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 Expert
Posts: 1395
  
Location: Missouri | What do you all know about them? The good, the bad, and the ugly please.
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Location: midwest mama | Best steel trailers out there. Very durable. I've had several. The one I have now is a 2006 and it's been awesome. |
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | OldSchoolCowgirl - 2019-01-20 3:23 PM Best steel trailers out there. Very durable. I've had several. The one I have now is a 2006 and it's been awesome.
agree
if you are going steel you can't go wrong with TW
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 Star Padded Honey
Posts: 8890
Location: NW MT | I know many people with them, and have loved them. Sturdy, well made & very popular out west for sure. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | Thanks all. Anyone had a SpeciAlite? Recommend or no?
I like that I can get one with the comfort package and a mid tack for a pretty reasonable price. So I have been eyeballing them.
My husband needs a diff tractor before I go buying a horse trailer, but thought ud put out feelers and see what everyone thought. I very rarely see them around here. |
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 Saint Stacey
| Loved my all steel LQ. It was awesome. The steel with aluminum skin... not so much. They fall apart in 5 years. Latches, struts, etc. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | SKM - 2019-01-20 6:32 PM
Loved my all steel LQ. It was awesome. The steel with aluminum skin... not so much. They fall apart in 5 years. Latches, struts, etc.
So you had the Classic? The all steel? |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I’ve known more people with Titans thanks Trails West - but everyone seems to like them. I know my Titan held its value very well and was a great little get around trailer. I’d consider another one if it suited my needs. |
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Saint Stacey
| MOGirl07 - 2019-01-20 6:07 PM
SKM - 2019-01-20 6:32 PM
Loved my all steel LQ. It was awesome. The steel with aluminum skin... not so much. They fall apart in 5 years. Latches, struts, etc.
So you had the Classic? The all steel?
Yes. 33’ On The floor 4 horse LQ with full tack room (doors on both sides of trailer) and slide out. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | SKM - 2019-01-20 9:04 PM
MOGirl07 - 2019-01-20 6:07 PM
SKM - 2019-01-20 6:32 PM
Loved my all steel LQ. It was awesome. The steel with aluminum skin... not so much. They fall apart in 5 years. Latches, struts, etc.
So you had the Classic? The all steel?
Yes. 33’ On The floor 4 horse LQ with full tack room (doors on both sides of trailer ) and slide out.
I was looking at their website and it says the Classics are steel frame aluminum skin....I wonder if they changed something? If so, boo. :( |
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Veteran
Posts: 174
| Well made tough trailers...I have had 3 of them. Best bang for your buck the interiors are well thought out as well |
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Expert
Posts: 1432
| I have a 4 horse Classic and love it! |
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Saint Stacey
| MOGirl07 - 2019-01-20 8:27 PM
SKM - 2019-01-20 9:04 PM
MOGirl07 - 2019-01-20 6:07 PM
SKM - 2019-01-20 6:32 PM
Loved my all steel LQ. It was awesome. The steel with aluminum skin... not so much. They fall apart in 5 years. Latches, struts, etc.
So you had the Classic? The all steel?
Yes. 33’ On The floor 4 horse LQ with full tack room (doors on both sides of trailer ) and slide out.
I was looking at their website and it says the Classics are steel frame aluminum skin....I wonder if they changed something? If so, boo. : (
The all steel LQ we bought in 2009 or so. Traded it off for two of the aluminum skin in 2012 when our daughter graduated. Hopefully they’ve improved them. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | horses78 - 2019-01-20 9:28 PM
Well made tough trailers...I have had 3 of them. Best bang for your buck the interiors are well thought out as well
I'd really like a comfort package with a side tack. But it looks like all of those are steel frame aluminum skin. :( |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | 3TurnsonSpud - 2019-01-20 10:30 PM
I have a 4 horse Classic and love it!
What year? All steel or steel frame/aluminum skin? |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | Another question for those of you who've had one....can we talk about how much these suckers weigh? Like, a 3 horse gooseneck w/ comfort package and side tack, I'm sure I can pull w/ an F350. But, a 4 horse in the same trailer, am I going to need a dually for that? Bc that's soooo not going to happen. Something I'd need to consider. |
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Member
Posts: 17
| I have had 3 of them now. Still currently own two. A 40' living quarters with mid-tack and one of their Hot Shot combos. Absolutely LOVE them! I had a summer of hell with tires and blew the fender off of one side after two tires went and called up the factory in Preston, ID and asked if we could pick one up on our way through to visit family and they were more than accommodating for us to do that. Wouldn't have anything but (short of winning one!) |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | Yearly - 2019-01-21 4:56 PM
I have had 3 of them now. Still currently own two. A 40' living quarters with mid-tack and one of their Hot Shot combos. Absolutely LOVE them! I had a summer of hell with tires and blew the fender off of one side after two tires went and called up the factory in Preston, ID and asked if we could pick one up on our way through to visit family and they were more than accommodating for us to do that. Wouldn't have anything but (short of winning one!)
Was your LQ all steel or steel frame with alum skin? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 585
Location: Texas | I have a 4 horse w/ 8' LQ and midtack. I have a Dodge 2500 w/ air suspension. I've been pulling it for 2 years no problem. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | workerbee - 2019-01-22 11:06 AM
I have a 4 horse w/ 8' LQ and midtack. I have a Dodge 2500 w/ air suspension. I've been pulling it for 2 years no problem.
Good to know. Thank you! I have no intention of getting a full LQ, but I'd like to have the option to get a 4 horse if I decided I "needed" one without having to get another truck. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | I have a 2004, nice well built trailer. Mine has a 13 ft short wall with slide (4 horse) we pull easily with F350. The only way we could afford that nice of a trailer was a trails west plus my hubby is thrilled at how durable it is inside and out! |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | LMS - 2019-01-22 1:01 PM
I have a 2004, nice well built trailer. Mine has a 13 ft short wall with slide (4 horse) we pull easily with F350. The only way we could afford that nice of a trailer was a trails west plus my hubby is thrilled at how durable it is inside and out!
I love the options they have for the price point!! I am concerned that these newer ones with alum skin wont hold up as well. When I do buy a new trailer, I will intend to garage it when not in use, and hang on it to for 20 years. My current is a 98 steel BP and it's still just fine. So, I initially thought TW wpuld be a good option bc I thought they still made some all steel ones and they have nice features like the comfort package that I can't find in a Titan. |
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | I have a 2002 3 horse all steel with large dressing room and side tack that we use mostly as a run around trailer. Zero repairs, just tires, brakes and the occasional light. I was moving horses in the dark this morning for the farrier and every time I use it I think of what a good trailer it has been. Only steel trailer I would own. We pull it with a 2017 F250 diesel and it would pull it as a four horse fine. |
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | Matt Shiozawa is pulling an all alum TW now that is pretty spiffy.
I haven't ever seen one in person but they look like they are a pretty viable option for an all alum trailer.
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | 1DSoon - 2019-01-22 3:47 PM
Matt Shiozawa is pulling an all alum TW now that is pretty spiffy.
I haven't ever seen one in person but they look like they are a pretty viable option for an all alum trailer.
I've seen those too. It's too bad I'm not on the west coast or anywhere near....no dealers remotely close to me. I'd like to see one in person and actually get to look around in it. I've seen a few at races from a distance but. That's it.... |
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Location: in the ozone | A good friend has the AlumiLite TW - had it for at least 3 years now & it gets the crap hauled out of it. Still like new, holding up perfectly, and she loves it. She hauls it regularly up crappy, unmaintained mountain roads too. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | slipperyslope - 2019-01-23 9:55 AM
A good friend has the AlumiLite TW - had it for at least 3 years now & it gets the crap hauled out of it. Still like new, holding up perfectly, and she loves it. She hauls it regularly up crappy, unmaintained mountain roads too.
Thanks for sharing slipperyslope! Maybe they have made changes in recent years so the alum ones are holding up better than when they started making them? |
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 Veteran
Posts: 215
Location: Oregon | I have the special lite classic 4 horse gooseneck, with mid tack and it a great trailer. It has held up great to my naughty colts!! |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | RaceN War Eagle - 2019-01-25 11:06 PM
I have the special lite classic 4 horse gooseneck, with mid tack and it a great trailer. It has held up great to my naughty colts!!
Thanks, RaceN!
Curious what you haul it with? Would a SuperDuty do the trick? |
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Member
Posts: 17
| Both are the steel frame with the aluminum skin. My living quarters runs about 10,000 empty (it has the mid tack, but no mangers or back tack) and my little 20' combo is just under 3,000. My only complaint is the latches on the tack doors. They tend to work themselves back out and my door sags. We tighten them back up and are good to go for a while. |
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Member
Posts: 31
| We've owned 5 trails west trailers. Ours were either Santa fe's or classics.
We just recently bought a 2008 4 hs Classic in new condition. I never even looked at another trailer besides the trails west. We put new tires and that's it! They pull straight, they just don't have issues! Rust is minimal and that's at 15 yrs old with no shelter at all, I did wax them every other year, but love, love, love trails west! |
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Member
Posts: 17
| All of them have been the steel frame with aluminum skins. My only complaint is the hinges on the mid-tack get loose and the door sags and makes it difficult to open, but we just tighten them and continue on. It's really only on the door that I constantly use though. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | I really appreciate everyone's feed back! I may have to have one shipped to me when I'm ready to buy. I just love the layout and options with the comfort package for the price. Can't beat it it seems! |
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| MOGirl07 - 2019-01-20 8:16 AM What do you all know about them? The good, the bad, and the ugly please.
I have a '99 3 horse GN Sierra with a fixed rear tack, mangers and extra large DR. The storage is unreal and it hauls fantastic but that is where the positives end for me. I bought it used with the intention of insulating the DR and making a weekender up there. I soon found out that it leaked which turned out to be the opposite of easy to fix and lead to a complete rebuild. Under all the trim pieces the welds were spotty and the seams were quite wide - kind of like they cut the piece of steel too small and just hid the wide gap under the trim instead of cutting a new piece. They caulked seams/joints that should not have been caulked so that water that got in there just rusted out the steel. The doors all warped plus they put the DR door on the opposite way of what it should be so that it opens toward the tow vehicle. Those are just a few of the MANY, MANY, MANY issues I have with how it was built. I shed lots of tears, said lots of cuss words and ultimately learned a lot more about trailers than I ever wanted to while going through this 3 year process because I had to do 90% of the work myself - NEVER again.
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 1D Lawn Mower
Posts: 1417
Location: Southeast, Texas | We have a four horse Adventure MX, it’s is a steel framed aluminum wrapped. I positively love it. Our trailer is a 2014 model, we bought it new in February of ‘15. The only issue I have to report is that the reflective stickers need to be replaced this year. I did notice the other day that we are missing one rivet in the tack room door, again.. easy fix. Ours has held up to everyday hauling, jackass horses, and long road trips. It pulls great. I would be happy to share photos of exactly what it looks like today, after four years of heavy use.. you’ll just have to message me, I can’t post pictures from my phone to the thread. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | ABroussard - 2019-02-07 8:14 AM
We have a four horse Adventure MX, it’s is a steel framed aluminum wrapped. I positively love it. Our trailer is a 2014 model, we bought it new in February of ‘15. The only issue I have to report is that the reflective stickers need to be replaced this year. I did notice the other day that we are missing one rivet in the tack room door, again.. easy fix. Ours has held up to everyday hauling, jackass horses, and long road trips. It pulls great. I would be happy to share photos of exactly what it looks like today, after four years of heavy use.. you’ll just have to message me, I can’t post pictures from my phone to the thread.
Good to know! I wouldn't be using mine more than 4 to 5 times a month likely. It would he garaged. But good to know there are some out there holding up to heavy use! |
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Trails West Trailers?