Disclaimer: Please note that none of the information contained in these files is meant to be professional information. Consult your vet, attorney or other professional for their advice. To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "Ria Thress" Subject: EQ-ResQ: Buying a Trailer Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 11:59:21 -0500 Hi all, I am in the market for an inexpensive horse trailer and have never shopped for one before. I know the basics like checking the floor's stability and so on, but what other important things should I check for? My truck is already set up for a bumper pull. Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays to everyone! ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: SPetty1620@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Buying a Trailer Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 16:14:01 EST I always ask specifically when the floor was replaced, as people will say it has a new floor when it is a couple of years old, just because it has not been used much. The floor will dry rot, and so will the tires. Regardless of how much tread is left, trash the tires if they show any sign of rot, as they are not safe. Check the wiring to make sure everything works. Make sure the frame of the trailer (Under the floor, I always check this on an older trailer.) is not rusted out, and make sure it travels straight before you buy it. Even an old, cheap trailer should pull decently. If you have a horse that is much over 15 hands, or throws his head when loading or unloading, find an extra tall trailer. Even a 15.2 hand horse can sometimes hit his head if he gets a little excited loading or unloading. Also, I put shavings (or you can use a little sand.) in my trailer, on top of the rubber mats. Those mats get slick when they are wet, but bare wood is even worse. The butt bars should be in place and usable. (Safety first.) You may already know this, but I have to say it anyway. Don't pull a horse trailer with the bumper. (You know, the ball that just fits into the hole in your bumper.) This is unsafe and frowned upon by horsepeople who know better. The bumper of your truck was not meant to pull that much weight. Go to a place that installs hitches, such as a truck accessory store, and have a decent hitch installed. (Such as a "Draw-tite" hitch.) Make sure you set it up where the trailer is level, not running uphill or downhill. Also, if you plan to do much pulling at all, use a half ton or better truck to pull horses. You will find out in a hurry, when you get into a bind, how little stability those small trucks and small SUV 's have. I know there are many other safety issues to consider when buying a horse trailer, but that should get you started. Anyone else have some ideas? I'm sure no trailer expert. Sharelle ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Buying a Trailer Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 16:59:12 -0500 First, you have to decide what you are going to use the trailer for. Long, long hauling? Will you be hauling horses that are debilitated, wild, or very young? To get the most use out of a trailer, you want it to be changeable, that is you want inner panels that can come out or be moved to various positions. Some people do not like to use a ramp trailer, but one in which the horse has to jump up a bit to enter. This is because the sound of their hooves on the ramp spooks some wild or young horses. If you're doing rescue, you never know what sort of horse you'll have to deal with. Generally, a stock trailer is the easiest one to alter to suit the situation. It can be backed up to a slight slant in the ground so horses can merely walk into it. Rubber mats on the floor and up the walls help pad horses and prevent injuries. Horses turned loose in a stock trailer often turn around and ride backwards, or at a slant, so if you are considering a regular trailer, a slant would probably work best, especially for long hauls. Here's a truck faq, but I couldn't find a trailer faq: http://www.horse-country.com/faqs/truck_faq.txt I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions on trailers! Diana ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Buying a Trailer Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 17:46:22 -0500 Here's a good article on checking your trailer each year... could easily apply to purchasing a used trailer: http://www.ecis.com/~whl/saf/trailer.html Diana ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "Ria Thress" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Buying a Trailer Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 18:24:02 -0500 >Don't pull a horse >trailer with the bumper. (You know, the ball that just fits into the hole in >your bumper.) Just a little more information for ya'all, my truck is set up with a hitch that is attached to the frame(??) the hitch comes from under the bumper and truck. I do plan to make one big trip across several states but once I get there I don't plan on hauling long distances. There are also sites that sell "parts" to trailers like side padding and floor mats for a nice price Valley Vet.com in particular. So I can always make those small improvements. Also, does anyone know what to look for when you look at the actual hitch of the trailer? I know when buying a bumper pull you want the one with side supports and not just one single post coming from the trailer to the truck. Anything else? Thanks to all of you for your advice, I am on my own here and I don't have anyone who I can trust to help me out. People will screw you over any chance they get. OOPS sorry...Merry Christmas, too! ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "slyshot" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Buying a Trailer Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 02:23:42 -0500 Invest in a copy of The Complete Guide to Buying, Maintaining and Servicing a Horse Trailer by Neva Scheve (Howell Book House). This book answers tons of questions on all aspects of trailering. Ms. Scheve is the author of the Hawkins guides on trailering and she and her husband have been dealing in and designing trailers for decades. They have also put a lot of study and research into the many safety aspects of trailering, both hauling and trailer design, which is something the horse trailer industry as a whole apparently does not do. The book is available through Amazon and other online booksellers. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Klondike (Cris May) Days End Farm Horse Rescue (MD) http://www.defhr.org ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: "Dawn (Idaho)" Subject: EQ-ResQ: Bumper Pull Trailers Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 09:49:22 -0700 It is possible to have the bumper reinforced and built up so it is solid enough to pull a small trailer. I have done this on one of my pickups. Supports and such are welded in. But it is probally just as cheap to put in a regular reciever hitch. ============================================================ To: equinerescue@imagicomm.com From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Bumper Pull Trailers Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 16:36:53 -0500 >It is possible to have the bumper reinforced and built up so it is solid >enough to pull a small trailer. I have done this on one of my pickups. >Supports and such are welded in. Not a good idea. The problem is the initial design for towing a heavy load is not built in, and whoever builds up the bumper and reinforces is is not likely to be an engineer. Avoid tragedy and have it done right to begin with. Diana ============================================================