I’ve decided to go for it - a 2+1 without a dressing room. Now I’ve got to shop for gooseneck hitch installers.
1 Like
I’m still in the process of pricing and trade in. I also took a hard look at the Sundowner and Shadow 2+1s and they are similarly priced to the 4stars. I have to say, the Merhow 3 horse slant I have was a great deal on an excellent trailer. I actually hauled 3 horses on it yesterday. But my biggest guy, a 17hd draft cross keeps coming up with a strawberry on his right hindquarter unless I give him the last stall on the trailer or the the middle stall with the last gate tied back, so essentially two stall space. If I put him in the middle or the stall closest to the dressing room, he is winding up with a rub on this right hip (not at the point of hip, but in the middle of his hindquarter), and that’s even with a cooling sheet on. I’ve looked and there’s nothing sticking out and causing this, it’s a pressure rub. And my big guys really don’t look crammed onto this trailer with the extra long and extra wide stalls, so I don’t know why he keeps coming up with a rub. And he’s been trailered off on and on this trailer for the last five years but only started getting a rub. I am starting to trailer him more though as he was previously on my back burner as a competition horse, but he’s now the one I’m concentrating on. Maybe he’ll be happier in a straight load.
I love my 4Star 2+1. If you want to use the +1 as a grooming stall kind of thing with horses that big, I’d advise going custom and getting a couple extra feet put on the box.
1 Like
did you price out another Merhow 2+1 ? I shopped around and Merhow was the least expensive with all the custom options I wanted on my trailer. I had a Merhow before and I had that trailer for 15 years so they definitely hold their value. When I bought my trailer, adding or subtracting floor space was not that expensive and they were willing to build anything.
I should clarify, cheapest with decent quality. Some of the really cheaper trailer brands were quite scary with sharp edges and crappy welding that looked like I put it together myself.
1 Like
I found the same, price for features Merhow was the best when I bought in 2014.
1 Like
You know I need to do that. The dealer I bought my current trailer from no longer sells Merhow as she said they were bought out and the new owners were not as responsive customer service wise. There is one other dealer in the state but all they currently carry are big living quarters trailers and RVs, so I don’t know how responsive they are likely to be but worth a call.
So I did contact the only Merhow dealer in the state and right off the bat, they want nothing to do with my trailer. So I would need to sell it first before ordering a new one and the problem with that, is then I am without a trailer for ever how long that process takes. I have all the facts and figures in on the 4star I’d like to order and really, it’s a good deal, but it’s still expensive. However, just like the Merhow I have now, I do think it’s the sort of trailer I could keep for the next 20 years, easily. I’m still hesitating though because I am most often trailering one horse; two at the most; and rarely 3 and am wondering if I should either hold what I’ve got or get a 2 horse straight load. The 4Star dealer I am working with has a very nice 2Horse Warmblood goose on order which is $6k cheaper than the 2+1 I’m looking at, and that’s kind of persuasive. If anyone has any other input, I wouldn’t mind hearing it.
ETA: Heard back from the Merhow dealer and they’re actually quoting me a higher price for a 2+1 than 4Star, so that’s a non-starter.
My new Four Star 2 + 1 is on its way! Semi custom, but I am super excited to finally have one.
1 Like
Awesome for you!
1 Like
I have a 2+1 without the dressing room total of 18" on the floor. So I have 10’ for the horse stalls and 8’ for the aisle. I have divided swinging gates in the center between the horse stalls and aisle way. And a 5’ wide side ramp. The Manufacturer put in 3 saddle racks in the aisle up near the jack sheet wall and I just toss the bridles into the tack trunk tucked up against the jack sheet wall. My previous trailer was a 17’ on the floor GN and I could back that thing into same tight spots I had to back my 2h BP with DR. So far this trailer is as nimble as the previous GN.
1 Like
What year is yours? Any issues with it at all? There is a 2015 for sale not far from me.
Except for a recent fire evacuation, I’ve mostly used mine so far for my one horse. I LOVE having the front ramp when trailering by myself. I also really like being able to wheel a trunk up into the box rather than hoist it into the DR. In addition, it came in handy when I found myself suddenly in a situation of needing to supply my horse’s alfalfa hay and not being given great out of the weather storage for it. Like, only a few days’ notice that the barn was no longer going to supply alfalfa. I picked up 12 bales at a time from a local farmer and stored it in the box stall and didn’t have to worry about it.
1 Like
I think it’s a 2014. No issues and my daughter bought one just like it but a year later model. She has made multiple trips back and forth from Kansas to Atlanta, GA and it hauls great with an F250. Personally, I would stay far away from anything made by Sundowner. They seem to be made by non-horsepeople that like to cut corners. The ramps are flimsy and the hardware not as beefy as other trailers.
2 Likes
I put a deposit down on an order for a new 4Star Runabout 2+1. Should be here in June.
1 Like
I’m late to this thread, but I have an older Sundowner 2+1 with a dressing room, that I have had for 16 yrs, and I love that trailer.
I think the 2+1 is the greatest configuration, in so many ways, especially if you trailer alone, or if you have youngsters.
Teaching a horse to load, you can open the whole thing up and it is bright and open and inviting.
If you are showing, you can put your lawn chair in +1 area, out of the rain and sun. I make the 2 horse area into a box stall, and the horse has a place to rest and relax. You can even sleep up in the gooseneck area in the dressing room.
I love that the horse has all that ventilation - in the hot weather, you can drive with the windows open over the side ramp. His face is not pressed up against a wall.
Most importantly, I can load and unload on my own without any worries or safety issues.
Good luck with your new trailer, FatCat.
1 Like
Thanks Fred, it’s a chunk of change. I almost got one when I ordered my Merhow but convinced myself I didn’t want something that long. Tried the slant and love it, but my boys have outgrown it. So I have a really nice 2012 Merhow Verylite 3Horse slant if anyone is shopping!
OP they said June for your Runabout? Mine is a week wait…I am so excited I can barley contain myself. I could not have waited three months! Lol! What dealer did you use? Did you get any extra options? That is what is taking me the extra week to install the extras.
1 Like
Wow, lucky you! I went through Horse Pro Trailers in Gainesville, GA - same place I got my Merhow. I am getting the 22ft one with 11ft for the two straight stalls and 7ft for the +1 box with a 4ft dressing room. WERM flooring, 4 saddle racks; 12 bridle hooks, stall mat in the DR, bulkhead door into the DR, 7000lb Dexter axles; insulated ceiling in the horse area; just white skin but with the Reflections hunter green graphic pkg; a folding step, loading light for side ramp and configuring the stud doors to fold back flat against the walls instead of having one open into the center. That way, I can pop the center post out and that will give me some extra room in that plus one box if I need it for tacking up on a hot or rainy day.
1 Like
Oh, that is genius with the stud doors! I found a good deal on one on a lot ready to go with most of the options I wanted, but man, now I wish I’d done some customizing.
Thanks! But I saw it on another 2+1 set up, not 4Star, maybe Shadow, but I asked about it because I didn’t want to add any extra length but thought that would be a way to dual purpose that head space in front of the straight stalls to give the +1 area some extra room when needed.
