http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=206698

I didn't see this trailer in person, I just posted the link.  Had I seen it I probably would have turned in the licence plate #.

I was surprised by that too, there is no way that this rig is in anyway acceptable or safe.  Some people were comparing that to a stock rack, there is a *big* difference between a stock rack in a truck and this "trailer"

Holy smokes!  Now THERE'S an affordable aluminum trailer for ya.

I saw lots of people defending that rig,too.Trying to make the point that the horses were probably "bomb proof" ect.What the heck does THAT have to do with anything,what their temperaments are????

It's the fact that he would probably send them airborn over the top of the car into someone else if he tried to stop plus some other issues that those goobers didn't seem to consider.

I'm really surprised the license plate didn't say "ARK" on it,HA HA!!!

Ya got that right. WTF that sorrel is bracing against his lead so hard he's got his halter nearly off his nose, they both look miserable. Idiots didn't even use that money they saved by not buying a real trailer to get them fly masks at the least. This is just scary, scary, scary. If one of those horses decides he's had enough, or slips and falls, that'll be all she wrote for these idiots. I'm with you guys, I don't care how desperate you are, this is just stupid. Hopefully they made it to their destination safely, but wow unbelieveable.

What is up with those people on that other site defending this? Mostly clueless I think, 'it's got brakes, I saw the lights'. Uh duh, those are brake lights a trailer like this doesn't have independent brakes. Not to mention, this is nothing like a pickup with stock rails. The damn chain link is only held onto the trailer with cargo straps over the top! I'd have been calling the State Police pronto! Not to mention doing 70+mph with a rig like this. These people were definitely wearing their sign and I can't help but think (and hope) they got a lot of tickets on this trip.

And no not everyone in MO is that dumb. I had a friend move from MO to MI and she came up with her truck and got my stock trailer (real one, made by Bison) in Northern IL for the trip. Sure it cost her a bunch of gas and time for the extra driving, but her horses made is safe and happy.

Well, I did some checking. By Illinois law as long as the gross weight of the trailer is under 3000 lbs brakes aren't required. Not to be confused with brake lights which are.

Regardless how a resonably sane horse person may feel about this the only laws he may have been breaking was speeding and a trailer over it's legal carrying weight. Vehicles towing trailers in Illinois have a 55mph speed limit, legally anyway. About the only other ticket he could have received as far as I can tell, cause they don't ticket for stupid) is if his load was over the trailers maximum weight. Which is very likely with this type of trailer. Perusing the internet it seems most trailers this style have a GVWR of 2990 or 2995 and weigh around 1300-1350 empty. They do tend to have 3500 lb axles, so hopefully they were safe enough. The reason for the under 3000 lb GVWR is for regestering as an under 3000 lb trailer and not to require the added expense of brakes. So even if both horses were 900lbs that would make their total weight 3100lbs without adding the weight of the chain link panels. In which case he could have been pulled over and detained until he could comply with the weights the trailer could legally carry. I haven't found anything else specific yet as to the way the trailer was put together.

Where is the picture ?  I don't see anything...

follow the link on the first post and you'll see something you wished you hadn't. Bet they make it to the redneck picture site.

I have followed the link - but a picture does not come up.