I own a 2002 4-star and the trailer floor is all aluminum, and it still looks as good as new. The floor beams are spaced very close on a 4-star which makes it very strong floor. Have 2 other friends that also have 4-stars and there floors are fine.

hi, i am in the market for GN with LQ's (hoping we will use them enough at shows to warrant the expense.)

have an older BP sooner which has held up "fairly" well and we will probably keep to run around town.

i have been looking at new and late model 'used' (nothing older than '03). have talked to lots of salesmen and gee, according to each salesman, their floor/frame, etc is the best on the market. let me add here that my husband will be the last to know about the trailer (as he is not fond of my horses, even tho he used to have QHs. so...i don't have any input from that that standpoint and I am not comfortable with all the jargon on the mechanics, etc, esp seeing how this will be the first LQ trailer I have owned.

based on initial research, I was limiting  my search to: elite, 4-star, platinum, bloomer and C&C, but added hart. I have also changed my mind about getting a reverse load/reverse slant MAINLY because of re-sale value.  (could be my daughters get to high school and find boys more interesting than their horses...heaven forbid!! and I need to sell the trailer.)

 IF each of these brands of trailers had the exact same options (12 foot SW, drop downs on both sides, etc and very similar LQ interiors), and were within a few thousand dollars of each other, is there some mechanical/structural difference that should lead me to buy one over the other?  i don't want to get into bashing any trailer manufacturer, i just want to get "experienced" opinions.

oh, and to make matters more complicated, there is an '05 sooner with a little bit larger LQs at a very good price.  i have heard pro's and cons about the 'newer' sooners.  any help here?  (i am looking in the 45K  to 55K price range.)

thanks for any help in my 'shopping', and oops, here comes the husband, better get back to some other site,  thanks.

  I am also a woman who has researched and made buying decisions on my own with limited help but I have only been able to afford used trailers so that has made it more difficult. I have owned and am just going this weekend to pick up a trailer that I bought on this site. All of my trailers have been 4-Star although I did narrow my search to the same brands that you are considering. I have no technical knowledge so I just went by word of mouth but I have not had any problems with my 4-Star. It has been a wonderful trailer.

You need to decide what you want and then look at it and see if it looks solid and within your price range. Get input from others. I ruled out all but the four brands by looking at them carefully. Was the hardware plastic, was the rubber lining the stalls heavy or light, were the cabinets plywood painted like oak, etc. Then I narrowed it to four brands and made a list of what I wanted in it. My criteria was:

                 3 horse not over 23',     8’ short wall living quarters ,Drop down windows at least on one side,   Escape door,  Walk thru door, Stud door,  Stove top burners, Microwave, refrigerator, am/fm radio CD player with outside and inside speakers,Screen door,Big Closet not located in the nose of the GN,Solid oak cabinets,Couch  which also makes into a bed, portable tack compartment, Heat/ air conditioning,big awning,WERM flooring, toilet, sink, commode, mangers and outside storage. I picked a price range that I thought was fair which was up to $40 and started looking. It took awhile but I did find exactly what I wanted in my price range. It takes researching, talking, and sites like this.