone else to service your trailer you might look at that too when you purchase.Does this dealer do maintenance on this trailer.

Remember key questions what will my truck handle,what does the trailer weigh loaded,what are my needs.

Have fun,we looked at hundreds of trailers and checked prices untill we found what we were looking for.....whoops .....almost forgot....a good awning  and holding tank capacity.Doesent matter in a hook up spot but with girls it will fill up fast in the woods.

make the girls use the potties at the shows and take a shower when we get home, and i will hopefully limit problems in the LQ's!  won't we smell good?!   :) 

Get a LQ trailer with a toilet and a shower! I love that in my trailer! Having your own toilet saves time wandering around a fairgrounds to find a bathroom only to come across one that is just yucky!! Not to mention some weirdos that hang out by them. Do you want your girls to experience that? Having a shower is super nice now, now that I have finally figured out my water heater. LOL! That's a different story. Some Fairgrounds don't have showers and if they do they can be again, real yucky! If you are doing weekend shows nothing is better than taking a shower at the day's end.

Maintaining a trailer with those extra options is not a big deal. If you buy yours from a dealer have them go over everthing on how to work and maintain yours, videotape if you have to so you can go back to what was explained on using the toilet or converting the fridge to propane, etc.

Midtacks are nice but sometimes hard to find. You can easily convert the 1st stall of a 3 or 4 horse into a type of midtack. If you go that route, get a trailer with a walk-thru door from the LQ to the horse area. Stud divider works well for that. You can never have too much room for all of your stuff!

And one more thing, shame on your husband for not being more involved in your trailer shopping especially when it is involving his daughter's riding interests.

MIfarmbabe:  excellent idea to videotape the instructions on how to use new trailer. i am sure i would not be able to remember half of it otherwise.

as for the husband not being involved in the trailer shopping, heck, he is not even aware of this particular endeavor. (sort of like he isn't yet aware of youngest daughter's new pony...)  sometimes it is just easier that way.   don't worry, he will come watch them eventually but at this point, he usually takes care of the boys' activities, football, fishing, etc,  which are not my idea of fun, so it works out.  

There is aperson on the forum who is trying to write a book on buying a trailer.

when I got mine the dealer went over everything....and when I got home what did I remember....????????

Got out the packet with all the usefull info from all the different manufactures stove etc.

Well somethin was wrong....this is not my trailer Ha Ha....while My wife was putting things in the trailer she found the correct ones....whew....like how do you put the awning down again ???

UUUUUH how do ya put it back up??

why does the heater set the smoke detecter off?

well because there is a corrosion substance on it that smokes......and the little blue tab from the electrical box is sitting in the crack and melting....it's 4 in the mornin what the h....is that!!!

And why does all the water run out on the ground ?

What do ya mean there aint no propane.....the tanks need filled ?mmmmm.

How do ya fire up the water heater ? read the book...mmmmmm.

Do yourself a favor.....when you get one park it in your drive or whereever and play with everything that way you find out what works and what doesn't, and howcome it don't.

Also check all your keys before leaving the lot !!!!

sometimes they aint all there...like me..

It's fun !!!!!

 excellent advice! (trying everything out and getting familar with trailer before taking it on the road.)   i am also thinking maybe i should get the HOME phone number of the salesperson, so IF i get stuck somewhere with a problem....hehehe...  so, all of you dealers out there, beware!

Yea if ya get an electric crank on your goose neck jack and your batteries go dead....by god that there is some seriouse fun.....then ya think ...ya know I had jumper cables in the side of the truck...DUu..

yikes!  ok, now that i have had 3 seperate warnings about making sure "MY" truck will handle the trailer, maybe i should ask you guys a question about that...

FIRST off, i will be using my husband's truck for the first year until i trade in my diesel excursion for a truck. 

His truck is a dodge (diesel) 3/4 ton, long bed.  will that be enough for a 3H, 12 ftSW?   how about a 14ft SW?   of course, getting the gooseneck thing put in the bed of his truck is kind of going to be a tip off, isn't it? (that i have gone and bought a bigger trailer....)

i have been reading over some of the older posts about how to figure out whether or not a truck will do the job.....gears/ratio's/etc.  all greek to me.    thanks!

Okay, here's my 2 cents.

Things I cannot live without:  comfortable bed, fridge, microwave, AC, awning.

Plumbing is nice to have but water is HEAVY. Consider a cowboy shower and some type of sani-potty...we use a bucket lined with a trash bag and filled with sawdust. You can buy a potty seat that fits on a 5 gallon bucket. Set these up in the horse area and then they are available if the bath house on the grounds is unacceptable.

I think a 12' SW is going to be too big for your truck. Ask yourself how much time you will actually spend INSIDE the trailer other than sleeping and changing clothes. Maybe you don't really need that much space.

Remember, teenagers are fickle creatures. Next year they may decide to take up hang gliding or scuba diving or...   Then you have made a big investment on a driveway ornament.  If they stay serious about horses, you can always upgrade or remodel.

Wishing you the best of luck.

RIDE ON!

Amy ... The trailers you're talking about are at the limit of your husband's truck if I were driving it.  Every bell & whistle counts toward the limit... And it's headed your way fast.  PLease make sure you know the truck limits as to hitch weight capacity and total weights.  That GN hitch alone will cost hundreds $$ installed. 

hi dwight, and thanks for the help.

as for trying to keep trailer weight limit down, what about filling up the water tanks when i get to the show grounds?  most of our hauling will be on flat texas highways, too.

one of the reasons i want to make sure i get a well built "popular" trailer is just in case those teenagers DO decide they no longer want to show and i have to sell the trailer; i want a trailer with good resale value....   thanks, amy