Farm77,

Thanks for asking about the hitch.  Its a Hoppin' Pop brand.  Installed it myself last year in the one ton honkin' diesel monster that I drive.  It is a standard bed.  Like I said, I installed it myself . . . only took a couple of hours once I ripped the hole in the bed. Only made one mistake but got it right on the second hole.  As always,the pictures that others have posted on this site have been very helpful.  These have been especially helpful >>  http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/forum/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=25

Back to your question: The hitch is located just barely in front of the axel on on the right. 

I was just pokin fun, no harm intended 

Going to try this until I can get them to give me one of those ultra-high tech, ultra-light new Blue Moon trailers. It will be adequet for a while. I guess the horses will have to keep wearing the goggles after all.

Should I put shavings or sawdust in the bed when the horse is riding? What are the advantages of each?

Hey isn't that Mr. Truck in that picture, back in his hey day? I knew he was partial to Ford trucks! Course having that horse in the back of his truck gave that Ford more horse power!

I think that would be a good idea to keep people from tailgating. Once they see that tail raise, watch out!

We are headed out this afternoon for Rapid Forks Idaho.  Got both horses in the back of the truck and everyone seems excited about the trip.  Using my brothers truck instead of the one ton diesel monster since I knocked out the rear window on it with the now defunct GN last week.

Truck is riding a little low in the back but I think it will be OK once we are up to speed.  I'll try to look up Mr. Truck when I go through Denver and see if he has any new gadgets that might make the trip easier.  When we leave Rapid Forks we will drop down to Flat River Nevada for the Irish Draft Pony Conferece and check out the guy that is giving away the Blue Moon trailers . . . Can't wait to get that new trailer!  Anybody know, Do trailers have a break-in period like trucks?  Heard that the new thermal retard bearings are made offshore and may need some special treatment.

When I get back I'll be seeking some help with a little LQ conversion work on the trailer: want to put in a barcalounger, big screen TV and a washer and dryer.  Going to need lots of help with the electrical wiring on that trailer. Won't have the galvonic electrical action of aluminum over steel so I will have to figure out how to get the generator going or set up some sort of 110/220 plug in.  Going to be real careful with that because the last time I got into it I didn't have it grounded quite right and it roached my horse's mane when he stepped into the trailer the first time. Talk about creating a loading problem!

Back at you soon.

Arroyosecco:  Sorry about the PM. I meant to send that to your wife.

Some horses do look good with roached manes and burn marks  ..... 

Sure hope you can provide some on the road adventure stories, gotta be some priceless ones.  And I do expect we'll see some pics of your rig showing up on the internet soon.    Looking forward to your next installment.

Be careful. I think this whole thing is nonsense and your getting some bad advice.  You have a horse, forget the frigging truck and trailer its a horse, there made to ride, put saddle on her get on and get out of town.  There is plenty of feed in the ditchs and water in the lakes(bring an axe to break thought the ice).  Then you don't have to worry about alumin over steel or steel over kryptonite, rust, wiring, 120 or 220, ford chevy or dodge, plywood, saw dust or shavings. skateboard or roller blades, blue moon 4 star or sundowner, coupons or discount vouchers, profit or loss, home school or public or private, just ride baby ride.  Oh know does anyone know what color shirt to wear.

Got a late start on Friday and only got as far as Amarillo, TX.  The good news is we got here with only minor problems: one of the horses turned around in the back of the truck after deciding that he wanted to ride facing backwards (he’s a German warmblood and they say that is real normal in Europe)  All the shavings blew out of the back of the truck in the first ¾ of a mile but that turned out to be no big deal: most of the time the horses pooped outside the bed rails of the truck anyway and we were only cited once for littering while passing through Archer County, Texas. 

Is the load on the truck more, the same,  or less after the horses have pooped?

We had hoped to stay at the Happy Tracks Horse Motel in Amarillo but they were full-up.  Guess we should have called ahead.  The nice people there told us that the only place left in town was at the Fair Grounds: $10/stall per night.  There is a Monty Roberts clinic going on in town so we were lucky to get that. (Horses were following people everywhere, but that is for another time)  It was well after midnight when we got to the Fair Grounds and had a little difficulty unloading.   The horses had jumped right into the back of the truck when we loaded them but wouldn’t budge to come out without a ramp ten hours later. Of course I was worried about them falling off the side of the ramp but we set one up with a couple of sheets of borrowed plywood and six cinder blocks and they slid right down.  Can you believe it: they actually got down a ramp without breaking a leg?  We had heard that ramps had become so dangerous they  are starting to use them at the packing plants. After all I had read on this site I was sure something terrible would happen.      Well, after we got the horses all settled in we were loading up the truck to get going and find a motel for us.  Wouldn’t you know it . . . I threw a bucket and some saddles in the back of the truck and broke out the rear window of this truck that I borrowed from my brother.  This is now the fifth rear window I have broken and this time I did it without a gooseneck trailer!  The truck is old but so far it is holding up.  I am a little worried about whether or not it is enough truck based on some of the things I have read on this site. We are going over Raton Pass tomorrow and I don’t know if this truck will handle the long steep grade with the weight of two horses in the back.  Sure wish I had my one ton diesel monster on this trip.

What’s the best way to drive up steep hills?

Arroyosecco:  The PM really didn't mean anything . . .  really it didn't. 

Made it to Denver today. We’ve looked all over for Mr. Truck with no luck. We thought for sure that he had heard we were coming. The old borrowed truck gave out just as we got into town and I was hoping to borrow one of those trucks that Mr. Truck is always test driving. Jiminy, you would think that wouldn’t be a big deal to him; how many trucks can he drive at one time anyway? He’s probably got trucks just sitting around his place waiting to be driven.

Well it seems he is hiding out from us. We have been all over town asking for him . . . gone to six different truck dealerships and five used car lots and everyone says they don’t know who we are talking about. Either he isn’t the famous guy we all thought he is or he’s hiding out and hogging those trucks. I really think he's got everyone covering for him.  If I can’t find him soon I may have to go ahead and buy another truck. That would certainly be the pits since I have the one ton diesel monster back in North Texas and he has all those extra trucks. I may just go and complain to a dealer about all of this!

The horses are staying down by Cherry Creek. There is plenty of water and even some very short grass. Good thing too because we didn’t have room to carry feed with them riding in the back of the old pickup. Wifey is selling pony rides there this afternoon to make a little extra money incase we do buy a new truck.

Bought  a brand new truck with my hard earned $$$ today.  What a beauty it is too.  It is a one ton dually, power max 7000 turbo engine with 432 HP, 759 ft.lbs torque  and nine speed transmission.  The transmission cooler is big enough to prevent the melt down of a nuke plant and ought to help us get through the mountains OK.     

I’ll never have to ask you guys “Can I pull a gooseneck with this truck?”  This baby can pull the whole goose! 

 And to make sure it will stop I have installed a Dead-In-Your-Tracks ^TM  electronic brake controller (only $99 on-line from Jorge’s Hotrod Shop in Cuba Missouri)

Wifey and I have decided to go ahead and buy a used trailer to use until the Blue Moon Trailer Company gives us one of theirs in a couple of weeks.  Does anyone have any opinions about what  is a good used trailer to buy?  I mean namin’ names and telling it like it really is? Whatever we buy  we plan sell it on this site after the Blue Moon trailer people give us a new one of their trailers. Keep that in mind when you make your suggestions.

We think we should  get a bigger trailer than we originally planned.  I think that an LQ will have better resale value (remember, we are planning on selling it to one of you after we get the new trailer in a couple of weeks.)

We settled on a two horse with LQ built by Equiroller of  Sapulpa Oklahoma.   The dealer we bought it from, Robin Cash Trailers is just outside of Denver.  They made us a good deal on this 2002 Equiroller  FurdHauler.  It is the 2^nd best trailer available.  I’d rank them with 4Star, C&M, Bloomer and of course, #1 Blue Moon Trailers.  Except for those scary ramps and trecherous cab-wrecking front corners it is a great trailer. Its all AMERICAN made except for the Jamaican aluminum, Indonesian wheel bearings, Brazilian hubs, Mexican mats, Canadian brakes, Chinese light bulbs and Korean tires.  Here is picture

Although it doesn’t look very big on the outside there is plenty of room for our horses and generous living quarters. The living quarters is really spacious.  Almost like home with a living area, bed room, bath and kitchen.  It is truly amazing what they are doing with the LQ conversions now.  I really recommend the company that did this one: Wright’s Usonian Conversions in Aurora Colorado.

The owner, Frank, was easy to work with and eager to give us the best LQ that we had ever seen. And he did it in one afternoon and charged us nothing . . .  now that’s what I consider a fair deal.  Every detail is just perfect.

Below is a picture of the LQ interior

 Arroyosecco: I PMd you again. It didn't involve her.

and you also avoid any discharge on your windshield this way.

Did you really think hard about that?  If the horses are in backwards you may end up needing to use you windshield wipers!!  If you have mares.

We made it into Pocatello last night.  Whew, what a blizzard.  Here is a pic the Wifey took at noon yesterday >>>

We made great milage yesterday in spite of the snow and ice. Horses seem to be doing much better in the trailer than they did in the back of the old pickup.

Great to relax and do a little email and websurfing here in these luxurious LQs we have now.  I was reading on this site and I have a few questions:  What are trailer weights and where do they go?  Are  they used to reduce the bouncing? Where do you buy them?  What's better: aluminum weights or steel weights?

Also wanted your opinion about tires: When should I replace them?  They look like this now 

Good times here in Pocatello! The blizzard finally blew on through and this afternoon has been great.  We came up here for a little horse show . . . tough competition but we have taken away our share of the prizes in freestyle dressage and cutting!!! It was a terrific day until late this afternoon: The horses ride backwards in this trailer since we torched the mangers at a welding shop about twenty miles outside of Denver. We had the welder turn the mangers into a hay rack for the top of the trailer.  Anyway, I was turning the trailer around to get the horses to back into the trailer and darned if I didn’t turn too sharp and knock out the rear window of the truck again!!! That must be the fifth time I have done that in the last couple of weeks.  May have to put some kind of a warning buzzer in the truck to tell me if I have turned sharper than 12 degrees.  Anybody done that before?

We are on the road again tomorrow headed for Flat River Nevada and the Irish Draft Pony Conference.  We are still eager to talk to the Blue Moon folks about a free trailer but the more we stay in this LQ that we picked up in Denver the better we are liking it.  

If just a couple of things were different we might just keep it.

The things that bother us are:

• The worm flooring (we had it treated with chlordane and diazanon before we took delivery in Denver but they are still there)
• There is no cowgirl shower  (Wifey is really needing a shower about now)
• We don’t think it has Ellie Dee lights (not sure what brand they are)

If you have suggestions about any of the above topics, Wifey and I would love to hear from you.  She is especially concerned about the worm floors and cowgirl shower.

Got several PMs about the backward riding horses.

I don’t have any pics of our horses trailering that way because I am usually driving and its hard to take pictures of the back of the trailer while I am driving.  I am a little shy about turning this truck and trailer very sharp to get a look back there because of my history (some of you are familiar with it) of taking out the back window of the truck with the gooseneck .

Here's a shot of another backwards roller from a few weeks back while driving between Pecos, TX and Carlsbad, NM. Thought you might like to see how it looks. See how relaxed the horses are?

http://www.goateye.com/albums/gcommisc/horsei15.sized.jpg

Also have this picture of my nephew riding one of our horses.  As you can see both the boy and the horse are used to the movement and very comfortable with it.

http://www.southalgonquincamp.com/photos/courtney%20backwards.jpg

Gee - all that space in the LQ and you couldn't fit 2 showers.... as for the worm flooring, I've heard that an acid wash will take care of that problem, but you gotta put booties on the horses so their feet don't get burned.  Course they have burned manes so maybe they're getting used to it by now.

Have fun at the Irish Draft Pony Conference and keep sending the pictures and updates.