Posted 2008-07-17 6:52 PM (#87655) Subject: CM Dakota-good or bad?
Regular
Posts: 62 Location: Houston
I am considering a CM Dakota 2H slant. Does anyone have any good/bad experience with this trailer? Warnings or recommendations? This will be my 1st trailer--when I was a kid my folks hauled the horses--wish I'd learned then. So I will be learning as I go. I'm planning to buy a truck too. Could I haul this with an F150 (or similar) with a tow package? I'm in Houston so no mountains or snow.
Posted 2008-07-17 8:31 PM (#87657 - in reply to #87655) Subject: RE: CM Dakota-good or bad?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 368 Location: Georgia
I am no expert but I would think you would be fine hauling a 2h with an F150. To be sure, check the weight of the trailer (think about how much weight you would be adding with horses and tack) and then check your owners manual of your truck. I hauled a 2 horse GN 16 ft steel trailer with a 97 F150 (5.4L)with an upgraged rear end with NO problems. Good Luck!
Posted 2008-07-17 9:10 PM (#87658 - in reply to #87655) Subject: RE: CM Dakota-good or bad?
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Arkansas
CM generally makes a sound safe useful trailer. We have a gooseneck stock trailer by them, for hauling cattle and sometime horses as well, and the paint has held up really well, and there are several features that make you think the engineers know something about how to help keep animals from hurting themselves in the trailer, and some features that help the hinges etc last well. Our neighbors sold one that they had kept for about 5 years and received within 500.00 of what they paid for it. It looked still very new. They did take excellent care of it.
Posted 2008-07-17 10:22 PM (#87662 - in reply to #87655) Subject: RE: CM Dakota-good or bad?
Regular
Posts: 62 Location: Houston
Thanks for the input! It seemed solid when I looked at it, but I really don't know enough. Your comments are reassuring.
Another question on the slantload...I've been reading Scheve's book (very helpful) on buying a horse trailer, and it says that even a small horse needs 9' length and 3' stall width. Applying some trigonometry to the floor plan of the CM slant gives me about 7.35' length and 21" width (measured at right angles and center fron to center back). This is for the front stall--of course the back stall would have more room. Is 9' L x 3' wide really necessary? Surely people haul horses in these all the time. I have a half-arab about 14-2 hands...anything smaller would be close to a pony. I also picked up the info sheet for the basic straight load manger model. This actually has more length and width for the stalls, but I had been leaning toward the slant as it would be a little longer, hopefully more stable, and have a dressing room for not much more $$. Thanks...I may post the dimension question on another thread so maybe other people wil read. I really appreciate all I'm learning here!
CM Dakota-good or bad?
