ha, this is getting heated.  I love it! 

No one has answered my question in the second post...how would an aluminum framed trailer with galvanealed sheet metal compare?

Bartley Heath
bartley@DoubleDTrailers.com
DoubleDTrailers.com

It doesn't compare, or else everyone would already have three of them on their junk pile!!! LOL!  Don't think I've ever seen anything like that. You go ahead and build a 8' wide 6 horse head to head, 35' on the floor, 5' of that being DR, send it to me and I'll test it out for you, free of charge for 5 years.....!!

My first trailer was a two horse BP steel, that needed a total restoration. I bought it as a "fixer upper" because of price. Our second was a four horse straight load BP steel, because we needed more room. It needed major repairs and price again was the deciding factor. Our third trailer was a new steel Corn Pro 3 horse BP stock/combo slant load. It was the best built I could find in its price category ~$5000. (aprox 16 yrs ago)

We were tiring of truck campers and had upgraded to a new diesel Ford truck. We wanted a LQ trailer, and all its amenities, and went to Congress where we looked at hundreds. We went to several LQ companies in IN and did much research and comparison shopping of various brands, construction and features. After a time consuming and expensive restoration of our Cornpro, I didn't want a repeat effort in the future. We put a down payment on a new Aluminum Kieffer, with an 8' LQ. We quickly changed our minds, realizing that we probably would soon out grow it in the future. We found a larger all aluminum Sidekick with many more amenities in MI and bought it.

The trailer is ideal for several people during long shows and week long vacations. It is too bulky for quick trips and running around. We kept the Corn Pro which was ideal for this usage. At a local show, we took the CP, and found the public rest rooms to be abysmal. We then searched for some time, to find an Exiss 3 horse GN aluminum trailer of the same length (18' box) with a full weekender LQ. After a few months, we found an aluminum Event in MD, and have been the proud owner since.

The upkeep of these two trailers is very little, no repairs, just preventative maintenance. They look like new and operate perfectly. We buy items for the long haul, so resale factors and yearly upgrades aren't important to us. We plan on maintaining the usage of these two trailers, until we no longer are physically able to enjoy the equine sport.

Best of luck with your search.   Gard

As I was driving along an interstate this morning, I thought of this thread. I was passing a semi and the panels on the trailer were vertical sheets of ??? steel or alum, I'm not sure, but I watched them buckle and move just from the air passing and the truck going over bumps. It reminded me how thin those sheets of material are in the effort to protect the load during transport but afford a good fuel economy. I'm not sure they would protect the load if the trailer were laid on it's side though.  I know the panels on my horse trailer may flex, but no where near what those trailer van panels were doing.

Just like the alum bodied dump trucks and trailers - it's a matter of THICKNESS. I guess I should have qualified my statement about the alum and brittle and damage. I was referring to it's use in horse trailers for the average horse owner who has a day-job that doesn't involve horses.

As some of you may remember, I'm the one that saw what a 950 pound, quiet-mannered QH mare did to her leg after she kicked through a triple-walled Sundowner trailer. It had plastic/rubber lined alum interior wall, styrofoam insulation and alum exterior. She had fallen down in the trailer and kicked through the wall in her attempts to get back up.

It was a year before she was sound. This was a horse that should have gone to Congress with her teen rider. Instead that young lady had to wash a huge bloody mess out of the trailer while her horse spent time at a State University equine hospital. Pretty ugly.

I'm not doubting the strength of the alum when it's a thick gauge or molded (ribbed versus smooth) or reinforced. But comparing boulders in a huge truck to a horse's hoof - that's another story. It's like comparing the PSI of a 125 pound woman's high heel shoe on asphalt to the PSI of a 5 ton truck on the same pavement.

And, I've seen the floor of those dump trailers. They are beat up and lumpy bumpy. but ya know what? the sand, gravel, and boulders don't care. It doesn't make that big a deal if small cracks appear - the shop takes care of them as part of the required maintenance.

Heck... what are the scoops and pans of heavy equipment made from?

Back to the original question.

There are pros and cons of any material and any purchase. New trailers have nice financing; and you can buy a nice used alum trailer for less cash. Both types of trailers are going to suffer from uneven roads and weld stress.

I stand by my preference for galvaneal steel frame, galvaneal steel interior, galvaneal or aluminum ext., fiberglass roof.

and that's why there is chocolate and vanilla!

Also, the type and quality of the materials are helped or hindered by the quality and style of construction, just to further complicate the issue!  Enjoy your search for your trailer, and get what works for YOU and your needs and pocketbook....buy well, use judiciously and maintain it well, and look forward to many years of use and enjoyment.