I finally have 3 horses to compete on, but only have a 3 horse trailer.  When I only had 2 horses we would use the 3rd stall for hay and stuff.  I don't have a hay rack, so my dilemma is to either add a hay rack or buy a bigger trailer for lots more bucks.

I have had people tell me that when they load their hay racks they can really tell a difference with how the trailer pulls. For those of you who have hay racks, do you see a big difference loaded and unloaded with hay?

We have a three horse trailer with a hay rack. When it is loaded with several bales, it does not cause any handling problems or change the "feel" of the trailer while being pulled. It is noisier however and affects my mileage by about one mpg. The hay is difficult to keep dry when its raining, we use a tarp, many people use the large duffle type of bags.

A dumb question, but can't you use your truck bed? I can no longer load the hay on the roof and we don't have one of the portable cranes commonly used for that purpose. By rearranging some of the lighter bulkier items on the roof, we can carry the hay in the truck, a much easier proposition.

BOL  Gard

I considered a hay rack. Then I thought about getting the hay up there and down from there and it seemed like alot of work for not that much storage. I figured the best thing to put up there would be a water caddy, but again...difficult to access.

If you get a larger trailer you can always haul an extra horse from time to time and if it has a full floor stud divider, you could load it up pretty well with hay and have the assurance that all that weight is sitting directly over the floorboards.

I would think the cost of a really nice hay rack with installation ($1,200-1,500?) would be close to the difference of an additional stall on a new to you trailer.

We have found when traveling long distance to shows it is nearly impossible to bring enough hay for all the horses in the trailer, so prior to leaving we switch them over to a pelleted all in one feed that is available nation wide, that way they can munch on some hay from home, but the primary feed source becomes the pelleted feed. That way your not dealing with too many variables from hay suppliers in different parts of the country. Just my .02c!

Another consideration concerning the purchase of a larger trailer is the pulling/weight capacity of your truck. Do you have enough reserve capabilities to handle the additional weight? Would you be comfortable pulling a longer trailer? There are many issues to consider beside the actual cost to change equipment.

BOL  Gard

I would go with the extra horse stall. The price really isn't that much higher and if your trailer is in good enough shape, you should get good trade value on it.

I agree about getting the hay on the roof. Unless you go with a hayPOD, you will have to deal with the weather too. My trailer came with a hay rack, but I am planning alternative uses for it because there is NO WAY I can get hay up there and really don't even like climbing the ladder anymore than I have to (did that for the first time today and it's NARROW).