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 Knowledge is Power
Posts: 4051
 
Location: wherever my daughter's running | We bought a 3 horse Bison with LQ 12 years ago - new off the lot. We have had no problems with the trailer and it has served us very well. I love all the storage- everything - heat - ac - fridge, etc. work as good as the day we bought it. We have never had a leak. The horses seem to travel well in it. It pulls great. I am a fan and would buy another when/if I need to. |
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 Duct Tape Can't Fix Stupid
Posts: 2748
 
Location: Warsaw,NY | Thankx everyone for your input, keep them coming. I am traveling down to alabama tomorrow and will be stopping at dixie horse and mule to look at them all. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 784
Location: USA | hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-09 5:18 AM Thankx everyone for your input, keep them coming. I am traveling down to alabama tomorrow and will be stopping at dixie horse and mule to look at them all.
Let us know what you think after looking at all of them.. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I'm also trailer shopping and I think of it this way....
When I was truck shopping Ford 6.0's were a dime a dozen all day long. It was hard to find a Duramax with reasonable miles.
I bought a Duramax.
When I go out to horse trailer world, I see used Bisons for all all day long.
Don't really see that many used Lakotas for sale, at least not from what I've seen. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 784
Location: USA | Are Lakota trailers all aluminum? |
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 Regular
Posts: 65
Location: south GA | My husband and I are hauling in a 2012 Bison 4 horse with an 8 ft sw and slide we have had issues with a couple leaks. We had a smaller Bison LQ before and had an issue with the axle bracket ripping from the frame. Both came from Dixie Horse and Mule and they helped work with us and make everything right when it came to the issue with the axle. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 421
Location: Texas!! | I have both. A '14 Bison with the aluminum frame. It's a 3 horse with a 8 ft sw and the electric awning. Nothing fancy and no upgrades. I love it, but I don't haul every weekend, and when I go its usually within a couple of hours from my house. I can run it with a portable Honda 2000 generator, just have to turn the ac off to run the microwave. I can pull it with my '97 2500 pickup. The Lakota is a '16 with a 11 ft sw and a slideout. 3 horse with a onan generator, electric awning, 8 ft wide with lots of upgrades! It is really nice!! My daughter lives in it, while she is going to college. We have to pull it with one of our dually's. I would recommend either one, and get upgrades if you plan on hauling a lot. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 784
Location: USA | bump... anxious to hear what you found out. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 368
Location: run2win land | We have a lakota bighorn. 8316. We have hauled many miles already and I love it. It pulls so well and smooth. I could live full time in the living quarters. My hubby checks and maintains it, as you should any trailer. I don't understand people that think a trailer will hold itself together when you are on rough roads, etc. We had a couple small issues that the factory was 100% behind. For the price, I highly recommend. |
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| I have a lakotaand absolutely love it! Looked at bison and several other brands before I made the purchase. My husband looked At the structure and the welds of the bison and flat out told me no! Bison isnt near the quality my Lakota either. I actually compared the two side by side at a dealership and went with the Lakota. Mine is a 2015. |
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Duct Tape Can't Fix Stupid
Posts: 2748
Location: Warsaw,NY | Lookin For Diamonds - 2016-02-09 9:54 AM hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-09 5:18 AM Thankx everyone for your input, keep them coming. I am traveling down to alabama tomorrow and will be stopping at dixie horse and mule to look at them all. Let us know what you think after looking at all of them..
I went to Dixie horse and mule today, i like the Lakotas way better than the bison. the Bisons seemed cheap in their LQ, and my son didnt like their welds. looked fast and sloppy. the Lakotas looked like a much nicer trailer. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Stopped in at my local trailer dealer yesterday to price out a new Lakota. Disclaimer - he is a Lakota dealer, also deals Kiefer and Trailswest.
We chatted about other brands and he said he's seen more Bisons in the last year that are 2 or 3 years old coming in on trade upside down on their loans. His example was one guy still owed $38k on one and after looking online you could buy nearly the exact model and year for $30k. Could have been poor financing on the guys fault, but still.
An interesting note on Kiefer, the company changed hands again the first of the year, this guy and other dealers he knows have not been able to get ahold of anyone at the new company... |
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Duct Tape Can't Fix Stupid
Posts: 2748
Location: Warsaw,NY | OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:23 AM Stopped in at my local trailer dealer yesterday to price out a new Lakota. Disclaimer - he is a Lakota dealer, also deals Kiefer and Trailswest. We chatted about other brands and he said he's seen more Bisons in the last year that are 2 or 3 years old coming in on trade upside down on their loans. His example was one guy still owed $38k on one and after looking online you could buy nearly the exact model and year for $30k. Could have been poor financing on the guys fault, but still. An interesting note on Kiefer, the company changed hands again the first of the year, this guy and other dealers he knows have not been able to get ahold of anyone at the new company...
what did u think of the Lakotas? |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-13 9:30 AM
OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:23 AM Stopped in at my local trailer dealer yesterday to price out a new Lakota. Disclaimer - he is a Lakota dealer, also deals Kiefer and Trailswest. We chatted about other brands and he said he's seen more Bisons in the last year that are 2 or 3 years old coming in on trade upside down on their loans. His example was one guy still owed $38k on one and after looking online you could buy nearly the exact model and year for $30k. Could have been poor financing on the guys fault, but still. An interesting note on Kiefer, the company changed hands again the first of the year, this guy and other dealers he knows have not been able to get ahold of anyone at the new company...
what did u think of the Lakotas?
Overall I think you get a lot of trailer for the money. I have a friend that has a 4H with either a 13 or 15' short wall and a slide out. She loves, traded I think an older sundowner on it and said it pulls waaaaaay better. Hasn't had any issues with it.
Love that they are all aluminum, I believe this is where Bison cuts some cost off on some models is in a steel frame and wooden floor.
It was 10* out so I did not spend a lot of time crawling around in them, more or less I was on a price investigating mission.
We are going tomorrow night over to a friends house who also has a Lakota, he's owned several different LQ's and at one time worked for a place that worked on LQ's and RV's I think as an electrician, so I'm very interested to pick his brain.
I let the resale market on the trailer sale websites tell me a lot about what people in general think about a trailer. IMO a ton of used trailers for sale under 5 years old is a bad deal.
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Duct Tape Can't Fix Stupid
Posts: 2748
Location: Warsaw,NY | OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:49 AM hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-13 9:30 AM OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:23 AM Stopped in at my local trailer dealer yesterday to price out a new Lakota. Disclaimer - he is a Lakota dealer, also deals Kiefer and Trailswest. We chatted about other brands and he said he's seen more Bisons in the last year that are 2 or 3 years old coming in on trade upside down on their loans. His example was one guy still owed $38k on one and after looking online you could buy nearly the exact model and year for $30k. Could have been poor financing on the guys fault, but still. An interesting note on Kiefer, the company changed hands again the first of the year, this guy and other dealers he knows have not been able to get ahold of anyone at the new company... what did u think of the Lakotas? Overall I think you get a lot of trailer for the money. I have a friend that has a 4H with either a 13 or 15' short wall and a slide out. She loves, traded I think an older sundowner on it and said it pulls waaaaaay better. Hasn't had any issues with it. Love that they are all aluminum, I believe this is where Bison cuts some cost off on some models is in a steel frame and wooden floor. It was 10* out so I did not spend a lot of time crawling around in them, more or less I was on a price investigating mission. We are going tomorrow night over to a friends house who also has a Lakota, he's owned several different LQ's and at one time worked for a place that worked on LQ's and RV's I think as an electrician, so I'm very interested to pick his brain. I let the resale market on the trailer sale websites tell me a lot about what people in general think about a trailer. IMO a ton of used trailers for sale under 5 years old is a bad deal.
The weather here is warmer, so they stayed after closing for me and took me to every trailer i wanted to see. they closd at 5, i didnt get there til 6, the guy walked the lot with me and cindy the finance lady waited. in comparison, the lakotas are much nicer. their interiors are built at Lakota when the trailer is made, so the LQ isnt added by another company later. so the warranty is all from one place. they utilize space much better and have more strage. they are all aluminum and alot lighter than the bison. every bison i went into just didnt impress me, they seemed so bottom line with their LQ. My son looked at the welds and was not impressed with the sloppiness the bison welds had. Granted he welds and can fix them, but u shouldnt have to. I am not seeing alot of Lakotas on the used market. The lakotas just seemed so much higher end than the Bison and for about the same amy of $$ |
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 Veteran
Posts: 141
Location: College Station, TX | I have a 2015 bison 3h with 8 ft LQ. I don't haul every weekend anymore either but so far I've liked it. We did have a problem with the hold backs for the rear doors not lining up properly but bison fixed it with no problem. When we were going to purchase my husband mentioned not liking the look of the welds (welder himself) but with what we paid for it I couldn't get a used trailer for that price so we decided to take the risk. We got a great deal on it, so so far I'm happy we risked it. We got no frills or upgrades, and the biggest thing I wish was different is I wish there were mats on the stud wall, so I'm having to pay to have them installed. We didn't buy it with intentions of it being a long term investment, just to get me through the next 2-3 years until we can afford what I want. This could be the reason there are lots of used ones for sale. It's kind of like a starter home to me... This is my starter trailer lol |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-13 10:05 AM
OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:49 AM hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-13 9:30 AM OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:23 AM Stopped in at my local trailer dealer yesterday to price out a new Lakota. Disclaimer - he is a Lakota dealer, also deals Kiefer and Trailswest. We chatted about other brands and he said he's seen more Bisons in the last year that are 2 or 3 years old coming in on trade upside down on their loans. His example was one guy still owed $38k on one and after looking online you could buy nearly the exact model and year for $30k. Could have been poor financing on the guys fault, but still. An interesting note on Kiefer, the company changed hands again the first of the year, this guy and other dealers he knows have not been able to get ahold of anyone at the new company... what did u think of the Lakotas? Overall I think you get a lot of trailer for the money. I have a friend that has a 4H with either a 13 or 15' short wall and a slide out. She loves, traded I think an older sundowner on it and said it pulls waaaaaay better. Hasn't had any issues with it. Love that they are all aluminum, I believe this is where Bison cuts some cost off on some models is in a steel frame and wooden floor. It was 10* out so I did not spend a lot of time crawling around in them, more or less I was on a price investigating mission. We are going tomorrow night over to a friends house who also has a Lakota, he's owned several different LQ's and at one time worked for a place that worked on LQ's and RV's I think as an electrician, so I'm very interested to pick his brain. I let the resale market on the trailer sale websites tell me a lot about what people in general think about a trailer. IMO a ton of used trailers for sale under 5 years old is a bad deal.
Awesome, thanks for the additional details! I'm waiting to hear back on if they can do a narrow manger and what the floor plan looks like with a dinette set instead of a couch with no slides, did you walk through any like that?
I don't want a slide in just a 9' shortwall because you have to slide it out to do anything in the LQ. Plus the weight and cost. A dinette set would be more versatile for us, especially since my job lets me work on the road sometimes, but all the ones on our lot have couches and slides. |
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Duct Tape Can't Fix Stupid
Posts: 2748
Location: Warsaw,NY | OhMax - 2016-02-14 7:42 AM hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-13 10:05 AM OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:49 AM hezasmashnsixcess - 2016-02-13 9:30 AM OhMax - 2016-02-13 10:23 AM Stopped in at my local trailer dealer yesterday to price out a new Lakota. Disclaimer - he is a Lakota dealer, also deals Kiefer and Trailswest. We chatted about other brands and he said he's seen more Bisons in the last year that are 2 or 3 years old coming in on trade upside down on their loans. His example was one guy still owed $38k on one and after looking online you could buy nearly the exact model and year for $30k. Could have been poor financing on the guys fault, but still. An interesting note on Kiefer, the company changed hands again the first of the year, this guy and other dealers he knows have not been able to get ahold of anyone at the new company... what did u think of the Lakotas? Overall I think you get a lot of trailer for the money. I have a friend that has a 4H with either a 13 or 15' short wall and a slide out. She loves, traded I think an older sundowner on it and said it pulls waaaaaay better. Hasn't had any issues with it. Love that they are all aluminum, I believe this is where Bison cuts some cost off on some models is in a steel frame and wooden floor. It was 10* out so I did not spend a lot of time crawling around in them, more or less I was on a price investigating mission. We are going tomorrow night over to a friends house who also has a Lakota, he's owned several different LQ's and at one time worked for a place that worked on LQ's and RV's I think as an electrician, so I'm very interested to pick his brain. I let the resale market on the trailer sale websites tell me a lot about what people in general think about a trailer. IMO a ton of used trailers for sale under 5 years old is a bad deal. Awesome, thanks for the additional details! I'm waiting to hear back on if they can do a narrow manger and what the floor plan looks like with a dinette set instead of a couch with no slides, did you walk through any like that? I don't want a slide in just a 9' shortwall because you have to slide it out to do anything in the LQ. Plus the weight and cost. A dinette set would be more versatile for us, especially since my job lets me work on the road sometimes, but all the ones on our lot have couches and slides.
i did not walk thru the 9'sw without slide. there was only 1 trailer i walked thru where the slide in was a problem, and if i remeber correclty it was a 11'sw. I am actually getting a 15'sw that has dinette and couch. i so fell in love with this trailer and its set up. i had a Keifer built 7'w with a dinette years ago, that was way too crowded. i dont think the 8'wide is as bad. I looked at a bison without slide with a couch 8'wide, it wasnt bad. I really want the slide for that extra room, soecially for 3 frenchies to play in. disie horse and mule has a 9'sw without slide go to their site and check it out. its a nice trailer i was considering it actually, but really wanted slide out |
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