I have a slant load trailer with a cowboy shower. I'm wondering if anyone has seen a floor pan for the back of the horse trailer for the water to run in and then drain out on to the ground. Also, people that have a cowboy shower in the horse stall, what do you do to best clean out the horse poo and urine that is inevitably going to be there when you get to your destination? I don't mind having the shower in the horse stall, and even welcome the space..but don't like having to figure out how to clean out the trailer to use it. I am debating if it would be safe to lay anything down on the ground under your shavings that could be pulled out of the trailer when you get where you are going...
Posted 2013-03-03 1:43 AM (#150314 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Remlap, Alabama
Most people do not have horses go in the area / stall where the shower is. To avoid your other stated problems, I sometimes shower outside of my trailer (in summer, in shorts) at the outside water hook up place and I wear flip flops. In colder weather , I spit bathe, as they call it, with hot water, sink and a sprayer inside my trailer at the kitchen. Looking forward to Spring so I can go again!Linda
Posted 2013-03-03 5:49 AM (#150315 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Member
Posts: 16
Location: Hortonville, WI
I only have a two horse trailer so the trailer is usually full. I have an awesome nice powerful shower so I wouldn't want to not us it. My water Heater is in the LQ side of the slanted wall and I have the shower head and knobs on the horse side contained in a small compartment when not in use and on the road. If that makes sense.
Posted 2013-03-03 6:37 AM (#150316 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Veteran
Posts: 197 Location: AZ
Some people I know who have cowboy showers use a modified muck bucket to stand in...they cut a hole through it near the bottom, affixed a drain hole/plug and attached a hose to it and let it drain out the back of the trailer. When the shower is over, there is only about an 1" to 1"1/2 of soapy water in the bucket and they just dump it.
Posted 2013-03-03 12:30 PM (#150326 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: high desert, CA.
Check at Lowes, or Home Depot, for a cement mixing pan. Several diff sizes, and only about 6" deep, so easy to use as a shower pan, and then lift ut, or judt dump. Cheeep too!I use one for an outside pan nest to the outside foot shower when at the beach, so we don't track sand into the trailer. ( and into the BED!)
Posted 2013-03-03 7:49 PM (#150344 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 504
An option is to have a piece of outdoor carpet to put in the horse stall after you have removed the horses, cleaned and swept. That gives a cleaner floor surface. Being careful how you fold it when you remove it, you can keep the outdoor carpet clean. Then, use whatever kind of "shower pan" that works for you. In addition to the options previously mentioned, you can look at a utility sink. Utility sinks have a drain that can connect to "plumbing" so that you can drain through the trailer floor either onto the ground or into a tank.
Posted 2013-03-07 6:06 AM (#150421 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Member
Posts: 16
Location: Hortonville, WI
The set up I used last year was I would sweep out the trailer the best I could then put a tarp down for my clean floor. I had it cut at a slant so it fit flat. I then stood in a kiddie pool. $11 and easy to dump.
I know they make actual draining pans for this purpose but only for straight loads. Putting something round or square in a slant load takes up extra floor space. I am hoping to find or have made a draining floor pan that is shaped for the slant load. Because I sweep out the back I use the whole space as a mud room.
The biggest hassle is cleaning the floor first. I like the carpet idea.
Still wondering if there isn't an obvious solution for something to lay in the trailer during transport under the shavings that can be pulled out when you get to your destination. And then just shaking it off in a muck pile. Your trailer floor staying clean underneath.
Posted 2013-03-07 6:13 AM (#150423 - in reply to #150344) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Member
Posts: 16
Location: Hortonville, WI
I really like the outdoor carpet idea more than just a tarp on the floor! I will have to check into what a utility sink is like. Is that heavy? I would like there to be a drain do it can be left alone all weekend. I just know there has to be an option for a slant load somewhere.
Posted 2013-03-07 10:19 AM (#150431 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Sometimes on EBay, there are shower pans that are advertised for sale. An angular diamond or corner type works quite well with a slant wall. The bottom drain can be plugged and a side drain installed, or a hole can be drilled through the flooring to insert a small outside drain pipe. The whole lot can be lifted off the floor when not in use and stored vertically, taking up little space.
Small square or rectangular shower pans can be purchased at most big box and plumbing stores.
Posted 2013-03-07 11:57 AM (#150433 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824 Location: Kansas
Cheaper than a shower pan and lighter to move would be the trays that go under washing machines in case of overflow. You could set this upright against a wall during travel and they are pretty cheap.
Posted 2013-03-07 9:18 PM (#150441 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Member
Posts: 16
Location: Hortonville, WI
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Bells I really like the dog shower that is collapsible! I have never seen one of those. There is a Tuesday Morning near me too that i will check out. :) I like that it is very light weight, takes up little space, you probably don't have to worry about getting water all over, and it won't fill up on a shower. It is probably smaller around than my kiddie pool, but you use this and it works fine, right?
Posted 2013-03-08 9:04 AM (#150448 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
We made a shower in the corner portion of the midtack...its a useless space so we drill a hole on the floor for drainage ( you can cover it up ) then installed a ecotemp water heater unit. We added a 2 inch lip made out of treated wood on the floor and caulked around it. I added a show curtain rod. I can take a warm shower in the LQ portion without having to get into and out of the back of the trailer and its always clean. The LP tank is in the first stall of the trailer with the lines going through the wall. There is a water inlet in the shower area as well as a vent. of course I don't have water storage so if I go somewhere without a water hook up I cannot use this set up. But since I show horses and don't believe in ever "roughing" it it hasn't been a problem.
Posted 2013-03-08 11:49 AM (#150450 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Veteran
Posts: 140 Location: NM
Lori - It is smaller than a kiddie pool - I think the diameter is about 24 inches? I have plenty of room to allow the shower curtain to fall all the way to the inside top of the dog bath so that water isn't spraying all over the back area. When done w/the shower, we just drag it to the back and dump it a bit away. There is a connection that you can add a drain pipe/run to if you want and use that to drain it further away from the trailer but I haven't tried to use it. In the southwest every thing dries really fast so dumping it out the back hasn't been an issue.
Posted 2013-03-08 9:20 PM (#150465 - in reply to #150452) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Regular
Posts: 79 Location: Hopkinsville, Ky
My cowboy shower is always at the back door. We stand on a Pepsi crate, and just let the water run out the back. My shower is a cooler on wheels with a 12 volt pump mounted to the top. It's got a stock tank heater in it. I get get it good and hot, then roll it to the trailer. I like it because I don't have to reinstall it every time I trade trailers.
Someone on another thread found a website with just what I was looking for for the slant load shower pan! It is made of marine plywood and rubber truck liner material.
Posted 2013-03-09 10:27 AM (#150471 - in reply to #150313) Subject: RE: Cowboy Showers
Location: Central Arkansas
When I had my weekender, I stood in a 36" flexible nylon portable dog bath in the front stall that had a hose attachment to drain out the back of the trailer. I used a tension rod from the bulkhead wall to the top of the full stud partion. It never made a mess or got anything else wet that was in that front stall.
Cowboy Showers
