I've decided I've got to upgrade from a 3 horse to 4 horse trailer.  Potential buyer says he's picking my current trailer up tomorrow. So the hunt is on for a new trailer.

The Question I have is what  makes a good trailer, What makes a Premium trailer and Whats good enough?

I don't trailer to rodeos or fairgrounds. I don't show. I trailer to mountain trails. That often involve washboard forest service roads, that have limited turn arounds. I have been known to spend all day riding in a rain of snow storm and return to the trailer wet and tired looking for a dry warm place to sleep. So my needs in a trailer may be very different from somebody going to Dressage event.

So is an 100% Aluminum trailer better than a Aluminum skin over Steel frame  i.e. Logan or Sundowner type? Aluminum dealers say Aluminum is better mixed metals will react and corrode. The dealers selling the Steel frame say that was true years ago but new technologies prevent that and it's just not a factor in today better made Hybred trailers. The All Aluminum dealers claim aluminum is lighter, but I don't see the wieght being very different when I llok at the spec sheets.

I know when I bought my last two trailers, I had looked at Exiss, Featherlite and purchased a Classic, A lot because I prefered what came standard and I liked the "Look" of the package better than the other makes.

I think as far as the new trailer, some of the things I want to make sure about are:

One key fits all locks.

Good hinges on all doors, windows compartments. Preferable with greese zerks

I liked the Rumber floor I had, I think I'd prefer to not have mats.

Drop down windows on head and bus or drops on hips side.  It can be 10* in the mountains and 80* degrees at home all in the same trip. I don't want to worry about sliding in plexiglass panels. I need to quickly be able to add or remove ventilation as I travel.

Forest Service roads and campgrounds don't offer a lot of room to turn around, So I need to stay as short as possible.  I think I'll have to for go any kind of Mid Tack to save trailer length. So storage in the LQ and under managers and rear tack must be effective.

So is it worth the big bucks to buy a Hart, Platinum, Elite, 4 Star vs the midrange trailers? Do they really hold up better, Do they offer features that are must have?

To answer some of your questions, the weight issue doesn't become an issues until you get into bigger trailers. At the 4H size with just a dressing room you may want to begin to consider an aluminum frame depending on what you're pulling with. Now if you are looking at a living quarters you would DEFINITELY want an aluminum framed trailer. Your weight difference will be significant there.

The reacting metals may be true with some trailers, but not most (I assume "most" anyway). Sundowner (trailer I'm most familiar with) has undercoating, powdercoating, and/or SunCoating where any two different metals would normally contact each other. That eliminates the corrosion.

In the Sundowners, it really comes down to a matter of price versus weight. Aluminum is a lot more expensive than steel. And since all of the corrosion factors have been taken out of the equation, price is the only thing left.

A few other things to note, look for adjustable dividers, bolted on hardware, stainless hardware, doors/windows built in house (for greater seals and strength), rounded running boards, protected wiring, full height cam latches, and an aerodynamic nose.

However, you said you would like a Rumber floor... I don't think many manufacturers are offering that, are they? If that is a requirement then your choices are going to be fairly limited.

Edited by Covert Cowboy 2007-04-24 8:26 AM

Sounds like you need durability!  One thing about the all alum. that worried me was that IF the frame or any weld spots crack or become bent, twisted etc.. it is VERY difficult to work with- alum. has no memory and can be impossible to "fix".  I found this out with something as simple as a dent in a gravel guard- impossible to fix- can't just bend it back.  Anyway, this is why in my opinion alum. over steel is the way to go- get the strength and repairness aspects of steel with low maintenance of alum..  The electrolysis problem in the past is not an issue in my opinion from the research I'd done.

With those washboard roads I'd look soley at construction - floor, frame, suspension- rather than the creature comforts or prettiness of the trailer.  I personally ended up with a Logan (coated plank alum. floor - not sure if Rumber is an option)for these reasons as well as stall size- but Merhow (with Rumber floor) and Hawk (also Rumber) were very close seconds.  Good luck!

Thanks for the thoughts.

Logan Coach are built about 40 miles away.  I might could be swayed into supporting a local company. I know their trailers are much improved over what they built just two years ago. My neighbor who moved a few months ago, Father was an engineer who consulted Logan on the design and I had a few interesting discussion with him when he'd come to visit his daughter about engineering changes. Finding a wrecked Logan of this latest generation would be a challenge.

Like Reg, I didn' want to discuss one manufacture, but rather pick up ideas of what I should look for. No one manufacture has 100% of the good ideas. Becasue buyers needs vary. Any trailer I buy will be a compromise of ideas.

I think ideally a 24-26 foot box.  No longer.  A basic LQ's.  I need a few convienences to keep my daughters coming with me. They like riding, but they are not tom boys.