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 Goin' on the Warpath
Posts: 1386
  
Location: IN | Has anyone converted a 4 horse straight load trailer to a slant load? What did it take to do so? |
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 A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
Location: Southern Oregon | I had a four horse straight load when I started out. My grandparents bought it brand new and handed it down to me. It was a super nice BIG straight load gooseneck. We attempted several times to make it into a slant load. It was too narrow, made the horses uncomfortable even when we only would put three in there. |
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | I wouldn't recommend doing this on any brand. Dividers for slant loads are hinged on the side posts of the trailers. You don't know the construction of your trailer and you could really mess things up |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
 
| I would think the cost would be prohibitive. I have hauled way more miles in a straight load trailer than a slant load over the past 50+ years. Personally I thought I was pretty high class when I got a trailer with a top! You don't have to have a slant load! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | A straight load and a slant load trailer are not built the same. The braces on the frame for sitting up a slant load is not going to be in the right places to put up the dividers. Theres nothing wrong having a straight load trailer.
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2015-06-22 1:51 PM
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Goin' on the Warpath
Posts: 1386
Location: IN | Our trailer is big and wide they hauled draft horses in it. I just have a mare who flipped out of a trailer backwards and about killed herself and me backing out. She's terrified to back out even with a ramp. I may try working her with one more but it's always ended up getting us hurt. I just like a slant load better and I wanted to put a rear tack in as well. Just wanted to see if anyone ever has converted one. |
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Goin' on the Warpath
Posts: 1386
Location: IN | I don't even need dividers really just don't want all those things in there. Leading horses up in there is dangerous to me. I don't want to crawl between legs to get out. My husband could weld braces and whatever else in there. I just was hoping someone else had done it to see a visual. |
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Goin' on the Warpath
Posts: 1386
Location: IN | cowgirl_3207 - 2015-06-22 1:05 AM
I had a four horse straight load when I started out. My grandparents bought it brand new and handed it down to me. It was a super nice BIG straight load gooseneck. We attempted several times to make it into a slant load. It was too narrow, made the horses uncomfortable even when we only would put three in there.
Yeah, we have a really big one too. I love it. Just I don't like the straight loads for multiple reasons but will deal if we absolutely had to. |
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 Party Girl
Posts: 12293
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | Your best bet would be to sell the current trailer to get a slant. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | turnandburn_2011 - 2015-06-22 2:08 PM I don't even need dividers really just don't want all those things in there. Leading horses up in there is dangerous to me. I don't want to crawl between legs to get out. My husband could weld braces and whatever else in there. I just was hoping someone else had done it to see a visual.
The dividers is what makes a slant load. If you dont want the dividers just load up the horses and tie them in a standing slanted/sideways, but even with a slant load trailer the horses still have to back out the same as in a straight load trailer.
When we hauled in a stock trailer we would slant the horses, but they have to get along with each other so as not to kick one another. Even with a slant load I still walk my horses in and then close their divider. And you still have to walk in the trailer to unlatch the divider, So really no different then a straight load. |
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Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | Even if your husband could weld the braces, you don't know how the trailer is made and what size side posts it has. There is so much more going on behind the scenes of the trailer as far as the construction goes, believe me. No matter what, you'll have to walk a horse in. If you don't need dividers then just tie up their heads. As far as building a rear tack, I can send you pictures of what my husband did with my old trailer that I have since sold. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Does your trailer have dividers? If so since you dont need dividers take them out. |
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Goin' on the Warpath
Posts: 1386
Location: IN | Yes, it has dividers. I wanted to take them out but there's a bar welded in. I didn't want anything to cave in or anything on the roof. I'll have to get some pictures. I won't sell it because I don't want a payment on a trailer. It's in excellent condition and I won't come close to anything else like it.
I guess I may go to a trailer place or something and see what they think. There has to be a way.
And yes in a slant load I've never had to crawl through legs though. Just walked in one at a time. They weren't head to tail.
But I was just curious. |
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Goin' on the Warpath
Posts: 1386
Location: IN | TwistedK - 2015-06-22 2:31 PM
Even if your husband could weld the braces, you don't know how the trailer is made and what size side posts it has. There is so much more going on behind the scenes of the trailer as far as the construction goes, believe me. No matter what, you'll have to walk a horse in. If you don't need dividers then just tie up their heads. As far as building a rear tack, I can send you pictures of what my husband did with my old trailer that I have since sold.
Yes please send me pictures:) and diverted aren't removeanle without having a big bar to take a hip out on if they have a fuss. |
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Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | turnandburn_2011 - 2015-06-22 7:45 PM
TwistedK - 2015-06-22 2:31 PM
Even if your husband could weld the braces, you don't know how the trailer is made and what size side posts it has. There is so much more going on behind the scenes of the trailer as far as the construction goes, believe me. No matter what, you'll have to walk a horse in. If you don't need dividers then just tie up their heads. As far as building a rear tack, I can send you pictures of what my husband did with my old trailer that I have since sold.
Yes please send me pictures: ) and diverted aren't removeanle without having a big bar to take a hip out on if they have a fuss.
Here are pictures of my rear tack. My husband did it all in wood, then skinned it in white aluminum and put the rubber on it to make it look better. It was a lot of work. Ask CindyHamilton on here about converting.
Edited by TwistedK 2015-06-23 7:29 AM
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I have a steel trailer that was made into a slant load with a small dressing room/tack room. They said it was a 3 horse, but in my opinion it is a 2 horse with the first hole good for hay and such. It doesn't have a rear tack, so there is lots of room in the last hole. I have had no problems with it. But I don't have big horses, the tallest is 15.2. I love it. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 941
Location: Kansas | For many years we hauled five horses in a 6x20 stock trailer. We tied the center gate back and tied them in slant wise. I understand not wanting to lead them in side by side and walk out between them. I had a mare get upset and pull back and jump forward when I was standing betwen the first two horses. I wasn't hurt but I sure dreaded tying that mare in the future. Good luck on figuring this out. |
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Goin' on the Warpath
Posts: 1386
Location: IN | TigerTe - 2015-06-23 11:54 AM
For many years we hauled five horses in a 6x20 stock trailer. We tied the center gate back and tied them in slant wise. I understand not wanting to lead them in side by side and walk out between them. I had a mare get upset and pull back and jump forward when I was standing betwen the first two horses. I wasn't hurt but I sure dreaded tying that mare in the future. Good luck on figuring this out.
The way I load them in a slant is walking in... I don't have a problem doing that... Except the last stall and I just send my good loaders up in there alone and have my husband up front to clip them in the window area. It's different when you're loading them up side by side and you can't get out. I've been about crushed before so I'm leary of that. I know a lot can happen with horses but I still try being somewhat careful. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | turnandburn_2011 - 2015-06-23 8:03 PM The way I load them in a slant is walking in... I don't have a problem doing that... Except the last stall and I just send my good loaders up in there alone and have my husband up front to clip them in the window area. It's different when you're loading them up side by side and you can't get out. I've been about crushed before so I'm leary of that. I know a lot can happen with horses but I still try being somewhat careful.
For this reason, this is why I train all my horses to self-load. I have a slant load and the only time I get into the trailer is to close the divider behind them. If I had a straight load, I would "send them" into the trailer the same way.
So I guess if you have no choice but to keep your straight load, I would work on teaching your horses to go onto the trailer without you leading them. Just send them on!
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | A girl I used to haul with had a straight load 2 horse BP. Her gelding liked riding in trailers backwards and she didn't think anything of it when she bought the straight load BP... He wouldn't go in head first and the one time we did get him head first in he shot out the back so fast when we let the ramp down he broke the butt bar and almost trampled us both.
She took the chest bar off and cross tied him backward so he would fit and he loved it. Worked good for her at the time. Not sure how your trailer is set up tho.
He was an odd character...  |
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