Posted 2005-10-22 5:29 PM (#32170) Subject: Another first horse trailer buyer
Member
Posts: 16
I have an F-250 longbed diesel with everything but the extra heavy duty (up to 11,000 pounds) suspension, so I can pull pretty much anything in a 2 horse. It's got both a gooseneck hitch and a receiver hitch.
I don't want slants, and I would like a dressing room. Horses are 16.2 TBs, so I'd need a MINIMUM height of 7 ft, but would prefer 7'6".
Can go new or used, but would like this trailer to last for at least fifteen years. I've been intrigued by Hawks and Equispirits, but am open to any suggestions except Sundowner and Exiss. Don't really much care if the trailer is all steel or steel framed, but all aluminum is my least favorite of all construction.
I'm really interested in gooseneck stock/combo trailers, but they seem to be very hard to find.
Any suggestions on a good quality trailer brand for a reasonable price would be greatly appreciated.
Posted 2005-10-22 5:49 PM (#32171 - in reply to #32170) Subject: RE: Another first horse trailer buyer
Member
Posts: 47
Don't take this the wrong way, but where do you get your information? I mean why would you prefer steel or a steel combo over all aluminum? All steel is going to be heavy and rust, the steel/aluminum combo will suffer from electrosis(sp?) which will cause the steel to actaully in a way, eat through the aluminum. But hey thats just my opinion and a few facts. Why do u not like Sundowner or Exiss?
Posted 2005-10-22 6:05 PM (#32172 - in reply to #32170) Subject: RE: Another first horse trailer buyer
Member
Posts: 16
Reason I'm leary of aluminum is because I've had experience with aluminum welds crystallizing with flexion, and I live in a place where you simply can't find people who do aluminum welding.
Sundowner and Exiss? I've heard too many stories about poor weld quality control and leaking from those two manufacturers to want to risk spending the extra money for their ad campaigns that's built into the prices of their trailers.
Steel and rust are a lot easier to repair. The electrolysis problem has been solved by reputable trailer manufacturers from what I learned in my research. And I'd much rather have a wreck in steel framed trailer.
Posted 2005-10-22 11:04 PM (#32176 - in reply to #32170) Subject: RE: Another first horse trailer buyer
Regular
Posts: 52 Location: Loxahatchee, Fl.
Well your certainly entitled to your opinion! But, I'm on my 2nd exiss trailer only because I was in a wreck with my first. By the way the trailer was basicly intact while the Dodge Dually was totaled. Granted the insurance co totaled the trailer not because of the damage, but they want no future liability for the trailer. So living in Florida the land of "sunshine" one can just about watch the steel trailers rust away. My buddy had an alumnum skin over steel frame had he got rid of it after three years. You could see the rust stains at the sheet seams. My 2nd trailer was also aluminum over steel and it didn't really hold up for me either. But everybody is entitled to an opinion.
Posted 2005-10-23 10:25 AM (#32185 - in reply to #32176) Subject: RE: Another first horse trailer buyer
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1011 Location: Oregon
Between all of us on here, I bet we could find something wrong with any trailer made out there. In my personal experiences, I had a friend who has a Charmac (1998) that he had to take back 2 or 3 times to get the leak fixed. Then another friend has one (1996) that survived crash with it (rolled on it's side with 3 horses in it), and that trailer is still perfectly sound and they are still using it. I have had 2 (2000 and 2003) and never had any problems with it. I have a couple frinds who have exiss'. One had a roof leak (2000) and the dealer was great! They bent over backwards for my friends and fixed the leak in 1 try. The dealers customer service is right behind stucture in my book. What good is having a trailer if you don't have the customer service to fix it? There is not 1 brand out there that will NEVER have any problems with it.
Posted 2005-10-24 8:41 AM (#32214 - in reply to #32170) Subject: RE: Another first horse trailer buyer
Member
Posts: 16
Couple of answers after some reconsideration based on thoughts in this thread.
Customer service, both from the manufacturer and the dealer/seller is of prime importance in any sale, whether of a car or a horse trailer or a refrigerator. Only with private individual sellers does the buyer have so few options if the item turns out to be a dud.
To be fair, the reason I had mostly decided to buy a used trailer is that I would prefer for someone else to have had to deal with lemons and manufacturer's defects. Reason I eliminated Exiss and Sundowner is horror stories I had heard about the manufacturers' responses to their quality control lapses. Apparently the only way to get those two companies' attention is with lawyer letters threatening lawsuits over lemons. Most of the issues I'm familiar with have to do with engineering issues affecting weld integrity, but it's only hearsay. I don't mean to denigrate those two companies' products since I have no personal experience with them, but I do personally plan to avoid them. 20 Besides, I don't think they are particularly good values for their prices, and I am not in the market for a slant trailer anyway. After all, for a first time buyer, the only thing one has to go on is other's experiences.
When you buy a new or used trailer from a dealer, you will have the dealer to turn to for help, so the dealer is all important. My problem there is that I am so very far from dealers for the trailers I'm interested in. I'd buy a trailer, drive several hundred miles to pick it up and then have to return those several hundred miles for warranty work. I would, however, consider a dealer sold, used trailer with a verifiable service history from any manufacturer if the trailer meets my wish list. It's gotta be a straight load, though.
Posted 2005-10-25 10:41 AM (#32281 - in reply to #32170) Subject: RE: Another first horse trailer buyer
Veteran
Posts: 127 Location: Fort Worth, Texas
The more you look, the more you will see a definite tiering of which companies are on which quality tier. It doesn't necessarily match with price, either. If you are looking for a trailer to last you 15 years, you need to get a good quality trailer and it needs to be pretty new if not brand new. Depending on the area of the country you live in, environmental effects can play a huge part in longevity of the trailer. If you can keep it inside or covered, that will also contribute to the condition over time. If it will be exposed to the putdoors, a stock or stock/combo trailer will have more of it exposed than an enclosed trailer. You will also have to watch out for birds building nests near the wiring and mice chewing on the wiring with an "open" trailer. Lastly, take good care of the trailer.....clean it and have regular maintenance done and you can get a lot of use out of it. If you have a good trailer repair place in your area, they may be certified to perform maintenance work on some trailers where their is no dealer close to you - something to consider.
Here are a few brands I would consider to be on the top 2 tiers in quality of all the trailers I looked at. We do not have a Hawk or Equispirit dealer close by, so I can't comment on either of them.
4-Star, Platinum, Integrity, Cimmaron, Hart, Elite and possibly Sooner, Bloomer, and Keifer.
Another first horse trailer buyer
