Trailer Selection

[horseman1985]

Hey, guys! I want to buy a used trailer in the middle price range (this will be my first purchase), but I am lost in the choice, there are too many options on the market.

I have heard a lot about popular brands like 4-Star, Cimarron, Sundowner, etc., but I would like to know live opinions, your favorites, which brands should pay attention to. Thanks in advance for the answer

 

[holeymoley]

Never heard of them. What country are you in?

 

[Red-1]

I looked up Cimarron, as it was an unusual word to be able to Google, and it seems to be gooseneck trailers, mainly, so I presume USA?

 

[horseman1985]

Yes, that's right, USA.

I looked up Cimarron, as it was an unusual word to be able to Google, and it seems to be gooseneck trailers, mainly, so I presume USA?

 

[SBJT]

I’m in North America and had this awful task.

First thing is figure out what you can tow. Gooseneck or bumper pull. If you’ve never towed before then I’ve been told gooseneck is easier but it’s longer.

Then secondly what do you want to do? (i.e camping or showing, clinics) and do you need to stay overnight?

Third thing is how big is your horse? Or how many do you want to tow? If your horse is big you want the WB height. Then a straight haul will give them more room but it’s typically harder to get them in and out if they don’t like to load. Angle hauls are easier for that but only the last stall has a lot of room and the others are squished. I personally also believe it’s harder on them as they’re always balancing on front right and left hind. There’s a reason why long distance haulers in the US tend to have straight hauls more often.

Fourth thing is what can you buy in your budget for material design? Wooden floor is better acoustically for horses than aluminum but rots quicker. Aluminum is lighter than steel but more expensive. Ones like trails west are cheaper than vantage or cimarrron whcih are more expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you want a gooseneck with LQ it’s a great idea but once again there’s the weight issue which goes back to point one. Also if you want to camp then some higher end campsites don’t want the horses at the site in which case you have to haul tack to the stall area every day.
Also you want to make sure you have a good escape if needed. Oh and do you need a ramp or can your horse do step up and down?

I ended up with a Chevy 1T truck and a small truck camper on top with a sundowner sun lite 737 2 horse straight haul bumper pull and I love it. I can separate the unit if I need to for some sites and it has a large tack room and it’s walk through. It doesn’t have a ramp but my horse does fine. Other people’s horses don’t always buy that just means I get asked less often to haul other peoples horses which is fine by me. I also just got aluminum panels so I can camp in the bush if needed. Mine are inside but if that’s something you are thinking of doing then think about getting them installed on the outside.

It all comes down to your budget. I’d work out a list of necessary items that you couldn’t live without, as well as nice to haves. Then go look at different designs at showrooms and walk around, open and close doors and imagine if you’re out at a show / on the trail and how it would work. Also talk to people you know who haul, and what they like. You’ll get a range of opinions but use your list to figure out what works for you. It took me 6 months to figure out what I wanted and get it, and then of course my damn horse didn’t load. We got through it though and now it works so well. But don’t rush into it and take the time to plan.

 

[Widgeon]

I’m in North America and had this awful task.....I ended up with a Chevy 1T truck and a small truck camper on top with a sundowner sun lite 737 2 horse straight haul bumper pull...

Goodness. You should probably bring out this thread whenever one of us in the UK starts complaining about the difficulties of choosing transport!! I had no idea folks in the US used what you refer to as "bumper pulls" - does that mean a tow bar on the back like in the UK? For some reason I thought all US trailers were goosenecks.

 

[SBJT]

Goodness. You should probably bring out this thread whenever one of us in the UK starts complaining about the difficulties of choosing transport!! I had no idea folks in the US used what you refer to as "bumper pulls" - does that mean a tow bar on the back like in the UK? For some reason I thought all US trailers were goosenecks.

Yep, but the North American version can still be larger than the UK ones as you can get larger 2 horse straight hauls, 3 horse angle straight hauls, or even ones with living quarters in (which seems ridiculous for a bumper pull).

They almost always have tack rooms in the front, and some like mine are huge. I can fit multiple saddles in, feed, 3 bales of hay, as well as all of my usuals like first aid kits, blankets, clothes, and water. But… there’s more space here so they can be bigger.

 

[horseman1985]

I’m in North America and had this awful task.

First thing is figure out what you can tow. Gooseneck or bumper pull. If you’ve never towed before then I’ve been told gooseneck is easier but it’s longer.

Then secondly what do you want to do? (i.e camping or showing, clinics) and do you need to stay overnight?

Third thing is how big is your horse? Or how many do you want to tow? If your horse is big you want the WB height. Then a straight haul will give them more room but it’s typically harder to get them in and out if they don’t like to load. Angle hauls are easier for that but only the last stall has a lot of room and the others are squished. I personally also believe it’s harder on them as they’re always balancing on front right and left hind. There’s a reason why long distance haulers in the US tend to have straight hauls more often.

Fourth thing is what can you buy in your budget for material design? Wooden floor is better acoustically for horses than aluminum but rots quicker. Aluminum is lighter than steel but more expensive. Ones like trails west are cheaper than vantage or cimarrron whcih are more expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you want a gooseneck with LQ it’s a great idea but once again there’s the weight issue which goes back to point one. Also if you want to camp then some higher end campsites don’t want the horses at the site in which case you have to haul tack to the stall area every day.
Also you want to make sure you have a good escape if needed. Oh and do you need a ramp or can your horse do step up and down?

I ended up with a Chevy 1T truck and a small truck camper on top with a sundowner sun lite 737 2 horse straight haul bumper pull and I love it. I can separate the unit if I need to for some sites and it has a large tack room and it’s walk through. It doesn’t have a ramp but my horse does fine. Other people’s horses don’t always buy that just means I get asked less often to haul other peoples horses which is fine by me. I also just got aluminum panels so I can camp in the bush if needed. Mine are inside but if that’s something you are thinking of doing then think about getting them installed on the outside.

It all comes down to your budget. I’d work out a list of necessary items that you couldn’t live without, as well as nice to haves. Then go look at different designs at showrooms and walk around, open and close doors and imagine if you’re out at a show / on the trail and how it would work. Also talk to people you know who haul, and what they like. You’ll get a range of opinions but use your list to figure out what works for you. It took me 6 months to figure out what I wanted and get it, and then of course my damn horse didn’t load. We got through it though and now it works so well. But don’t rush into it and take the time to plan.

Thank you very much for such a detailed and useful answer! A lot of valuable information. There is something to think about. The advice to visit the exhibition sounds like a very good idea.

My ideal trailer option would probably be bumper pull for a two-horse, all aluminum, since I also heard that they are more indestructible and easier to care for. The purpose of buying a trailer is small trips and trips to the vet. It would also be good to fit into a budget of up to $25k. I hope I will find a good option at this price.

A couple of times we had an experience with gooseneck, rented from our friends - in general everything is OK, but I didn't like the size, they are really long. As far as I understand, it will be easier to load with a ramp? In general, my horse is young (3.5 years old) and there was little experience in loading, so I think we can learn any way if anything.

Eh, the task of deciding on the trailer is really really terrible =) Especially if this is the first purchase. Until I started to choose, I thought I would fit in a month =)) Funny.

BTW, on one of the forums, I was told that recently the quality of Sundowner has deteriorated and their price is sufficiently inflated. What do you think about it?

 

[SBJT]

Thank you very much for such a detailed and useful answer! A lot of valuable information. There is something to think about. The advice to visit the exhibition sounds like a very good idea.

My ideal trailer option would probably be bumper pull for a two-horse, all aluminum, since I also heard that they are more indestructible and easier to care for. The purpose of buying a trailer is small trips and trips to the vet. It would also be good to fit into a budget of up to $25k. I hope I will find a good option at this price.

A couple of times we had an experience with gooseneck, rented from our friends - in general everything is OK, but I didn't like the size, they are really long. As far as I understand, it will be easier to load with a ramp? In general, my horse is young (3.5 years old) and there was little experience in loading, so I think we can learn any way if anything.

Eh, the task of deciding on the trailer is really really terrible =) Especially if this is the first purchase. Until I started to choose, I thought I would fit in a month =)) Funny.

BTW, on one of the forums, I was told that recently the quality of Sundowner has deteriorated and their price is sufficiently inflated. What do you think about it?

Ah a couple of good points there. I’ll try to answer all of them.

1. Bumper pull all aluminum is not a bad idea at all. It’s what I have. You still have to take care of the floor though and take the mats out at least once a year. It does have to be acid treated once in a while. I haven’t done it yet but I do take it to the horse trailer place for yearly maintenance and checks.
2. For small to medium trips a bumper pull is completely reasonable and we’ve hauled up to 4 hours in mine. A buddy also did 7 hours in hers and that was only a little thing. With a $25k budget you should be fine. Mine only cost $13k CAD and it was in great shape.
3. Goosenecks are long, even the short ones, but they are easier at higher speeds and in high winds. However you will have to practice backing and in towns it might get dicey for parking.
4. Ramps… now this is an interesting one as I had a discussion with a different friend just on Saturday as we were comparing our trailers. She has the sundowner charter 2-horse straight haul gooseneck with a ramp, and she hates the ramp so much she wants to get rid of it. Depending on the weather it can get really slippery and the rubber needs more care. Since mine is a step down I don’t need to worry as much on ice and just put down some sawdust to fix the problem. I was surprised at her opinion as I had always wanted the ramp like you. Mine can be a little tricky for the horse to back out of. If your horse is young then I would personally prefer the ramp.
5. Sundowners quality. I have read that too, but I honestly think a lot of manufacturers quality are going downhill as they are giving less for the same money. I believe that Charmac trailers are supposed to be higher quality than sundowner but even they are starting to get bad reviews. The only one I’ve heard to stay relatively consistent is trails west but they’re not all aluminum.

It’s a complete minefield and I don’t envy you at all.

Hope that helps!

 

[LEC]

Can I just add I have a step up trailer and one with a ramp and horses load a tonne better in the step up.

 

[horseman1985]

Of course, I understand that all-aluminum trailers are not a panacea for all diseases and they also require care.

Lol (about the ramp). That's how it turns out, who needs what, everything is very individual. Only when I have already purchased my trailer and start using it, I will understand what is best suited for me and my horse.

Yes, you definitely helped me to understand this issue better, thank you!