Posted 2008-01-08 9:45 AM (#73987) Subject: 8' wide vs. less
Regular
Posts: 88 Location: beaumont texas
I am trying to decide on either 8' wide with mangers or a 7'6" (or 7') without mangers. I would like for a horse to be able to turn around and walk out if absolutely necessary. (long story I won't go into.)
I have read lots of pros and cons on mangers on this forum. But my question is more this: is an 8'wide trailer any more difficult to pull than something narrower? (i currently have a 7' wide and its no problem, except for turning corners.) One friend is adamant about an 8' wide trailer being much more difficult to pull??? I realize that the wheels are already 8' wide, so I can't see that an 8' wide trailer would make much difference, but then again, I have never pulled one.
Posted 2008-01-08 10:16 AM (#73991 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Arkansas
We have both. I love the 8 wide for the extra space involved overall. I have 2 stalls with mangers and 1 with a full walk out door and no manger. Depends on the animals you are hauling. I will put a real green hauler in the stall with no manger. The 8 wide also is nice in the LQ area. There are two things to consider with an 8 wide, the width of the box in general makes your vision directly behind you in the rear view mirror more limited, and if you have a full square front on the gooseneck, it will want to get closer to your truck cab, toolbox, etc, sooner, when you turn short. If a person has never pulled a gooseneck trailer before, they might get into a few $$ mistakes in the learning process, but if they are already experienced with hauling with a gooseneck, hauling an 8 wide takes little adjustment. I have no regrets with the 8 wide and manger set up, for hauling my own stock. If I haul someone else's animal I will put it in the no manger stall. I haul a 1450 lb 16h long bodied horse in the 8 wide with manger, and he has plenty of open space around his whole torso..
Posted 2008-01-08 11:09 AM (#73998 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
As Flyingfarm has stated, an 8' trailer excels at additional interior space, whether it be in the LQ or stall area. A LQ that is 8'x8'x? is positively cavernous. The wheels on a 7' wide and 8' trailer are the same width, the 8' wide will use full wheel wells in the floor/sidewall stall area to cover the tires, a 7 1/2', less so, a 7' usually has no intrusions. Some of the heavier trailers use larger wheels and tires for increased load capacities, so the wheel wells are also larger. This can also raise the overall height of the trailer.
You will pay for the additional space. A larger size means more materials and more construction costs are involved. As Flyingfarm has expressed, towing one is intimidating at first. You will need mirror extensions on your tow vehicle, and for a while you will feel like a novice when turning in tight quarters. It is difficult to look along the trailer sides when towing, without making a conscious effort to do so. It is also very difficult to inspect your tires from the truck as you drive, as they are completely buried by the bodywork.
The 8' wide trailers are also the heaviest of the group. Can your truck handle this substantial weight increase? Depending on the trailer lengths, you can easily exceed the capabilities of a one ton dually.
For towing ease, I'm a wimp and favour a maximum trailer width of 7 1/2' . When I had a stock trailer it was 7' wide and felt like a sports car. I live in an area where there are many secondary roads. On some of them, I already crowd the center line to avoid dropping the trailer wheels off the pavement. With a wider body, I'm afraid that I would be intimidated into grabbing a bit more of the road, even though physically it would not be necessary to do so.
If you know someone with such a rig, I would recommend you asking for a drive to see if this venture is really to your liking.
Posted 2008-01-08 11:52 AM (#74007 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Veteran
Posts: 211 Location: El Paso, Texas
I have a 7 foot wide and carry portable pens . My buddy has an 8 foot wide, bought portable panels, and can not carry them, because he is now too wide (over 8 foot) so it depends on the needs. I have a slide out, which slides out 18 inches, so it all works out. 8 foot wide trailers are more expensive (more material)
Posted 2008-01-08 11:58 AM (#74010 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 500 Location: West TN
We have an 8' C&C with mangers. We have been able to have horses turn around in the middle stall as well as the front. You better make sure the last one will back out though. It really isn't alot of difference in pulling once you get used to it. The tires are the same width on them.
Posted 2008-01-08 2:15 PM (#74031 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Regular
Posts: 88 Location: Youngstown, OH
I tow both on a regular basis. I have a 3 horse Elite LQ with a 15' shortwall that is 8' wide. I couldn't live without the added space the manger compartments provide. From the power cord to the hoses, buckets, chairs, blankets, etc. This space is always used.
I use a 3 horse Blue Ribbon to run around with. It is 7' wide and is a nice trailer to pull when going to another farm or to the vet. But I wouldn't want to use an LQ that wasn't 8' wide.
Posted 2008-01-08 8:23 PM (#74050 - in reply to #74031) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309 Location: MO
Originally written by reinergirl on 2008-01-08 2:15 PM
I tow both on a regular basis. I have a 3 horse Elite LQ with a 15' shortwall that is 8' wide. I couldn't live without the added space the manger compartments provide. From the power cord to the hoses, buckets, chairs, blankets, etc. This space is always used.
I use a 3 horse Blue Ribbon to run around with. It is 7' wide and is a nice trailer to pull when going to another farm or to the vet. But I wouldn't want to use an LQ that wasn't 8' wide.
Reinergirl is right on. When we went from a 7' b.p. to an 8' gn with LQ, the only difficulty I had in dealing with th new trailer was the length. a 28' trailer vs a 16'. I has a tendency to run over curbs. Until I watched the semis make turns. You have to make WIDE turns to clear curbs, etc.
The mangers give so much extra storage I'd never be without them. And you'd be surprised at how much extra room you'll have in the LQ.
Posted 2008-01-08 9:36 PM (#74059 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Veteran
Posts: 148 Location: columbia tn
i have a 3h 10'sw lq 8' wide trailer we camp and trail ride 20-25 trips a yr. could not do without the mangers for carrying space,would hate to have to do without the extra space in the lq area i think it all depends what you do with your trailer and how much extra stuff you haul.. i do like very much that my first stall is walk door and no manger so i put one of my bigger horses there the smallest in the middle and the next biggest in back even though the back stall has a manger it still is bigger...another real concern that was brought up is your truck as far as pulling we pull with a dodge diesel 3500 you can tell something is back there for sure..happy trails
Posted 2008-01-08 10:19 PM (#74061 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
I had a 7' wide with managers, I also had a Large 16 hh gelding that had learned to turn around the my earlier trailer that didn't have managers. It was quite a challenge one hot day in July teaching him to back out of a the new trailer. He couldn't physically turn around in the space. I spent a lot of time teaching him to back up and off curbs, ditches, anything I could find to simulate stepping off the back step of the trailer before I ever put him back in the trailer again.
My current trailer is 7'4" wide. I don't notice it being much wider to tow. The mangers are a little bigger in the trailer, so the horse compartment is only an 2" bigger. I still back them all out.
Posted 2008-01-09 1:26 PM (#74106 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
Elite Veteran
Posts: 736 Location: Western WA
My Logan is either 7'6" or 7'8" wide with mangers. I agree with what everyone else has said, would rather have an 8' wide trailer but it was the right deal at the right price at the right time. Only very small horses can turn around, and even though its only 4" or 6" narrower than 8' wide trailers, my LQ seems alot narrower than 8' wide trailers. I love having the manger storage space, and show reiners so will likely never have a really big horse so it works for me. But if turning around a horse in the trailer is important, I'd go 8' wide if you want mangers.
Posted 2008-01-11 12:05 PM (#74244 - in reply to #73987) Subject: RE: 8' wide vs. less
New User
Posts: 2
Location: delray beach , FL
In most cases your 7' and 8' wide trailers have the same width axles under them (96" or 102") and its just width of the shell that is different. From experience the 7 wide's do not require mirror extenders as most of the 8' may if you do not have "towing mirrors". If you have lots of stuff the mangers on Exiss and Sooner trailers give a great storage place for additional stuff.
Thank you
Andrew Parsons Exiss Sooner of South Florida Del-Raton Trailer Sales 2998 S. Federal Highway Delray Beach, FL 33483 ph 561-278-3420 fax 561-330-3680 direct line: 561-860-4669
8' wide vs. less
