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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
  
| A friend of mine is looking at buying a Bison. I personally don't know much about them, but have the impression they are a bit on the cheaper side. Are they well worth the price? She is looking at a living quarters. I know Exiss trailers tend to have leaky roofs, is Bison known for having any issues? She is looking at spending more than $30,000 and wants to make sure it is worth the price. |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | I say No. I have not ever had a Bison but from what I learned when doing research is that the cheaper trailers are not put together as well or as a solid as a better quality trailer. And the LQs are the same way. Cheap cabinets vs solid wood. Hinges and handles will start giving you trouble |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I bought a large LQ trailer new from Bison had it custom made the way I wanted and am really happy with it..I've had the featherlite and sooner and platinum ...no complaints at all with the Bison..I've know in years past they had a bad rap but they were bought out a few years ago and since then quality has improved dramatically...also they come with a great warranty ..I've bought mine through NRS in Decatur and a company like that would not be selling cheaply or poorly made anything..they just would not associate themselves if that was the case...i researched a lot before purchasing mine and am very happy with the decision. |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | I'm not crazy about them, but in have to admit that's because I've never heard anything good about them. Almost all new trailers look nice. |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | I come from a line of Elite trailers so to me they are very cheaply built. Hinges, doors, gates. Plus, everything seems mini in the horse part? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| My friend bought a brand new Bison in 2013 and I think it's spent more time in the shop getting fixed than it has with horses in it being useful. I would buy a well made older trailer before I'd waste money on a new Bison, |
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 Knowledge is Power
Posts: 4051
Location: wherever my daughter's running | We have owned a Bison 3 horse LQ for years. There has been one recall on a part for the fridge. Dealer took care of it - no problem. We do not have a covered place to keep it so it is out in the weather 24/7/365. It has never leaked. We have big horses and they travel comfortably and we do have the mangers. Even on long hauls the horses get off the trailer ready to go so I feel they ride comfortably. Personally I love all the great storage in the LQ. We have never had any problems with cabinets. I feel we way more than got our money's worth with this trailer. I read the negative comments on these trailers and a lot of it is second hand. I can tell you as a owner of one I would not hesitate to buy another one. JMO |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | I dont own one and never have but I have friends that have had Bison and both of them had nothing but problems. From hinges breaking, leaking roofs undetected untill the floor's and walls were ruined in the LQ to broken axles. Then tried to sell and 2 years later with no takers ended up practically giving it away. We are looking for a trailer and when I see Bison I skip by. I wont even read the ad. Not only do I not want to get stuck with the problems, but I dont want to be stuck with a trailer I cant sell.
If Bison was bought out a few years ago as someone thought above, then they should have changed the name.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 614
Location: Usually on my horse | I have owned a Bison for 10 years....bought it new. Never had any problems...... It has a slide.....no problems with that.....all parts working....no broken hinges, gates, doors...no problems with heat, air or fridge......lots of storage....I have kept it indoors at all times when not in use. Would buy another in a heart beat. Everybody has their own opinion.....I had a very expensive Featherlite before I got the Bison. I had 10 times less trouble with the Bison then the Featherlite. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 927
Location: Iowa | All trailers can have problems. Human make mistakes on any trailer. If they were that bad, they wouldn't have any business. Buy what you can afford. Buy according to how you will use it. |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | When I was looking for a LQ I considered the Trail Hand model and really liked that I could have a brand new LQ trailer for about 25k. I was not impressed with the quality of the interior, however. The cabinets were pretty cheesy. I ended up buying an older Exiss with higher quality finishes.
A friend of mine has the Stratus model and she is very happy with it.
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 New Word Inventor
Posts: 1506
Location: Who knows | ThreeCorners - 2015-02-14 7:17 AM
I dont own one and never have but I have friends that have had Bison and both of them had nothing but problems. From hinges breaking, leaking roofs undetected untill the floor's and walls were ruined in the LQ to broken axles. Then tried to sell and 2 years later with no takers ended up practically giving it away. We are looking for a trailer and when I see Bison I skip by. I wont even read the ad. Not only do I not want to get stuck with the problems, but I dont want to be stuck with a trailer I cant sell.
If Bison was bought out a few years ago as someone thought above, then they should have changed the name.
Bison was bought out. It went into bankruptcy, and another trailer company picked it up. Had bought one in 2008 right before it went bankrupt, and it had problems, and this really turned me off to Bison for a while. I hadn't realized it had gone bankrupt until it leaked and we tried to use the warranty and got no response.
I was just looking at some new ones, and the quality has certainly improved. The interiors are still on the cheaper side, but from what I saw, it's improved in areas where it counts. Time will only tell. Any trailer can have problems, just like every brand of vehicle has issues.
I had sworn off Bison, but I might give it a second shot on a little weekender.
I agree that the name should have been changed. |
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Expert
Posts: 2122
Location: The Great Northwest | The Bison trailers have several levels of up-grades. They are not a heavy trailer like some out there. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | DONT DO IT..................
m |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| I find it funny that the ones on here that own them love them and the ones that have "friends" that own them, don't like them.  |
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IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| Thanks guys for the input! She has decided to keep looking. She was planning on spending a good sum, better to buy for quality...and if they don't resell well....ehh
There are tons of trailers out there. |
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boon
Posts: 1
| FYI - Horse Trailer Buyers Beware! As a performance horse trainer/coach for the past 37 years and owner of multiple horse trailers over the years, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON A BISON COACH! I purchased a fully loaded 2017 Bison Silverado Coach new in July of 2017. From September of 2017 until July of 2019, this trailer was nothing but trouble! It was in the shop more than I had it on the road! The leaking roof was the icing on the cake for me! I lost money on this coach, but thanks to Dixie Horse and Mule Co. in Wicksburg, AL, I now have a reliable LQ coach that doesn't leak!!! Needless to say, it is NOT a Bison!!! |
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boon
Posts: 4
| We have a 10' short wall LQ Laradeo Bision 3 horse trailer. It has been a really good trailer since we have owned it. No problems thus far. It is a 2015 or 2016 All Aluminum LQ. I do have it serviced every year. So far, only bearings packed. I so have Semi-Trailer tires on the trailer to stop blow outs. Due to speed ratio on trailer tires in general. |
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