Posted 2009-06-02 4:28 PM (#105848) Subject: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Member
Posts: 13
i am looking at buying a 2000 Sundowner Sierra 8012 and had a few questions i was hoping someone could answer. Is this model all aluminum? Are there any known problems to look for with this year and model? I have a F250 CC with the extra leaf spring, will it pull/stop this trailer ok?? Thanks
Posted 2009-06-02 4:45 PM (#105849 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
How many horses does it carry, 2, 3, 4, 5? And I believe that would be a steel frame aluminum skin trailer if it's a 2000 Sundowner Sierra 8012, 727. That might be a bit much for a F-250.... What year model is the F-250?
Posted 2009-06-02 4:55 PM (#105851 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Veteran
Posts: 198 Location: Iowa
I just got a 2006 Sundowner Sierra 8012 727 4 horse...it's all aluminum, sides, floor, frame. It has a 12 foot LQ and an empty weight of 11,500 lbs. (CAT scale). I have a 2000 Dodge 2500, and I did pull it from the dealer's place to my place about 250 miles with no horses, and then this weekend to a campground close by with 3 horses...but I am DEFINITELY now looking very hard and very fast for a 1-TON DUALLY!!! The 2500 pulled and stopped it...and I kept my speed to 60 mph...but without a doubT it's waaaaaay too big of a trailer for a 3/4 ton...so I'd say your F250 would defintely NOT be enough truck either.
Posted 2009-06-02 6:30 PM (#105854 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Member
Posts: 13
it is a 3 horse, no mid tack. the F250 is an 02 with the 7.3L, it has the extra leaf spring so i am told it is like a f350??? i was mainly looking at 10' sw max but this one is a pretty good deal thru info an pic's (8' wide), what is the floor length (i was quessing around 28') thanks for the input
Posted 2009-06-02 7:06 PM (#105856 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 430 Location: TN
I have a 2001 F350 crew cab 4 X 4 SRW with a 7.3 Powerstroke and would not attempt pulling that trailer on a regular basis. Just from a maintenence perspective, more wear on tires, brakes, hoses, lines, etc. than a 3/4 ton or SRW 1 ton is meant to handle.
My Powerstroke will pull a house, but stopping the house is another issue. I have pulled a 3 horse Elite, 8 ft. wide with a 8 ft. living quarters fully loaded and stopped without the trailer brakes working with no problem, but would not have wanted anymore behind me in that circumstance than what I had. Extra leaf springs do not help with braking.
Posted 2009-06-02 7:34 PM (#105858 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
gator12513..... If the 2000 model year 8012 trailer you're looking at has a single DOT stripe around the bottom, it has the steel frame. If it has the double narrow stripe, it's all aluminum.
Posted 2009-06-03 7:20 AM (#105870 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
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Posts: 13
Thanks for all the info, i am inquiring about the VIN to determine if it is all aluminum, but from what i am hearing it is probably to much rig for my truck, we are on the road with it twice a month.
Posted 2009-06-03 12:10 PM (#105903 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Veteran
Posts: 127 Location: rapid city sd
if you have the trailer so you can look at it, the gusset that holds the goose neck to the body of the trailer is welded on an aluminum and huck rivets with a steel. Stripe does not work
Posted 2009-06-03 12:22 PM (#105904 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
I did DEEP research before I bought my 2004 Sundowner Signatures Series 727 8010 last winter.
1) ALL 727 Model Sundowner trailers have the steel frame!
2) The dot tape on the lower will confirm, if it has single tape it is a steel frame, double row of tape is an aluim. frame.
3) We use a 1-ton Dodge C/C dually to tow ours with. I have used a 2005 Ford F-250 with the 6.0 diesel and it will tow the trailer, but I will not do it unless I just have too. To soft in the rear for me......
I had a lot of questions about mine and alot of the Sundowner dealers on here helped me out with no problems. Even my local dealer just did a complete service and checked out everything and even did some recall work at no charge.
Posted 2009-06-03 1:56 PM (#105909 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Veteran
Posts: 198 Location: Iowa
Hmmm...I was told my 2006 8012 Sierra 727 is ALL aluminum...the floor is aluminum sprayed with truckbed liner (Suncoat), the frame of the roof is all aluminum, the skin is all aluminum, mangers are aluminum,, etc....I've not seen any steel on it. Am I missing something? 4H, 30' on the floor, 12' LQ, empty weight of 11,500.
Posted 2009-06-03 2:12 PM (#105911 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Member
Posts: 13
OK, the last 6 numbers of the VIN are LA2290, so i am "assuming" that it is all aluminum (770?). i already have a prodigy brake controller for my bumper pull. What is the loaded weight of this trailer, usually only haul one or two horses that weigh a touch under 1000 lbs each.
Posted 2009-06-03 2:14 PM (#105912 - in reply to #105909) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
Originally written by Flooper on 2009-06-03 1:56 PM
Hmmm...I was told my 2006 8012 Sierra 727 is ALL aluminum...the floor is aluminum sprayed with truckbed liner (Suncoat), the frame of the roof is all aluminum, the skin is all aluminum, mangers are aluminum,, etc....I've not seen any steel on it. Am I missing something? 4H, 30' on the floor, 12' LQ, empty weight of 11,500.
Easy way to tell...get a magnet and go to one of the seams on the smooth skin sheet and see if it sticks. I think HTB is right, but not sure. There was something on a previous post about it. Still searching....
Posted 2009-06-03 2:36 PM (#105914 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Quote... Easy way to tell...get a magnet and go to one of the seams on the smooth skin sheet and see if it sticks.
Don't think that will work. The steel frame we are talking about is the chassis, or the steel frame that the "aluminum box" sits on. The uprights in the walls are aluminum on the Sundowner. Hawk, Trailet, Equispirit, etc, use a steel skeleton and attach an aluminum skin to this steel skeleton.
Posted 2009-06-03 2:37 PM (#105915 - in reply to #105848) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317 Location: Barnesville, Ga.
I used to pull a 8012 with midtack, genset, hay rack 3H with a srw F350 6.0. It did a pretty good job. The trailer I had had 7,200 # axles with large brakes and would stop very good. If it has the smaller brakes of the 7,000 # axle I would be careful. As I have pulled a couple of heavy trailers with the smaller brake setup and was not happy with the setup at all. We live in middle Ga and go up in the Smoky Mts trail riding.
Posted 2009-06-03 3:59 PM (#105918 - in reply to #105914) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
Originally written by retento on 2009-06-03 2:36 PM
Quote... Easy way to tell...get a magnet and go to one of the seams on the smooth skin sheet and see if it sticks.
Don't think that will work. The steel frame we are talking about is the chassis, or the steel frame that the "aluminum box" sits on. The uprights in the walls are aluminum on the Sundowner. Hawk, Trailet, Equispirit, etc, use a steel skeleton and attach an aluminum skin to this steel skeleton.
No, the uprights are steel. The thread got locked that talked about it. To repair the ones that had rust they had to strip all the skin off of the sides. 3yrHitch was the one that talked about how they fixed the ones with issues. Look at the uprights in the dressing room of this one...powdercoated white... http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/trailerdetail.asp?ID=195291 I am still looking for that dang thread...
Posted 2009-06-03 4:42 PM (#105921 - in reply to #105919) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
Sundowner does build an all aluminum trailer. When the discussion went on before, it was said that anything that ended in a 7 was a steel frame aluminum skinned trailer.
Posted 2009-06-03 5:08 PM (#105922 - in reply to #105918) Subject: RE: Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Originally written by Tresvolte on 2009-06-03 4:59 PM
Originally written by retento on 2009-06-03 2:36 PM
Quote... Easy way to tell...get a magnet and go to one of the seams on the smooth skin sheet and see if it sticks.
Don't think that will work. The steel frame we are talking about is the chassis, or the steel frame that the "aluminum box" sits on. The uprights in the walls are aluminum on the Sundowner. Hawk, Trailet, Equispirit, etc, use a steel skeleton and attach an aluminum skin to this steel skeleton.
No, the uprights are steel. The thread got locked that talked about it. To repair the ones that had rust they had to strip all the skin off of the sides. 3yrHitch was the one that talked about how they fixed the ones with issues. Look at the uprights in the dressing room of this one...powdercoated white... http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/trailerdetail.asp?ID=195291 I am still looking for that dang thread...
Well that will work... The picture I remember seeing, (that's now long gone), showed the steel frame chassis that the aluminum box sat on... It was like loading a big aluminum module onto a steel trailer frame., only the lower part was steel, so it too is a steel skeleton somewhat like the Hawk, trailet, etc?... Maybe it was another brand but I know it was in the midst of a SD discussion, I remember the thread but it may have been more than a year old, if so it may be gone... Thanks for setting me straight Tresvolte!!
Originally written by Tresvolte on 2009-06-03 3:59 PM
Originally written by retento on 2009-06-03 2:36 PM
Quote... Easy way to tell...get a magnet and go to one of the seams on the smooth skin sheet and see if it sticks.
Don't think that will work. The steel frame we are talking about is the chassis, or the steel frame that the "aluminum box" sits on. The uprights in the walls are aluminum on the Sundowner. Hawk, Trailet, Equispirit, etc, use a steel skeleton and attach an aluminum skin to this steel skeleton.
No, the uprights are steel. The thread got locked that talked about it. To repair the ones that had rust they had to strip all the skin off of the sides. 3yrHitch was the one that talked about how they fixed the ones with issues. Look at the uprights in the dressing room of this one...powdercoated white... http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/trailerdetail.asp?ID=195291 I am still looking for that dang thread...
Sundowner Sierra 8012 questions
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