Posted 2006-06-13 8:49 AM (#42947) Subject: Used trailer woes- giving up!
Veteran
Posts: 144 Location: Hickory Hills, IL
Well my wife and I were in the market for a cheap, reliable used trailer. Kept finding all these trailers that were cheap and abused or nice and almost as much as a new one. We decided to just throw in the towel and buy a new trailer. It may take me a month or two to come up with the money, but I figure it will be worth the wait vs. getting a 10 yr. old trailer for a couple grand cheaper!!!
Need to come up with just a bit more money now, but I think it will be worth it to have a new trailer and 5 yr warranty. We are thinking of getting a 3 H BP Titan Avalanche II. I know a lot of people are not fond of 3 H BP trailers, but with my lift kit and tonue cover a GN is not an option. I want the extra room of a 3H although we will hardly if ever haul 3 horses. With max weight of trailer (axle rating) of 7000 lbs it is 600 lbs below what my truck is rated to haul. With a WD setup I should be fine- especially considering here in IL I have quite a ways to go to find anything very steep and really really far to go to find anything resembling a mountain. My truck is a bit over 300 HP anyway- I hauled a 2H BP and other than the lack of overdrive I hardly noticed it back there!
Anyone have any experience with Titan trailers? For the price they seem to be the best value I can find in on the market in a new trailer. I want galvaneal skin and drop down windows, the Titan has it in the price of a Featherlight painted steel stock trailer.
Posted 2006-06-13 10:39 AM (#42952 - in reply to #42947) Subject: RE: Used trailer woes- giving up!
Elite Veteran
Posts: 690 Location: missouri
Titan trailers are probably the best value on the market... they hod up well if you take good care of them and we sold ours for a decent price after 4 years..
Posted 2006-06-13 12:01 PM (#42954 - in reply to #42947) Subject: RE: Used trailer woes- giving up!
Member
Posts: 46 Location: Ottawa, ON
I went through exactly the same thing. There are very few deals to be had buying used. I'm not sure of all the reasons, but I found that here in Ontario, the 10 year old trailers are MORE expensive than new. I suspect that it has to do with the fact that 10 years ago the Canadian dollar was very weak compared to the US dollar. People probably don't realize how much their US made trailers have lost value due to this. I ended up ordering a Titan Classic I GN three horse which I received about a week ago. I am happy with the value for money spent! It is a basic trailer to be sure, but it does seem to be well made and the fit and finish is good. It is certainly much nicer than the 10 year old beat up trailers that I have been looking at. It's nice to know that everything is new, and I am not going to be constantly fixing or replacing worn out parts. Having the warranty gives me peace of mind and made it easier to part with the $$.Chris
Posted 2006-06-13 12:10 PM (#42956 - in reply to #42947) Subject: RE: Used trailer woes- giving up!
Regular
Posts: 63 Location: Canada
If I had the money (new Nursing school grad here - big student loan;) ) I would have just bit the bullet and bought new.
My husband and I looked for over a YEAR here in Ontario for what we were looking for. I was all ready to give up altogether and just keep paying people to ship my horse when one dropped in our lap - friend of a friend of a friend who was asking just a bit more than the dealership had offered her for it as a trade-in. She's looked after it, too.
Still, it needs some cosmetic work. In the meantime it's usable and very safe.
In my opinion (and it is worth exactly what you pay for it) if looked after and maintained, trailers do not depreciate quickly. We figure once we clean ours up and put some elbow grease into it, it will be worth twice what we paid (which was very little!).
Posted 2006-06-13 10:09 PM (#42988 - in reply to #42947) Subject: RE: Used trailer woes- giving up!
Veteran
Posts: 209 Location: pensacola, fl
I have no knowledge of the Titan trailers. However, My only concern about buying a 3 horse Bumper Pull would be swaying. I watched a man loose control of his Bumper Pull right in front of me when an 18 wheeler came rushing by him, luckily the trailer was empty and no one was seriously injured. We have a 30 ft travel trailer and we have a sway bar that we attach everytime we pull it. It helps tremendously!! I am not sure if they offer such a sway bar for a horse trailer but I think if I were in the market for a larger size BP Trailer I would look in to it. They are very easy to attach and will worth the time!!Good Luck!!
Posted 2006-06-14 10:51 AM (#43002 - in reply to #42947) Subject: RE: Used trailer woes- giving up!
Veteran
Posts: 144 Location: Hickory Hills, IL
Thanks for the advice, I will certainly be getting a WD hitch and the sway control setup for it, as the weight of the 3H will be 3800 lbs empty with a 7000 lb axle rating. The weight of the trailer with our two horses will exceed the weight carrying capability of my hitch. The WD setups all now have optional sway control and I will certainly be getting one.
The tow rating on my 1/2 ton is 7600 lbs so I should be OK, although fully loaded I will not be heading towards the mountains! Thats fine though, not too many mountains within a days drive of Chicago! IL is called the flatland for a reason!
Used trailer woes- giving up!
