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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
   
Location: Phoenix | I'm HOPEFULLY purchasing a trailer here soon. It's probably going to be a rinky-dink two horse straight load to be honest so I'm looking for tips on what to look for when buying an older trailer. Other than inspecting the floor underneath the rubber mats and hooking it up to the truck to make sure the wiring is good. What else?
What about permamanent plates? Bill of sale versus a title?
Fill me in on things you've learned. Thanks! |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
 
| Honestly...I'd look for a stock trailer before I'd own another straight load. Just my .02 there
Figure on needing tires and wheel bearings repacked.
Plates will depend on the state but I've always pulled them off the trailers I've sold and returned them to the DMV for a partial refund or transfer to a new trailer. |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Do the straight loads really suck?
My horse should load into just about anything....
But I've always had a gooseneck but that's not an option.
I'd love to have a little base-line Trails West slant load but just a little too expensive for the budget right now. Just need a little A-B trailer.... |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | Crawl under it and make sure the steel beams supporting the floor are in good shape, if it has leaf springs, make sure those are good too. I once bought a little one horse trailer that was in great shape, but it was a shop made trailer and the frame was bolted straight to the axles, never even thought to look under it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 516
| We bought a little two horse straight load run around trailer while we're staying in our big living quarters for a little while down south, and I've got to say I hate it. The horses load into it fine but it's so hard for them to balance. I can hear them banging around trying to get their footing whenever I take a turn, and I'm a grandma when it comes to driving with horses. Much prefer a slant load.
As far as checking them over, I agree with the above. We had to rewire ours when got it due to the left turn signal not working and it was a pain in the butt.
Also, check inside the tack compartment and look for any signs of water leaks. It's not a huge deal to fix with a little silicone but I found out ours leaked after it rained and the fenders on my $2600 saddle were sitting in a pool of water along with my other tack. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| hammer_time - 2017-03-02 10:33 PM
Do the straight loads really suck?
My horse should load into just about anything....
But I've always had a gooseneck but that's not an option.
I'd love to have a little base-line Trails West slant load but just a little too expensive for the budget right now. Just need a little A-B trailer....
I would agree with the other poster about balance. They are also harder to load into, teach a horse to load into, and the smaller ones can be dangerous for the people trying to load with small escape doors if your horse doesn't self load. We hauled around in one for a long time, it was a solid trailer but I did have trouble getting horses to load in it (if they don't self load you're basically walking in directly in front of them which can be confusing since you're standing where they need to go).
We haul a lot in my FIL's stock trailer which is 6'6x6'6 wide for reference. I'd rather have 7' tall but we get along with it. We're keeping half an eye out for one for us so we don't have to haul our LQ to one day deals. Horses haul well in it, load in and out easy, etc. you can get stock boxes put in to store tack etc.
I do have a friend the Trails West that you speak of, it's a nice little get around trailer. I hauled in a similar Titan and slept a lot of nights on a cot in the back before I bought my LQ.
If you don't mind me asking, what is the budget? |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | I know you can get a slant bumper pull for under $5K easy. Just have to keep watching for them. I would not do a sraight load. JMO.
As in all trailers, new and used, inspect the floor, sides, wiring etc. |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | If the middle divider is removable you can make it a slant load.
I would have someone who knows rust check out the frame because I have asked all of the questions in the world and shown up to some real death traps before. |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | I honestly wouldn't do a straight load trailer either. So many downfalls over buying just a stock trailer. I have a little run around stock bumper pull. Horses have no issue loading and hauling in it, whereas they won't load in a two horse straight. I know a lot of horses will, but they aren't as safe. Around here, there isn't a huge difference in price between the two. I have sold 2 horse straights for $2500, and stock trailers for between $2500-$3500. |
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 Shoot Yeah
Posts: 4273
Location: Where you need a paddle... Oregon! | It's what I have to use. In the divorce my husband kept the 3 horse with LQ. I got the 2 horse straight load that my dad gave me. So I make the best of what I have. I replaced the floors, mats, and tires, and had the wiring redone. It doesn't leak, so I"m good there. I don't keep my tack in the tack room, though.
If you're hauling 1 horse it isn't so bad. When I am only hauling my mare I have it rigged up with yacht rope and a caribiner clip so I can remove the pin and swing it over and clip it to the side. My mare rides just great in it, but I also am a careful driver in stops and on corners. I give her plenty of warning that I'm slowing down. |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Hmmmm.....I might just wait it out and save more for the Trails West I liked. The Adventurer has two generous openings on both sides and the back door so there's lots of airflow which is good for AZ. |
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 Mighty Elk Slayer
Posts: 2428
Location: Lewisburg, Tennessee | WiscoRacer - 2017-03-02 11:53 PM We bought a little two horse straight load run around trailer while we're staying in our big living quarters for a little while down south, and I've got to say I hate it. The horses load into it fine but it's so hard for them to balance. I can hear them banging around trying to get their footing whenever I take a turn, and I'm a grandma when it comes to driving with horses. Much prefer a slant load. As far as checking them over, I agree with the above. We had to rewire ours when got it due to the left turn signal not working and it was a pain in the butt. Also, check inside the tack compartment and look for any signs of water leaks. It's not a huge deal to fix with a little silicone but I found out ours leaked after it rained and the fenders on my $2600 saddle were sitting in a pool of water along with my other tack. ^^^^This^^^ A few years ago we borrowed a friends's 2-horse straight load gooseneck to take to a local rodeo instead of pulling the big living quarters trailer. My mare, who's always hauled good, was banging around so bad that I told my husband to pull over and I got back there with her (we were only a few miles away from the rodeo grounds). I was amazed at how hard it was for her to keep balanced. It had a half-divider so she could spread out but there were times that she would lean and her foot would actually come off the floor. If you think about it, a horse is put together to balance end to end, not side to side....so to speak. I'd own a stock trailer over a straight load any day of the week. 
Edited by wyodrumrunner 2017-03-03 12:04 PM
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Thanks for the input on the straight load; I think we'll just have to wait especially since he might be getting surgery I guess I don't really need a trailer anyways LOL !
Edited by hammer_time 2017-03-03 9:10 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
Location: Ohio girl moved to PA | My very first trailer i bought was a ol 1980's something, rinky dinky bumper pull 2 horse straight load. we just made sure floors and frame were solid, hooked it up to make sure brakes/wiring worked and how it hauled. used it for about a year until my barrel horse decide he needed more room and after that he refused to load in it so i was "forced" to buy a new slant load hehe. that little trailer was perfect for us starting out. put new tires on it and packed the bearings and she was good to go. In ohio if anything is under 4,000lbs you dont have to have a title for it. Just a bill of sale and we took that right down to the BMV and got our plates. we only did yearly bc the permanant was about $250 and we knew we wouldnt be keeping it that long to get our monies worth. Good Luck!! |
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 The Worst Seller Ever
Posts: 4138
Location: Oklahoma | I pull in a 2H straight load, single axle. It is by far the best little trailer I have ever had. My experienced horses have no issues standing up in it, and the ride just fine.
It all depends on the quality and balance of the smaller trailers. If the axles are not placed in the right position or the tires are not the right size it causes it to move more which causes a bad ride for the horses. I probably pulled my good horse 20k miles last year in it and never had one issue.
The only thing I would change about it is that I would like a saddle rack in it. Mine was removed years before I purchased it.
My rodeo rig!
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 899
Location: Idaho | I have owned straight loads and have never had a problem with them. My horses will load in just about anything though, there is no middle ground and if they had an issue, well then we work it out till they are comfortable jumping in a straight load. I had a long lesson on that when I was a teenager, had a Clinton Anderson/Parelli trainer down the road that showed me what to do and what to teach, and how to enforce them wanting to get into the trailer.
I currently haul a big two horse straight, never had any problems. Hauls great, horses never scramble. Has a large walk in tack room, I love it.
On another note, as already stated look underneath the trailer. You want to make sure the beams and axles are solid and not rotted through due to rust. Also make sure the floors are solid, there are no holes anywhere, no windows missing etc. Maybe ask to tow it around to see how it hauls, tires are good, the jack is good.
OH, and you WANT a title for sure!! I do both Bill of Sale and title, but that's just me!
Edited by DashNDustem 2017-03-08 12:43 PM
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